The Lady Beacons volleyball team proved that they belong in the elite class of Little East Conference teams, sweeping Eastern Connecticut in dominant fashion before falling in a tight contest to Keene State on September 27 at the Clark Athletic Center.
The win over the Warriors from Eastern Connecticut was the first in the program history, and is an indicator of good things to come for the Lady Beacons, now 9-7 on the season. The Beacons got stronger as the match progressed, completing the sweep with scores of 25-21, 25-16, and 25-17. The fans at the Clark Center weren’t the only ones impressed by the Lady Beacons, as coach Terry Condon was praising her team following the win.
“I thought the effort was great,” Condon said. “We played good defense and passed the ball well.”
Kate McWhorter and Kate White were superb for the Lady Beacons, who have come to expect virtuoso performances out of their junior outside hitters. McWhorter didn’t disappoint, delivering 10 kills and 9 digs against the Warriors. White also came through in the Lady Beacons historic win, spiking 9 kills. Also playing a key role was freshman Cassy Hanneman, who had 27 assists and 7 digs in the win.
Communication was key for the Beacons, as they spaced themselves well on the court. It has been something Condon has been preaching the to players, and it paid off against the Warriors.
“[Communication] is something we worked on all week at practice,” Condon said. “The key is staying aggressive and not worrying about where everyone else is.”
After dispatching the Warriors in the noon game, the Beacons returned to the floor at 4 p.m. to face the tough Owls of Keene State. Expectations were set high following the sweep of Eastern Connecticut, but the Lady Beacons weren’t quite able to match the result as they lost in four games, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17.
The Owls were the preseason pick to win the LEC, and so far have fulfilled expectations with a 14-4 overall record. While the loss was a tough finish to the day for the Lady Beacons, it wasn’t without bright spots.
Casey Hanneman had perhaps the best all-around day for the Beacons this season against Keene State. The freshman from Denver, CO recorded 25 digs, 34 assists, three kills and four service aces. The four aces tied a career-high for Hanneman, whose outstanding performance kept the Beacons in each game against the Owls. Hanneman’s consistency was a chief reason that she was named LEC Rookie of the Week.
Also, McWhorter was the scoring leader for the Beacons, with 19 kills while adding 14 digs on defense. Captain Megan MacAuley also helped on defense, with 24 digs.