Suffering an upset loss is one of the worst feelings in all of sports. That feeling only gets worse when the loss occurs in the playoffs, and worse than that when the team was discussing a potential National Championship run. It’s a tough way to go out. That feeling is going to be with the Beacons volleyball squad for a while.
The team (20-11) was stunned at home in the LEC Tournament semi-finals on Nov. 8, when they lost, 3-1, to Western Connecticut (24-10). The Beacons had not lost a conference match all season and many expected them to waltz to the NCAA Tournament once again but they were stopped in their tracks.
There were some indicators that the shocker was coming, as the Beacons lost all three of their matches to close out the regular season at the Emory University Invitational, and they also were only able to squeak by Western Connecticut the last time they played, 3-2. But this result was definitely not expected. Superstar senior Kirsten Morrison will close out her Beacons career with a very tough loss, but she played well, totaling eight kills and nine digs. Patsy Boland led the way with 16 kills, and Blair Boyer and Julia Murphy were right behind her with ten apiece.
Western Connecticut grabbed the early momentum by winning the first two sets, each by a score of 25-23. The Beacons tried to storm back to get the miracle win, and they did grab the third set by a score of 25-17, but the hole that they were in was too deep, and they lost the fourth set 25-20, ending their season. Coach Terry Condon’s squad will have to go back to the drawing board to try and reclaim the success that they had become so accustomed to over the past few years, but they should be ready to embrace that challenge. All but one player, Morrison, will be returning to the peninsula in 2015 so the Beacons are poised to make a strong comeback. Until then, however, questions of “what could have been?” will echo through the halls of the Clark Center.
The Beacons played tough competition including regionally and nationally ranked opponents this season, but they were still able to post their requisite 20 wins. They didn’t lose a match in September and won all seven of their matches against LEC competition. Murphy led the team with 318 kills and Morrison was behind her with 224. Elizabeth Glavan had the team lead in digs with 653 — three times more than anyone else on the squad. This was also the first season that Mike Houlihan had the title as co-head coach, and it was former Beacon star Megan Pollock’s first year as an assistant coach. Alyssa Broccoli also made her debut as an assistant coach. There is a bright future for this young team and coaching staff.