The volleyball team hoped to end its 2008 season with two wins on the road. But the Bears could not pull out the upset over Princeton on Friday night, and they lost their final match of the season to Penn the following day. Despite the losses, the team showed a five-win improvement from last season, going from a 7-17 record in 2007 to 12-14 this season. The Bears finished tied with Dartmouth for sixth in the Ivy League with a 4-10 record, and Yale claimed the title.
"The team worked very hard this year," said Head Coach Diane Short. "There are good lessons to be learned."
Short also highlighted some big improvements the team made this year.
"The biggest improvement we made was in hitting percentage," Short said. "We made fewer hitter errors, and we had better reflections on setting and hitting than we did in the last few years."
For the two seniors on the team, captain and setter Natalie Meyers '09 and outside hitter and Herald business staffer Lyndse Yess '09, the season fell just short of their goal.
"We wanted to go .500 this season and we were one game short," Meyers said. "We were a little inconsistent sometimes. But we had a young team and we were very close to accomplishing out goal."
Meyers and Yess contributed tremendously this season, according to Short.
"They were great leaders, great role models," she said. "They work hard all the time. They both had their best seasons their senior year, and (their teammates) learn from them."
Annika Gliottone '12, starting libero, echoed Short's comments about the two seniors.
"Both of them are great athletes," Gliottone said. "They motivate me personally because they always give their 100 percent, and that makes me want to play well, too."
Gliottone said the outcome of the last two games could have been better as the team hoped to go out on a good note for the seniors.
The Bears faced Princeton on Friday night. In their first encounter this season, the Tigers swept Brown 3-0. Although the Bears tried to stop them this time, they fell short as Princeton, which stands in second place in the Ivy League with one game remaining, swept Brown again with scores of 25-22, 25-12 and 25-18.
In the loss, Yess and Gliottone led the team in kills and digs, respectively, with Yess putting down nine kills and Gliottone notching 10 digs. Meyers recorded 29 assists, along with three kills and three digs. Middle-blocker Ann Cowell '10 also played well, clipping seven kills with a .308 hitting percentage.
The next day, the team faced Penn, which will finish in third place in the Ivies this season. The Bears could not execute the same play as they did at home a month ago, when they defeated the Quakers in a thrilling five-game match. This time, the host had the clear edge as it won in three straight games, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-13. Brianna Williamson '11 led the team with nine kills and a .381 hitting percentage. Defensively, Gliottone led the team with 15 digs.
Despite losing the last two matches of the season, Gliottone thought the season went "pretty well" overall. As a freshman, Gliottone was given the starting role in the libero position. She said she was "pretty nervous starting out, but the seniors made (her) feel more confident."
"I definitely want to play better next year," Gliottone said, adding that she could pass more balls and better communicate with her teammates.
The team expects to have five to six incoming freshmen join next year. Short said there will be room for more improvement.
"We can certainly improve in the Ivy season," Short said.
As for the seniors, they are very optimistic about the team's future.
"I'm still in denial that volleyball ended," Meyers said. "But I think the team will do well next year. The other teams might not be as strong because they will lose more starters. I think the team can go far in the league next year."
