Illustration by S.K.
The Lady Beacons attained an extremely impressive win over the Western Connecticut State University Colonials in their volleyball match last Tuesday night. They displayed incredible teamwork, and a Globe Trotter-esque offense that both excited the crowd and bewildered the Colonials.
The essence of the Beacon offense was the fake-out. The girls would set the ball as if they were going to attempt an everyday spike: set, pass, and then jump. The person jumping as if to spike the ball would intentionally miss, fooling the Colonials (and the crowd) into thinking the play had been blown. Then, split seconds later a second Beacon would deliver the spike, to the delight of the audience and dismay of the unprepared Colonial team.
This heart stopping play was not the only trick the girls had up their sleeves. The Lady Beacons also had a tricky maneuver choreographed in which a player would set the ball high as if to be spiked on the left side, but instead of spiking the ball the player would pass it to the right side of the court, and Bam! Lady Beacons slam it down with intimidating force. This redirection seemed to completely befuddle the Colonials in the first set, as well as entice the crowd into cheers and hollers. In fact, a casual observer was so impressed by the show-stopping fake-outs, he remarked with an audible, “DAMN! I’m gonna have to come these more often!”
The effective execution of this fake oriented offense is made all the more impressive by the fact that this was the first time used in a real game.
Coach Terry Condon elaborated:
“Our new offense worked very well considering the girls had only one day to practice it. Blocking was great tonight as well. We have been working hard on that and it showed tonight, they all played really well as a team.”
Of course, it is not as if the Beacons steamrolled the Colonials. There was some tight back and forth in the beginning of the first set. Having lost the first set, the Colonials came out swinging in the second. They had caught on to the fakes somewhat, forcing the Lady Beacons to use a more fundamental offense and slipping in a fake or two only when it seemed most likely to work. Blocking from the Beacons was key in the second set. The front line managed to stuff the Colonial’s attempts more often than not, only losing when luck would have the ball fall out of bounds or in front of the net.
This set was particularly exciting to watch as the score remained close throughout. The Colonials even managed to go up by a couple of points for a bit. But, finally tied up 22, the Lady Beacons decided enough was enough and began to play with extra sharpness and tenacity. They went up 23-22 and did not yield their attack until winning the set.
Third set was all Lady Beacons. The fakes were sharp and the blocking was phenomenal. The Lady Beacons put on a blocking clinic really. It became almost comical to watch the Colonials get stuffed over and over again. The Colonials might as well have been trying to punch through a concrete wall due to the Lady Beacons superior net blocking.
If you need a reason to be proud to be a Beacon, go and watch these ladies play. Their athleticism, strength, grace and aggression will leave you totally awestruck. Plus they win!