Cruising on a 10-match NCAC win streak, the Wooster volleyball team gave Hiram College all it could handle last Friday. While the Scots mounted a 2-1 set lead over the Terriers on Halloween, Hiram regrouped and came back to win in five sets (25-27, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 15-10) ó simultaneously snatching a second place conference finish from the Scots as well. The Scots will look to settle the score tonight.
Saturdayís match marked the final home game for KateLynn Riley í10 and Sarah Lorch í10. The Scots played extremely well in the regular season finale. The team had not lost an NCAC contest in almost a month, and the teamís improvement showed on the court. While the Scots had been stymied by the Terriers earlier in the season, the team came out firing on all cylinders to start the game.
In the first set, the Scots trailed 20-12, but they closed out the rally on a 15-5 run to win the first 27-25. Riley showed early on that she had come to play on Senior Day. Riley tallied seven kills in the first set, hitting lasers all over the court ó the Hiram defenders would have had better luck returning something from Wal-Mart with an expired warranty. Only parents attempting to pay Woosterís ever-increasing tuition bill would have seen anything more intimidating than the rocket shots from Rileyís right arm.
In addition to Rileyís seven kills, Melissa Morgan í13 and Kelley Johnson í13 continued their sensational first-year play, notching 12 and eight digs, respectively, in the first set. The Scots also fell behind in the second set and nearly came away with another rally, but this time fell short, losing 25-23.
The third set remained close as well and featured lead changes from both teams. Ultimately, Riley gave the Terriers a good final kick, smashing the final kill that careened into Hiramís back court. In the end, however, the Terriers undid the Scots, winning the fourth and final sets to lock up second place in the conference.
The loss was one of the toughest the Scots have suffered all year. The team played exceptionally during the entire game, but Hiram still found a way to win it when it mattered. ìWe were so close,” said setter Lizzi Beal í12. ìWe played so well and still came up short.”
For better or worse, the saga between the Scots and Terriers isnít over. The Scots were able to beat the Terriers in the early part of the 2008 season, but have since dropped three straight to the Terriers, including last yearís NCAC Tournament match.
Tonight, both teams will travel to Springfield, Ohio for the NCAC Tournament. The No. 3 seeded Scots (12-4 NCAC, 21-9 overall) will take on the No. 2 seeded Terriers (14-2, 22-9). In the tournamentís other match-up, No. 4 Allegheny College (9-6, 15-15) will play tournament host Wittenberg Universty (16-0, 22-7).
While the Scots look every bit as talented as Hiram, they simply havenít been able to get it going against the Terriers this season. The Scots are capable of beating Hiram. Optimistic fans would say the team is as due as its coaching staff ó head coach Sarah Davis and assistant coach Angie Bos are both expecting. The Scots played well enough to win last Saturday, but the game slipped away. Tonight, the Scots will hope to play just as well and in the process catch a few more lucky bounces.