2008 Woodie Awards
Lions lose at MIT
Women's volleyball loses first game against an overpowering MIT squad
Lauren Yergeau
Issue date: 9/22/05 Section: Sports
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Yet, the team, whose record is 3-6, said they are still optimistic about the rest of the season.
"We will grow as a team together," said Molly Soboroff, one of the four new freshmen on the team. "We have a lot of talent and a lot of spirit."
The team captains this year, juniors Kelly Hogan and Alex Porteshawver, said the girls' spirit was apparent throughout the game, even when they had missed critical points.
The 30-16, 30-17 and 30-15 pounding from MIT was a new challenge for the team since it was their first time playing the school. The women's volleyball team faced an MIT starting lineup made up of mostly upperclassmen.
At the beginning of each game, both Emerson and MIT were able to keep pace, but Emerson started to lose control midway through the contest. This gave MIT the chance to win the game.
The Emerson women were effective in most of their serving opportunities and both Hogan and Soboroff served an ace at one point during the game. Yet, the team could not keep control over the serve.
"There was a lack of communication," Porteshawver said. "That is why a lot of balls dropped."
The team was good in recovering many digs. Hogan led the team with 12 digs and Porteshawver contributed with eight. All of the starting players had a least two digs.
Head Coach Ann Miklus said the Lions needed to dig since they were playing a team with a strong offense.
Soboroff had seven kills during the game and Hogan had five. The girls also excelled in their passing game and were able to have three girls touch the ball before it went over the net. MIT, however, had better control over the ball once they had the serve. Their team executed in stringing at least three points together before turning over the serve, and in the second game, they were able to score five points in a row.
The game showed the inexperience of the Emerson team. The women had trouble getting their positions on the field and were given fouls when they were not in the correct position.
"We switched the [receive] the night before so some girls were confused," Porteshawver said. "We should have known where to go because it was basic fundamentals. Also, oftentimes points were lost due to a hole in the defense."
Captain Kelly Hogan said she believes the problem was that the team was not in sync with one another.
"There was a lack of communication that night," Hogan said. "It was just a really off night."
After the loss, the women were still encouraged by their performance. Porteshawver said the team stepped up to the challenge and that it was good practice to play against such a good team.
Miklus said she was happy with the women's performance even though the game was a loss. She said still feels confident that her team has the potential to be good.
"The team needs to work on their mental game," Miklus said. "Once they combine their heart and their talent, they will find their game."