by Henry Schneiderman
The Fighting Scots volleyball team traveled to Berea, Kentucky this past weekend and squared off against three daunting foes: Berea College, Asbury University and the University of Lynchburg. After a successful preseason in which the team excelled both on the court and in developing a sense of camaraderie, the Scots hoped to begin the regular season with a bang.
In their season opener against Berea this past Friday, the Scots fell 3-0 in a tough match that saw excellent performances from each side, warranting much excitement for the teams’ future encounters. The match began in the Scots’ favor with the team amassing a 6-3 lead in the first set that would later become 18-16 after an outstanding block by Ty Thompson ’24. Unfortunately, a continuous run of points by Berea ended the round with the Mountaineers on top. The following sets followed a similar trend with both sides engaging in a back and forth battle that ultimately ended in Berea’s favor.
The following day, the Scots’ insatiable thirst for victory became apparent as they geared up to play two more matches. On Saturday morning, the team squared off against Asbury University. After suffering a 3-0 deficit early in the first set, the Scots readjusted and scored four points back to back, giving them a lead that lasted for the remainder of the round. In the game’s second set, the two teams were neck and neck at 10 points each before Asbury broke away with a three point run. They were countered by a nine point streak from Wooster, which saw the Scots net a hard fought 25-22 win. The third set went to Asbury to bring the overall score to 2-1 before Wooster ended the game in the fourth set with a comfortable 25-22 victory, ending the match with a score line of 3-1.
The Scots adopted an aggressive playstyle throughout the match, as Ty Thompson ’24, Troy Johnson ’24, and Jordan Laraway ’27 each recorded a team high nine kills each and Emma Fleck ’27 recorded a team high 20 assists. The Scots’ performance lived up to captain Trinity Harmon’s ’24 assessment of the team. In particular, Harmon praised the first years for their “fresh competitive spirit,” and “pushing us in new ways.”
Later that day, the team faced off against the University of Lynchburg in a nail-biting match. The match’s first set yielded a suspenseful result as the Scots clinched a narrow victory of 26-24, putting them ahead 1-0 in the series. Lynchburg responded by winning the following two sets and taking a 2-1 lead. The fourth set saw the Scots trailing 10-5; however, after a continuous run of points, Wooster managed to tie the round at 13 before going on to win the set 25-23.
With the overall score tied at 2-2, the two teams went to a fifth and final set to determine the victor. The Fighting Scots came out comfortably on top with a 15-8 victory, making the final score 3-2. Throughout the match, the players produced another round of team highs with Caroline Dillard ’24 amassing 14 kills, Emma Fleck ’27 netting 32 assists, and Tamara Turner ’25 leading the team with 31 digs. Harmon expressed confidence about the team going forward, saying that “I think our combination of technical excellence and volleyball IQ, along with an undertone of perseverance and grit, will help this team go far.”
The Fighting Scots ended the weekend with a positive record of 2-1 and look to continue their success at John Carroll University on Wednesday, Sep. 6.
