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(01/16/14 3:48am)
The winter break did very little to slow down the women’s hockey team, as it remained undefeated since its loss to Plattsburgh over a month ago, and opened the new year with three strong wins and a hard-fought tie.
The team returned to campus with an electrifying overtime win over Elmira on Saturday, Jan. 4. The following Wednesday, Jan. 8, Middlebury recorded a dominant 8-2 win over Salve Regina in the first ever matchup between the two schools. Playing in a doubleheader against Wesleyan over the weekend of Jan. 10 and 11, the Panthers split with the host Cardinals.
The team’s early January game against Elmira bolstered its resume for a high national ranking with a gritty overtime win. The two teams last squared off in last year’s national championship, with the Soaring Eagles skating away with the trophy. This time around the Panthers were able to exact a small amount of revenge for last year’s disappointment.
Elmira jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the first period, and kept up a constant pressure on the Panthers back line. Middlebury got on the board when Katie Mandigo ’16 raced up the side of the rink and rifled the puck over the shoulder of Elmira goalie Kyle Nelson for the extra time win 1:50 into the overtime period.
The Panthers then participated in a midweek contest just four days later against Salve Regina, in which Middlebury walked away with a decisive win by a final tally of 8-2.
Six different players scored goals for Middlebury, with Jane Freda ’17, Emily Fluke ’15, Mandigo, and Hannah Bielawski ’15 each with one, and Katie Sullivan ’15 and Kelly Sherman ’17 each recording a pair. Sullivan stood out with a strong individual performance, recording not only her two goals but also two assists to go with it.
Co-captain Sara Ugalde ’14 commented on the Panthers’ win over Elmira.
“Beating Elmira is a moment that sticks out to me as extremely important to our season, we never gave up and fought until the end,” she said. “Playing top-notch non-conference teams is always a challenge, and it was awesome to come out on top.”
Following up that win with the opening of conference play, Middlebury traveled to Wesleyan for a double-header.
The first of the two games ended in a tie, as each team failed to score in overtime to seal the game. This end result represents just the fourth time in 51 contests that the Panthers have failed to beat the Cardinals, with the last tie coming seven years ago.
Middlebury looked to be on their way to a win, holding a 2-0 lead late into the second period. Wesleyan did not settle for a loss though and came back to score a goal 16:57 into the second period, and another within the first half minute of the third to send the game into extra time.
The next day, however, Middlebury retaliated with a 4-1 win over the Cardinals. The Panthers made constructive use of the power play in this game, converting two of seven opportunities for key goals. Those goals, scored by Pam Schulman ’17 and Ugalde, were the difference in the game.
The Panthers’ offense has been on a tear as of late, recording 17 total goals over their last four games. Sullivan leads the way in overall points with 15, while Bielawski and Fluke ’15 follow behind with 14 total points each.
Eighteen different players have recorded points for the Panthers this season, or over two thirds of the total roster. On the defensive end, Goalkeeper Annabelle Jones ’15 boasts a .929 save percentage, 145 saves out of 156 shots faced.
“With the younger players playing hard and learning how to produce even more from our older girls, this team is headed in the right direction offensively,” head coach Bill Mandigo said. “I’m excited to see what else we can do moving forward.”
With these most recent results, Middlebury now sits at 9-1-1 overall and holds down a number-two national ranking. The Panthers will attempt to keep up its offense’s explosive pace this weekend against Amherst, with whom they are tied atop the NESCAC standings.
(12/04/13 9:09pm)
The second-ranked Middlebury women’s hockey team continued its in-conference dominance with two wins against Trinity the weekend before Thanksgiving. Middlebury hosted the ninth annual Panther/Cardinal Classic the following weekend and welcomed some top-ranked squads to Kenyon Arena. On Saturday, Nov. 30, the Panthers defeated number four Elmira College 5-3. Middlebury experienced a hiccup in their winning ways on Sunday, Dec. 1 with a loss against number one ranked Plattsburgh, dropping the Panthers to 5-1 on the year.
The first game against Trinity was an exciting one, ending with a 3-2 win. Emily Fluke ’15 struck the fatal blow 1:18 into overtime, with a dart over the left shoulder of Trinity goalkeeper Kristen Maxwell off a pass from Carly Schaeder ’16. The other two goals came from Mackenzie Martin ’15 in the first period and from Katie Sullivan ’15 on a power play in the second period. Kate Moreau ’15, Fluke, Sullivan, and Anna Van Kula ’16 all earned assists in the first game.
The Panthers played a completely different game on Saturday, Nov. 23, sweeping Trinity with an explosive 7-0 win. Middlebury outshot Trinity 41-14, and five different Panthers had goals in the game. Captain Sara Ugalde ’14 and Sullivan finished with two goals each. The other goals went to Sullivan, Van Kula, Madeline Joyce ’14, and Martin. Fluke finished with three assists on the day, while Hannah Bielawski ’15 and Katie Mandigo ’16 had two each.
Ugalde is hopeful that this fast start portends good things for the rest of the season.
“It’s still pretty early in the season so we still have things to improve on,” Ugalde said. “But I think our team has a lot of potential, and our quick start helps us show that.”
The Panthers opened the Panther/Cardinal Classic with a game against the Soaring Eagles of Elmira. The Panthers were looking to avenge last year’s loss in the NCAA final against Elmira, and found it with a 5-3 victory.
Middlebury took the early lead with a goal 11:41 into the first period from Bielawski on a power play, but Elmira soon responded with their own power play goal eight minutes later. The Soaring Eagles took the lead 13:21 into the second period with a 4-on-4 goal. The teams traded goals early on in the third period, but then Middlebury’s offense caught fire. Carly Watson ’17 earned her first career goal on a power play goal to tie the game 3-3 with less than four minutes remaining in the last period. Middlebury then iced the contest with two goals in the last three minutes. Ugalde and Bielawski both netted goals to secure Middlebury’s vengeance over the Soaring Eagles.
Unfortunately, the Panthers could not keep their winning streak alive and dropped a game against top-ranked Plattsburgh 2-0 the next day. Plattsburgh has allowed only one goal against them in their first ten games. Middlebury’s Madeline Marsh ’16 played well with 19 saves, but Sydney Aveson of the Cardinals outplayed her with 21 saves. Middlebury threatened a few times, notably in the second period with a shot from Ugalde that hit the post behind the Plattsburgh goalie, but could not score.
Despite the loss, Joyce remains optimistic for the rest of the season and the team’s impending rematch against Plattsburgh scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 11.
“I think the loss against Plattsburgh will make us better,” Joyce said. “Playing top-notch teams outside of the NESCAC is always a good challenge.
Losing to a team like Plattsburgh early on in the season will push us to get better and work harder, so hopefully when we play them again there will be a different outcome.”
Middlebury looks ahead to a home game against Castleton State on Saturday, Dec. 7th.
(11/20/13 6:41pm)
The second-ranked women’s hockey team got off to a hot start this weekend, winning both games at Colby on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16, as they try to put last year’s NCAA Championship defeat behind them.
The Panthers won their season opener 2-1, then earned their first shutout with a commanding 4-0 win on Saturday. For a team with high hopes for the postseason, the winter could not have begun in a better way. The Panthers showed toughness by denying Colby a comeback in the first game, while asserting their defensive prowess in the second.
Middlebury continued its history of effective play against Colby, outscoring the Mules 6-1, slightly less impressive than last season’s aggregate score of 14-3 against them.
The first game opened with a strange penalty that led to Middlebury’s first goal. As the Panthers took to the ice to begin their skating warm-ups, the Mules took their time in the locker room, earning them a protocol violation to start the game. Middlebury took advantage of the violation, and scored a power play goal to start off the season 1:58 into the game. Jane Freda ’17 notched the first goal of her collegiate career with a tip-in off a shot from Sara Ugalde ’14, who received the pass from Carly Watson ’17. This also marked Watson’s first collegiate assist.
The second goal came in the second period, when Katie Mandigo ’16 tipped the puck into the goal after it popped off of Mules goaltender Brianne Wheeler following a shot from Anna Van Kula ’16 with eight minutes gone in the period. Just a few seconds later, Colby scored a goal off a face off win to let the Panthers know they were not giving up. Luckily, the Panthers were able to finish the game off with strong defense and a nice performance in goal by Annabelle Jones ’15, who finished with 21 saves on the day.
“Everyone stayed pretty calm on the bench during the third period, even though we knew Colby could get back into the game at any point,” Van Kula said. “We were all focused on doing the little things right and working hard in our defensive zone so that we could keep them off the scoreboard.”
Coach Bill Mandigo is excited to see his team producing healthily in the early stages.
“I have been impressed with the practices so far,” coach Mandigo said. “It’s nice to see that transition into the games.”
The next day Middlebury blew Colby away and left Waterville with two wins after a 4-0 shutout victory in a game where they outshot their opponent 42-22.
Middlebury’s goaltender Jones finished the day with 22 saves, half of which came in a clutch third period. Colby did its best to trip themselves up out of the gate, leaving the first period with four penalties under its belt. On the third power play for Middlebury, Katie Sullivan ’15 swept the puck in from the left side of the goal, making Colby pay for its mistakes. Within the first half of the second period, Middlebury secured their lead with two goals.
At 4:53 Hannah Bielawski ’15 scored with help from Sullivan and Jesse Brownschidle ’17. Just three minutes later, Kate Moreau ’15 put one in the back of the net with assists from Allie Aiello ’17 and Sullivan. Middlebury finished its attack with a goal in the third period off a passing play from the sides into the middle. Aiello gave it up to Bielawski, who fed it into the center for Moreau to earn her second of the game.
Yet again Jones was a wall in net, stopping 22 Mule attempts and earning her sixth career shutout.
The Panthers converted on two of eight power play opportunities over the weekend.
With a successful starting weekend behind them, the women’s hockey program looks ahead to its home opener at Kenyon Arena with a double-header with Trinity on Friday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 23.
(11/14/13 2:05am)
Middlebury’s volleyball squad ended its season sooner than hoped last Friday, Nov. 8, exiting the NESCAC tournament in the first round. The Panthers capped off the season with a quarterfinals match against Amherst, an opponent they had faced twice already this year, ultimately losing 3-1. This was the Panthers’ earliest exit from the tournament since 2009, when they also lost to Amherst in the quarterfinals. Compared to last years NESCAC championship, this premature exit from the tournament stung, but Middlebury did not go down easy.
Amherst, who went on to the semifinals to lose to Bowdoin 3-2, was coming off of an extremely successful season. They went 20-8 overall, and 7-3 in conference to tie for third in the NESCAC standings with Tufts. The Lord Jeffs swept the first meeting between themselves and the Panthers, but the second match ended in a gritty 3-2 win for Middlebury.
On Friday, it was the Jeffs who came out on top, defeating the Panthers with a final score of 3-1. It was a tale of frustration for Middlebury, as the errors they had worked all season to eliminate came back to haunt them in the tournament. Middlebury left the game with a total of 33 errors, compared to Amherst’s 18. Middlebury showed hope within the first set, holding the Jeffs to a .023 hitting percentage, and only eight kills. Compared to Middlebury’s 14 kills and .158 percentage, things were looking positive for the Panthers, who won the first set 25-21. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep their pace steady, and dropped a lengthy second set 27-29. Despite getting 21 kills on the set, their 12 errors on defense kept them from sealing the deal. The Jeffs earned a more comfortable win in the third set 21-25, where they hit an impressive .361, then cruised to an easy 18-25 victory in the fourth set.
Coach Sarah Raunecker remained happy with her teams valiant efforts.
“The early exit was hard, but we walked away with our heads held high,” she said. “This team worked hard this year, and I’m proud of that.”
Co-captains Megan Jarchow ‘14 and Amy Hart ‘14 both walked away with 24 kills, an impressive feat that surely kept the Panthers in the game longer than the team’s errors would have otherwise permitted. Both of their impressive careers were ended how they were spent, making opposing NESCAC defenses seem foolish. Defensive star Lizzy Reed ’15 had 23 digs on the game, reflecting a dominant season spent preventing the Panthers opponents from putting points on the board. Melanie English ’17 ended the game with a .361 kill percentage.
Despite ending the year sooner than expected, the Panthers had an impressive season by any standard. Their 18-7 record reflects the hard work they put into their team, and in the end the Panthers were proud of their efforts.
“This team has worked so hard this season, especially in light of the many injuries.,” said Jarchow. “We have really come together to step it up and make things happen. We could hang with and beat any team that comes our way.”
(11/06/13 10:23pm)
The Middlebury volleyball team ended the regular season on a positive note, winning both of its last home games to finish with a solid record of 18-6. On Friday, Nov. 1 they bested Bowdoin 3-1, then followed up by beating Bates by the same score on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Panthers improved to 5-5 in NESCAC play to tie for 6th place along with Trinity.
Friday’s win against Bowdoin was an especially important victory, as it demonstrated Middlebury could keep up with the best of NESCAC volleyball. Before facing off against the Panthers, the Polar Bears were 8-1 in conference play, losing only to powerhouse Williams in a close game.
The first set was disheartening for Middlebury, as they couldn’t keep up with a close 17-25 loss. Despite only committing five errors, Middlebury seemed listless on offense through the first set, mustering up only five kills on 33 touch attempts. However, Middlebury was able to turn it around in the second, notching 13 kills to win 25-18. Despite a close third set (25-23), Bowdoin was unable to keep up the fight. Middlebury punctuated its proud performance with a final set score of 25-17, including a 7-0 run, mirroring Bowdoin’s first set dominance. Lizzy Reed ’15 came up with 21 digs on the game, committing zero errors.
Saturday’s matchup against Bates provided an opportunity for the Panthers to consolidate their place in the NESCAC tournament. Bates has suffered within conference play this season, and came into the game sitting at a lowly 2-7 record.
Middlebury commanded the first set with a 25-13 win, letting the Bobcats know who was in charge early on. However, Bates wasn’t ready to concede keeping up in the second set, only losing 25-21. In the third set, Bates escaped with a 25-23 win, capitalizing on eight Middlebury errors. However, the Panthers weren’t going to allow a comeback on their own court, and put the game away with a 25-19 victory in the fourth and final set.
Captains Megan Jarchow ’14 and Amy Hart ’14 both put up 18 kills, ending their impressive offensive seasons without skipping a beat. Olivia Kolodka ’15 matched their offensive output with a defensive outing of 18 digs.
With positive end to the season, the Panthers are optimistic of their chances in the NESCAC tournament.
“Doing so successfully during the last weekend of the regular season gives us a lot of confidence going into the tournament,” Gabi Rosenfeld ’17 said. “Hopefully we can carry our success against Amherst. I think our offense will be able to match any others in the NESCAC.”
Middlebury looks ahead to its first match of the NESCAC tournament and postseason on Friday, Nov. 8. They face Amherst, who they lost to on their first meeting of the season, but defeated the second time around.
(10/30/13 5:15pm)
The Middlebury volleyball team suffered a tough set of losses over the fall break as the Panthers first dropped a match against Connecticut College 3-1 on Friday, Oct. 18 and then lost 3-2 at Tufts the next day. Middlebury rebounded the following week with a 3-0 win against Plymouth State a 3-1 win over M.I.T. On Saturday, Oct. 26, they split a pair of decisions, gaining revenge on Amherst for the loss earlier in the season with a 3-2 win before losing to Springfield 3-0 as part of the Hall of Fame Classic, hosted by Smith College and Mount Holyoke.
Unfortunately, even with the over Amherst, Middlebury (16-6, 3-5 in NESCAC) lost ground in the conference.
The Panthers loss against Conn. College was particularly disappointing. The Camels, who currently sit at 11-11 overall and 5-4 in the NESCAC, have had an up and down season, and the matchup looked to be winnable for Middlebury.
However, Conn. College came out firing, and beat Middlebury on the first set with a close score of 25-23. The Panthers responded, pouncing on the Camels for a dominant second set win with a score of 25-12. The Camels got over the hump, however, scraping out the next two sets with scores of 25-21 and 25-20. Middlebury played a much cleaner game, with only 30 total errors compared to the Camels’ 42, but ultimately Conn. College did just enough to eek out the win.
“Conn. College did a better job terminating the point than we did during those long rallies, and in combination with our own unforced errors we couldn’t make up for that,” Olivia Kolodka ’15 said.
The next day Middlebury dropped an even closer match against Tufts by a score of 3-2. The teams were neck and neck the entire way, with Middlebury earning a first-set victory by a score of 26-24, dropping the second 25-15, answering in the third with their own 25-15 win, then dropping a nail-biting fourth set 27-25. In the fifth set—played to 15—Middlebury could not muster a victory, falling 15-6.
Tufts is having a similar season to Middlebury, sitting at 17-7 on the season. However, he head-to-head victory improved the Jumbos to 6-3 in NESCAC play, while relegating Middlebury to seventh in the conference standings.
The Panthers were hungry for success as they served up the Hall of Fame Classic, which they began with a 3-1 win over M.I.T.
While the game proved to be more of a grind than their previous win — a 3-0 blanking of Plymouth State — Middlebury took control after a close 26-28 loss in the first set. After a comfortable 25-12, second-set victory, the Panthers took two close sets with wins of 25-21 and 26-24 in the third and fourth sets, respectively. Middlebury posted an impressive serving game with only two errors and 12 aces.
The next day, Saturday, Oct. 26, Middlebury would earn one of their most satisfying wins of the season, before being swept by an out-of-conference opponent. The trio of games made up the Hall of Fame Classic, which was co-hosted by Smith and Mount Holyoke.
The matchup with Amherst was a back-and-forth affair as the Panthers and Lord Jeffs traded wins and losses set for set. Middlebury won the first and third with scores of 25-21 and 30-28, respectively. Amherst took the second and fourth sets 18-25 and 22-25. Middlebury finally sealed the win with a 15-11 final set victory. Captains Megan Jarchow ’14 and Amy Hart ’14 exploded for 20 and 19 kills, respectively. Lizzy Reed ’15 put up a very impressive 30 digs, leading the Panthers’ defense.
“Our senior leadership is a key factor ... we also have a very balanced offensive attack,” said head coach Sarah Raunecker. “We’ve been getting good productivity out of Piper Underbrink ’15 in the middle, and both Olivia [Kolodka] and Melanie English ‘17 have proven to be effective hitters and very good blockers.”
Unfortunately Middlebury failed to carry their momentum into the next game, and were swept by Springfield 3-0. Middlebury did their best to keep it close, but lost all three sets 21-25, 19-25 and 15-25, respectively. The Panthers only had a team total of 25 digs, less than Reed’s individual effort the game before. The loss was a blemish on an otherwise promising week.
Now, sitting at 3-5 in NESCAC play and in seventh place, Middlebury will look to even their conference record over the final two games against Bowdoin on Friday, Nov. 1 and Bates the next day.
(10/16/13 5:35pm)
The Middlebury’s women’s volleyball team struggled through a tough pair of games on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday Oct. 12, falling to Amherst on Friday 3-0, then Williams on Saturday with the same score. These were the Panther’s first consecutive losses of the season. Dropping these games will haunt the volleyball team for what is likely the rest of the season, as Amherst and Williams are both important NESCAC rivals, who, before this weekend, had only been one game ahead of the Panthers. In order to finish near the top of the table this season, the Panthers will have to remain undefeated in conference play, and hope the Lord Jeffs and Ephs cannot do the same.
On Friday, the Jeffs took the first and second sets comfortably 25-16 and 25-17 respectively. The Panthers put up a fight in the third set, going up 8-0, but eventually submitted to a 24-20 loss.
Perhaps it was the pressure of facing an important conference opponent, but Middlebury committed the 21 errors over all three sets. 12 of these errors occurred in the last set, signaling a collapse in confidence for the Panthers.
Captain Megan Jarchow ’14 once again led the offensive push with 11 kills, but 10 errors with 35 overall touch attempts meant she would only post a .029 kill percentage. This was Middlebury’s worst showing of the season, with the Panthers posting only a collective .085 kill percentage, with 21 errors and 34 points.
Coach Sarah Raunecker is using the weekend as a learning experience.
“I think the big take-away from this weekend was that we need to be on top of our game for any and all conference opponents,” Raunecker said. “They’re all just good teams.”
The next day, Middlebury once again suffered a conference loss against Williams. This game was a better showing of the Panthers’ overall potential, as they posted higher numbers across the board, with a better kill percentage of .097, yet still finished with only 34 points. Middlebury seemed to be more on the same page, committing far fewer service errors and having a more solid passing game. Olivia Kolodka ’15 had a good game, posting seven kills with a .400 kill percentage, and putting four digs on the board.
Kolodka believed that despite the loss, the Panthers responded well to the poor performance on Friday.
“Our game against Williams did a better job of showing our potential than our game against Amherst,” Kolodka said. “Our passing in particular was much better, allowing us to really compete with Williams. There were some really long, intense rallies that we fought through, but in the end Williams won more of those points than we did.”
She remains optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“Going forward, I see us playing with a new level of intensity to prove that we can compete at a higher level,” Kolodka said.
Middlebury faces two more conference opponents next weekend, with Connecticut College on Friday, Oct. 18 and Tufts on Saturday, Oct. 19, both of which are away. The Panthers still hope to place near the top of the NESCAC table, and will look to prove they are capable this upcoming weekend.
(10/09/13 10:56pm)
The Middlebury women’s volleyball team’s winning streak came to an end on Friday, Oct. 4 at the hands of Wesleyan. On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Panthers bounced back against NESCAC contestant Trinity by winning 3-0, before they topped Keene State in a 3-1 win. Middlebury had begun the season with 10 straight wins, only dropping 2 sets out of their first 32 before falling to the Cardinals.
Wesleyan has had a turbulent season so far, going 6-9 overall, and 2-3 in conference play, but came into the game on Friday off of back-to-back wins. The Cardinals came out of the gate quickly and won a close first set against Middlebury 25-22. The second set shifted momentum back in the Panthers favor, as they trounced Wesleyan with a score of 25-11. However, Wesleyan wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet, and came back to beat Middlebury 25-21. Four of the last five Wesleyan points came off of errors committed by Middlebury, including three attack errors and a service error. Middlebury cleaned up its act in the fourth set, but ultimately Wesleyan’s offense proved too much, and 15 Cardinal kills led to Middlebury’s first loss of the season.
“I think the big take-away from this weekend was that we need to be on top of our game for any and all conference opponents,” head coach Sarah Raunecker said. “They’re all good teams. I think the big difference this weekend against Wesleyan was that our serve, receive and defense were not as strong as we needed them to be.”
However, despite the disappointing loss on Friday, the women’s volleyball program came out the next day ready to prove their spirit was not beaten. Once again on the road, the Panthers went to Trinity to face their second NESCAC opponent in as many days.
They wasted little time in dispatching their first opponents of the day, sweeping the Bantams with set scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-21. Senior co-captain Amy Hart ’14 had a particularly impressive game on both sides of the net, earning 14 kills and 12 digs to anchor the defense, while Kathryn Haderlein ’16 and Katie Chamberlain ’16 did their part with eight and 10 digs, respectively.
The Panthers carried this momentum into the game against Keene State. The Owls, meanwhile, were riding a hot streak of four straight wins of their own.
After Keene State took the first set in a nail biter, 28-26, Middlebury settled down and won the next three sets, to improve to 2-0 on the day. Co-captain Megan Jarchow ’14 continued what was an impressive offensive weekend with 17 kills in the game, making 31 total kills for the weekend. The senior’s impressive play earned her NESCAC Player of the Week honors. Piper Underbrink ’15 also had an explosive game, striking 14 kills with a .500 hitting percentage. Hart once again turned in an exceptional defensive effort, with 18 digs.
Despite her NESCAC accolades, Jarchow remains grounded in her team’s ambitions.
“After our loss on Friday night, it was clear that we needed to really focus on our serve receive and defense,” Jarchow said. “We need to step up our defense so that we can keep rallies going and run our strong offense more often. If we can pass and dig like I know we can, we will be able to dominate our last few NESCAC match-ups.”
Following the 2-1 weekend the Panthers trail only Williams and Bowdoin in the NESCAC. Middlebury hosts Amherst on Saturday, Oct. 11 and Williams on Sunday, Oct. 12, two opponents who are also looking to gain ground in the conference race.