Although it was delayed by hurricane Irene, the women’s volleyball trip to Hawaii to start off 2011 was by all accounts a success. The Beacons, ranked 19th nationally, headed to the big island to face off against D2 powerhouse University of Hawaii – Hilo in a doubleheader September 3rd. The Vulcans had the Beacons’ number both games, winning the pair by a total of 6-1. The chance for the mostly new team to bond with each other will prove to be far more valuable over the long run than a couple of preseason match-ups.
The team enjoyed the chance to get away from Boston and spend some time getting to know each other. New freshmen and transfer students make up the majority of this year’s squad, which is ranked 22nd in the nation. FAU transfer Brooke Nemethy said, “The trip was amazing and we had so much fun! I definitely think the team got closer.” Volleyball is unique because the girls come from far and wide to play, so there are not as many chances to train over the off season as a classic Beacons team, which mainly consists of MA and New York athletes. Hawaii was the first chance for the team to see game action.
Unfortunately, Hawaii-Hilo was a tough team for the Beacons to see that action against. The Vulcans are one of the best squads in all of D-2, and their talent comes from all over the nation as well. The Beacons were overmatched. The first game was a 3-0 shutout and in the 2nd, UMB lost 3-1. There were bright spots, but it was obvious for the team that there is still work to be done. Co-captain Frana Burtness-Adams said, “It was a learning experience. We have a lot of work to do and we now know on what. It’s been great bonding time for all of us to get to know each other and become closer, as well as learn how to play better together.”
The girls weren’t discouraged by the losses, and they weren’t upset with the fact they had to open up 2011 with games against such tough competition. Kirsten Morrison said, “It was kind of hard to play against tough competition but it was a good way to get us started at a high level of volleyball.” The girls view the trip as a benefit over the long run as opposed to just two losses. Junior Kayla Wilson stated, “It gave us a chance to work on almost everything and prepare us for the conference season…we obviously needed to figure out what we had to learn and now we are working on it.” Morrison agreed by saying, “This is our first chance to come together as a team to figure out what worked and didn’t work. Playing against great competition like Hilo helped us figure out what was right and wrong.”
The team did drop from 19th to 22nd in the nation, but other than that everyone from the team says the trip was a great success, and now it’s time for them to get out there and start dominating.
The domination started with a strong showing at the Endicott invitational. The ladies went 4-0 over 2 days, the only team that went perfect in the tourney.
Next match: 9/17 @ Eastern Connecticut, 1:00 PM