Anna Hartig
Staff Writer
Over fall break, the Women’s volleyball team brought back victories for the Fighting Scots in two very important conference games. While the team lost to Hiram College last Friday, the Scots won two tough conference matches against Oberlin College and Allegheny College. Co-Captain Ksenia Klue ’18 said, “I believe the team performance over break was much more focused and positive than prior matches. We had two great conference wins, all working together.”
With this teamwork, the Fighting Scots were able to upset Oberlin at their home court, which was a highlight for Ashley Plassard ’19 over fall break. Plassard scored nearly 10 kills each game and was an important attacking force in the Oberlin match, hitting .478. Plassard, along with Marija Cyvas ’19, created a combined effort of 21 kills on 42 swings with practically no mistakes in the offensive effort. Plassard said, “We found our lineup, trust one another and are having a lot of fun, which translates into us playing fluidly.”
Klue was able to get a match high of 19 kills while competing against Allegheny College. With this total, Klue became the first-student athlete on The College of Wooster volleyball team to surpass 265 kills in back-to-back seasons since alumna KateLynn Riley in 2008 and 2009. During this same match, the Scots reached a new offensive record in the program with a hitting percentage of .485. McKenna Gassman ’21 contributed to this success by serving a program record total of nine aces.
While the Scots lost to Hiram College on Friday evening, the team showed off their skills that will help them improve for the rest of their season. Erica Roberts ’20 maintained an early lead with three kills in the frame. The Fighting Scots found themselves in the lead many times during their match against Hiram with help from teammates Eleri Miller ’19, Gabrielle Basinski ’19 and Cyvas. Along with her teammates, Roberts said, “Our main goal this season was to become one team and one unit rather than a group of individuals that happen to play volleyball. That has definitely been accomplished and we are very proud of that.” Moving forward this collaboration will bring the Fighting Scots to more victories against the conference.
“All of these conference matches are setting us up for the post-season tournament. We will have the opportunity for rematches and to prove how we have improved through the season. Regular season conference matches are tough, but they propel us to continue to be a better team,” said Klue. The team prepares for the conference tournament by watching film and reviewing scouting reports of each opponent prior to the season conference matches. The team will change their approach for a match dependent on the personnel their opponent brings in order to bring more success.
Overall, the team is looking to bounce back from a tough loss against Hiram College when they continue their season play against Kenyon College. The match will take place in Timken Gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 17. They will also face Wittenberg University on Saturday Oct. 21 and celebrate the seniors on the team. Make sure to show your support as the women’s volleyball team plays in the NCAC tournament held on Nov. 3.