Heath raises the bar, crunches Tufts

Author: Peter Baumann

Stifling. Dominant. Overwhelming. The women's volleyball defense has been called many things this year, but perhaps understated sophomore libero Natalie DuPre describes it best when she calls the Panther defense "good, really good."

Continuing the staunch defensive play that has been their calling card all year, the Panthers took two of three matches this week to run their record to an impressive 10-6.

The Panthers opened the week with their first home loss of the year on Oct. 3 against Skidmore. Despite Skidmore's superior record going into the game, the Panthers gave the visiting Thoroughbreds all they could handle before falling 3-1. Middlebury struck first, forcing the visitors to commit nine errors en route to pulling out a 30-27 victory in the first game. Skidmore responded by winning their own close game in the second, hanging on to a 30-26 victory that evened things up.

In the third game, the Thoroughbred offense seemed to solve Middlebury's defense, recording 19 kills to go along with only four errors. With the help of nine errors from the normally-reliable Middlebury hitters, Skidmore emerged from the third game with a 30-16 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Looking to rally their crowd and force a fifth game, the Middlebury defense returned to form in the fourth. The contest came down to the wire, but for the third time in four games Middlebury was unable to hold off a late charge and fell 30-26 to surrender the match 3-1.

Defensively the Panthers were lead by DuPre who recorded a team-high 26 digs. On the offensive side, Lexie Fisher '08 enjoyed yet another dominant performance, finishing with eleven kills, equaling the total of Whitney Bean '10.5 who continues to impress in her first year. The Panthers doubled Skidmore's block total, finishing with eight to the Thoroughbreds' four, but even that was not enough to pull off the victory.

The team took the floor again on Oct. 5 night, and having obviously put their tough loss behind them, delivered a 3-2 victory over Colby-Sawyer. Colby-Sawyer entered the contest with an impressive 16-1 record, but the Panthers showed that they had no intention of rolling over, opening play with a decisive 30-23 victory. Close scores were the norm for the match, as this seven-point differential would be the most either team would enjoy over the course of the five games. In the fifth and deciding game, Middlebury wrested the lead from the Chargers and posted a 15-12 victory, handing Colby-Sawyer only its second loss of the year.

This exciting game set the stage for an Oct. 7 showdown against NESCAC rival Tufts. Riding an emotional high after its big win on Friday, Middlebury was unfazed by the Tufts crowds and left Medford, Mass. with a 3-1 win. Once again it was the defense leading the way, as five different players recorded more than 15 digs. Huge for league seeding, the win means that the Panthers enter this weekend's NESCAC quad at four games over .500 and in a good position to earn a high seed for the postseason tournament.

The squad takes the floor next Friday on Oct. 12 for the NESCAC Quad at 6 p.m. in Pepin Gymnasium.