By Erica Quinones
Editor-in-Chief
After a four-game losing streak, the Washington College women’s volleyball team came back strong with three wins against Trinity College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland University, and Notre Dame University of Maryland, bringing their overall to 3–4.
The Shorewomen grasped their first win of the season in a non-Conference match against the Trinity College’s Tigers on Sept. 16, sweeping the game 3–0.
Taking position on the Tigers’ home court, the Shorewomen opened the game with nine kills in the first set, nabbing a six-point lead over the Tigers at 25–19. They nearly doubled that initial lead in the second set, finishing at 25–12, and topped it again in the third with a 14 point victory.
The Shorewomen turned out strong, serving 14 service aces and hitting .286 in all three sets. Junior Courtney Maxwell and sophomore Angelina Schaber tied each other for top kills, both netting seven, while freshman Colette Franck set a personal-high with six aces.
Taking the game back home for Fall Family Weekend on Sept. 18, the Shorewomen claimed their next two wins in a non-Conference double-header against St. Mary’s Seahawks and Notre Dame’s Gators.
The first game faced off the Shorewomen and the Seahawks in an intense match which saw the Shorewomen edging the Seahawks 3–2.
Starting the match with a tight set, tied 16–16, the Shorewomen overcame the Seahawks by taking nine of the final 12 points, senior Jenna Daunoras closing the set at 25–19 with a kill. The Seahawks came back with 10 service aces in the second set, overwhelming the Shorewomen with an 11 point win and closing the set at 14–25.
Despite the Seahawks’ rebound, the Shorewomen fought back, jumping to a 17–5 lead in the third set and winning it at 25–15. The Seahawks pushed back once more, tying the fourth set 23–23 with the Seahawks claiming the last two points to force a fifth set.
The winning set saw the Shorewomen and Seahawks sitting even at 13–13 before the Shorewomen rallied, Schaber netting a kill to break the tie and sophomore Sylvia Johnson closing the game with a kill.
The Shorewomen finished their day with a sweeping 3–0 win against the Gators.
The first two sets saw the Shorewomen and Gators neck-and-neck, the first set tying 19–19 before the Shorewomen pushed ahead, Daunoras closing the set 25–22 with a finisher. The second set saw the teams matching each other 15-15 before senior Jensyn Hartzell netted a kill through a setter dump to break the tie.
An attack error by the Gators won the set for the Shorewomen, 25–17.
The third set spelled loss for the Shorewomen as they faced an 18–13 deficit for the Gators, but they rallied and closed the gap. Johnson capped a 7–0 run with a kill, boosting the Shorewomen ahead 20–18. After tying again 23–23, Maxwell broke the tension with a kill, setting sophomore Jordan Fairchild up for a match-winning ace.
Maxwell and Schaber were named Goose Nation TV Shorewomen Players of the Match for their games against the Seahawks and the Gators respectively. Maxwell was later named Shorewoman of the Week on Sept. 20 for her showing in the three games, averaging 2.73 kills per set, 2 digs per set, 0.64 aces per set, and hitting .221 for the week.
Photo by Izze Rios