Ladies Look for Smooth End to Rough Season

Despite having lost eight straight matches and 12 of their last 13, the volleyball team has a positive attitude. Looking ahead, Head Coach Katie Charles said, “[The team is] not discouraged because they’re seeing improvement every day.”
The Ladies lost to Allegheny College 1-3 and Messiah College 0-3 on Oct. 13 at the Allegheny College Tri-Match. Charles said the team has recently struggled defensively, especially when it comes to consistently blocking at the net.

“I think it’s fair to say that everyone on the team came out of the weekend feeling a bit frustrated,” Co-Captain Mary Jo Scott ’14 said.

Offensively, however, the Ladies have been able to provide some sparks.  Sierra DeLeon ’14 led the way last weekend with 27 total kills. Scott and Kaitlyn Power ’15 recorded 19 and 12 total kills over the two games, respectively.  
Despite the offensive success, the Ladies still found themselves on the losing side. “The losing streak we’ve had has been, for the most part, an issue that’s entirely on our side of the net,” Scott said. She said the team hasn’t played disciplined defense. “The past few matches we’ve been compounding on mental errors, forcing us to scramble and try and make up for points at the end of games.”
The Ladies are looking forward to a productive week in preparation for the weekend’s matches. “We are practicing a lot and watching game footage,” Power said. Charles added that players “come in all the time to do extra repetitions.”
The Ladies play at Oberlin College on Friday, Oct. 19 and host Denison University on Saturday, Oct. 20. The Oberlin match will likely determine one of the last seeds in the NCAC tournament. Charles expects Kenyon to be seeded sixth or seventh.

Looking to end their recent struggles and finish the season strong, the Ladies are optimistic and excited for the challenges awaiting them.

“We can definitely build on the good things we have done during these games, and work hard to hopefully get a win this weekend,” Scott said. “We definitely want to end the season on a high note. ... Everyone is more than ready to end our losing streak, and I think we’re gunning for the opportunity to play again so that that can happen.”
“We know what to expect from Oberlin and all we can do as a team is play our game and do our best,” Power said.