Photo courtesy Wooster Athletics.
Thomas Pitney
Sports Editor
The 2023 Fighting Scots volleyball team competed in a tri-match on Saturday, Oct. 28 in Richmond, Indiana against Bluffton University and Earlham College. Despite the difficulty of back-to-back matches, captain Trinity Harmon ’24 stated that “we embraced the opportunity to play as much as we could.” In the penultimate weekend of their season, Wooster had up-and-down performances, which led them to split their two matches. The Scots defeated Bluffton in five sets but lost three straight to Earlham.
Wooster started the day with a matchup against the Bluffton Beavers. The Scots were optimistic they could defeat the Beavers, who held a 5-21 record entering the match. Even still, Wooster did not take Bluffton lightly. The Scots set the pace early in the game and opened a 6-2 advantage in the first set. Facing the early deficit, the Beavers demonstrated their resilience. After Tamara Turner’s ’25 service error, Bluffton rattled off three straight points to tie the set at six.
Like their opponents, Wooster responded well to this moment of adversity. Powered by kills from Turner, Caroline Dillard ’24, Troy Johnson ’24 and Jordan Laraway ’27, the Scots went on a 19-8 scoring run to secure the first set.
After losing the first set, the Beavers jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second set. Although a kill by Turner stopped the run and the Scots started trading points with Bluffton, these efforts were not enough for the Scots to come back. The early lead enabled Bluffton to coast to a 25-14 second set victory, putting pressure on the Scots to win the third set.
The Beavers amplified the pressure in the third set, once again starting strong; this time, Bluffton seized a 6-0 lead. A combination of Beavers’ attack errors and kills from Ty Thompson ’24, Turner and Dillard helped Wooster to tie the set at 11. Unfortunately for Wooster, the Scots could not withstand another 6-0 Beavers run and fell in the third set by a score of 25-19.
Facing a 2-1 set deficit, prospects looked bleak for the Scots. This sentiment was compounded by another fast start from Bluffton in the fourth set, as the Beavers took an early 8-1 lead. Despite all these challenges, the Scots dug deep and found their stride. As Harmon put it, “we realized we only get so many of these chances before we are completely done, so in that sense we had a little extra fire.”
Contributions from many team members, including Turner, Dillard, Johnson, Emma Fleck ’27, Amelia Mitchell ’25 and Trinity Harmon ’24 allowed the Scots to rally and take a 24-21. Harmon was a major contributor on defense, notching a team-leading 19 digs in the match. This performance stemmed from Harmon’s commitment to the defensive aspects of the game. “No matter who the other team is on the other side of the net, having the mindset of ‘no ball will hit the floor’ will lead you to success,” Harmon said. Bluffton struck back, scoring two consecutive points to cut the lead 24-23. Needing one point to secure the set, Johnson and Thompson had a clutch block to win the set for Wooster.
In the match-deciding fifth set, it was the Scots who jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Bluffton clawed back into the game, cutting the Wooster lead to 8-7. However, with the help of consecutive service aces by Harmon, the Scots seized control. Leading 13-10, the Scots secured the set and the match with two crucial Beaver mistakes: a service error and bad set.
Buoyed by their impressive comeback victory against Bluffton, the Scots hoped this momentum would transfer to their match against the Earlham Quakers. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Despite the Scots’ efforts to keep the match competitive, Earlham controlled the pace of play. The Quakers went on several scoring runs against the Scots, ultimately winning three straight sets by scores of 24-15, 25-22 and 25-17.
After the weekend’s matches, the Scots hold an 8-15 record on the season. The win against Bluffton was essential to the Scots’ confidence, as it ended a four-game losing streak. Hopefully, Wooster will be able to take this momentum into the last game of the regular season. This will be the final match of seniors’ careers.
Harmon sees the upcoming match as a “bitter sweet” moment. “Saying goodbye to my sport that I’ve dedicated so much time to for the majority of my life now is something I’ve been struggling to cope with,” Harmon stated. “At the same time, I’m ready to be able to enjoy college life without the demands of a student-athlete schedule.”
Come out and support the Scots during their final regular season match against Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, Nov. 4.