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(01/14/15 4:38pm)
Middlebury squash continued its strong start to the season, as both the men’s and women’s squads swept the weekend to improve to 6-1, both teams’ only defeat coming at the hands of second-ranked Trinity. The 19th ranked men’s team set the tone on Friday, Jan. 9 in Cambridge, Massachusetts against 33rd ranked MIT, seizing the day with a 9-0 victory and no Panther player needing more than four games to win their match.
Highlights for the Panthers were Andrew Cadienhead ’17, David Cromwell ’16 and Cameron Dewey ’18, who all won a game 11-0. Cromwell’s strong showing comes on the heels of his performance last month in the Division III Individual Championships, where he advanced to the finals of the “B” bracket.
The Panthers stayed in Massachusetts on Saturday, Jan 11. playing in Williamstown against 22nd ranked Bowdoin and 23rd ranked Colby. The Panthers had no problem handling both the Polar Bears and the Mules, defeating Bowdoin 8-1 and Colby 7-2.
Ben Krant ’17 had a strong day, winning both of his matches, capturing both in the minimum six games. After defeating the Polar Bears’ Max Bearse in just three games (eight, eight, five), Wyatt French ’17 went ahead of Colby’s Ben Kwass two games to nothing in the day’s second match. With the exception of the Trinity match at the beginning of the season, French has yet to drop a match. However, in the third game against Kwass, French played a scrappy game that went down to the wire, ultimately losing 13 to 11. After dropping another chance to close out Kwass and lock up a point in the third slot for Middlebury, French would not be denied in the rubber match, defeating Kwass 11-5. The bottom of the Panthers’ lineup continued its consistent play, as Dewey ’18 and Robert Galluccio ’14 swept their opponents in both matches.
The Middlebury women’s side also had continued its success this weekend. On Saturday, Jan. 10 the Panthers defeated 19th ranked Bowdoin 9-0 and 22nd ranked Colby 8-1. The only loss of the day came when the women’s number one player, Saskia Powell-Gray ’16, took on Colby’s top player Devin Mullaney ’18. After losing the first match, Powell-Gray maintained her composure and fought back, leading two games to one. Mullaney evened up the score by winning decisively in the fourth game, 11-2, and then carried the momentum into the rubber match, narrowly edging out Powell-Gray 11-7.
On Sunday, Jan. 11 the women’s team continued to dominate its competition. The Mount Holyoke squad was no match for the Panthers, as Middlebury emerged victorious in each match. Audrey Ellen ’17 played in the seventh slot for Sunday’s match, but was a highlight for the women’s team on an already very bright day as she swept her opponent by a combined 33-3 score. Lizzy Hurst ’18 saw the first in-match action of her career for the Panthers on Sunday. She played in the ninth slot and put an exclamation point on the strong effort by the Panthers with her 33-4 victory over Mount Holyoke freshman Amanda Lee.
Next up for both teams is the Yale Round Robin this Saturday and Sunday. The men and women face Columbia and George Washington on Saturday, Jan. 17 and Sunday, Jan. 18, respectively. The weekend’s highlight will be the women’s match against the fourth ranked host school Yale at 12:30pm on Saturday, Jan. 17.
(01/14/15 4:28pm)
With its victory in the conference opener Friday, Jan. 9 at home against Bates, the Middlebury women’s basketball team got its eighth victory of the season, one more than the seven that the team secured in 2013-14. Since the New Year began, the Panthers have gone 2-2, adding an exciting OT win over Anna Maria on Saturday, Jan. 3 and suffering losses at Plattsburgh St. on Tuesday, Jan. 6 and at home against Tufts on Sunday, Jan. 11.
Guard Sarah Kauffman ’18 not only played an impressive 41 minutes, but had a great shooting night against Anna Maria in the team’s first game of 2015, going 6-14 from the field and 3-5 from deep en route to scoring 15 points in the 64-59 OT win. The game was hotly contested throughout with 11 lead changes. The Panthers took a two-point lead into halftime on a Holly Lanchantin ’15 jump shot, but Anna Maria was able to fight back and had two free throws to take the lead with eight seconds left. Lindsay Bond of Anna Maria was only able to get one shot to fall, forcing the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Rachel Collins ’18 opened the scoring with a three-pointer, creating a lead that Middlebury never relinquished. Collins finished with nine points of her 15 points in overtime.
“I think the time off definitely showed in our first couple games in the New Year as we strugled to find our rhythm and defend well,” said captain Rachel Crews ’15. “In our Anna Maria game, we were struggling offensively as a team and Rachel (Collins) came in and hit some really big shots for us...In a game in which we really needed somebody to step up, it was great to see Rachel come in and hit those clutch shots.”
“It’s my job, as well as the job of all my teammates, to be ready whenever the coach and the team needs us,” said Collins. “I knew that if I provided a bit of an offensive spark through my shooting and passing that I would be able to help my team to a victory.”
Following the thrilling victory over Anna Maria, Middlebury fell hard to Plattsburgh State by a score of 79-58. The big difference was Plattsburgh’s dominance on the boards, as the Cardinals out rebounded Middlebury 48-33. Elizabeth Knox ’17, Siobhan O’Sullivan ’17, Crews and Kaufman all tallied 11 points in the loss. Knox also filled up the stat sheet with six assists, four rebounds and two blocks, while Kauffman pulled down eight boards of her own.
Middlebury had better luck in its next matchup, the first conference game of the year against a Bates team that provided the Panthers with their only conference win in 2013-14. Middlebury earned a nine-point win, 65-56, by shooting well from beyond the arc (6-13, 46.2 percent) and gathering 30 points in the paint. Knox gathered a game-high 21 points and added seven boards while Kauffman put together a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Alexis Coolidge ’15 gave Middlebury the lead with a lay up with 11:29 remaining in the first half, a lead that Middlebury held onto until the final buzzer and stretched to as many as 15 late in the first half.
“It was so important for us to get the first conference win,” said Crews. “Especially being such a young team, it was good for us to establish right from the start that we will be a competitive team in the NESCAC.”
The Panthers couldn’t keep the magic alive in their second NESCAC contest, a 57-37 loss against Tufts at home on Sunday, Jan. 11. Middlebury had their worst shooting performance of the season, making only 25.9 percent of its field goals while tallying a season-low in points. Middlebury was again out rebounded handily (46-36), but played solid defense, holding Tufts to 21-60 (35 percent) from the field and 5-22 (22.7 percent) from deep. Crews led the Panthers in scoring with 14 points on the strength of a 4-7 shooting night from beyond the arc. Knox managed eight points and six rebounds and Kauffman chipped in seven boards and seven assists to go with her six points.
“We competed with (Tufts) for the first 25 to 30 minutes of the game,” said Crews, “but they stepped up their defensive intensity in the last ten minutes and offensively we did not respond well. I think it was a good learning experience for our team.”
Middlebury returns to conference action with road games at Wesleyan (0-2 NESCAC) and Conn College (1-1 NESCAC) this weekend.
(12/03/14 10:27pm)
It was a busy two weeks for the Middlebury men’s hockey team. After a disappointing first weekend of action in which the Panthers lost to Bowdoin 6-0 and tied Colby 2-2 on the road, the team opened up their home schedule with games against NESCAC rivals Tufts and Connecticut College. The Panthers tied Tufts 2-2 and picked up their first win of the season against Conn. College with a score of 3-2. A week later the team played host to the 17th annual PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout where they lost to Concordia (Minn.) 4-3 and then lost the third-place game to Plattsburgh 4-2.
The Panthers’ home opener began exactly as the team hoped, after goaltender Liam Moorfield-Yee ’16 denied Tufts on a short-handed breakaway, George Ordway ’15 found Mike Najjar ’17 for a power play goal 13:50 into the first period, the team’s first power play conversion of the season. After dominating play throughout the first and second periods, Tufts scored with the two-man advantage three-quarters of the way through the second. Middlebury quickly countered just two minutes later when Vincent Gisonti ’18 scored his second goal of the season on a pass from Ronald Fishman ’16 to return the one-goal lead. Unfortunately, the Panther lead did not hold as Tufts tied it up with just over five minutes left in the third. Neither team was able to find a winner and the score remained 2-2 after the five minute overtime period. Middlebury outshot Tufts 41-25 in the game.
The next day, Saturday Nov. 22, the team was back on the ice at Kenyon Arena for an afternoon game against Connecticut College. Middlebury once again struck first as Najjar turned defense into offense by intercepting a Connecticut pass, skating it into the opposing zone, and wristing a shot into the top-right corner for his second goal of the season 11 minutes into the first. Following Najjar’s goal, the flow of play was firmly controlled by Middlebury as the Panthers outshot the Camels 26-13 in the first two periods. This dominance resulted in two quick goals in the second as Evan Neugold ’16 stuffed home a rebound from Max Greenwald ’16’s point shot and Ronald Fishman converted on the power play with a slap shot from just inside the blue line on a pass from Derek Pimentel ’15. The two goals came just 1:48 apart from each other, a third of the way through the second. Middlebury was then able to weather a strong Connecticut push in the third as goalie Liam Moorfield-Yee made a number of key saves and the team held on for a 3-2 victory, their first of the season.
Thanksgiving break was not as restful for the men’s hockey team as they had to prepare to host the 17th annual PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout that began just a day after Thanksgiving. The annual tournament features Middlebury, Plattsburgh, Norwich, and an invitational contender. This year’s invited team was Concordia College from Minnesota.
Game one of the tournament was closely contested, with great opportunities on both ends of the ice. Playing against the visiting Concordia College Cobbers, the Panthers fell behind early and were faced with a three goal deficit just 55 seconds into the second period. The game, however, was far from over as the Panthers struck three times in the second to tie it up. Co-captain Pimentel provided the team with a spark as he scored with a slap shot from the top of the right circle on the power play 2:10 into the second. Middlebury continued pressing and seven minutes later Brendan McGovern ’16 scored his first of the season with a well placed wrist shot into the top-right corner of the Concordia net. 55 seconds later, the game was all tied up. Ronald Fishman fed Mark McLellan ’18 with a pretty pass from behind the Concordia net and McLellan put it away with a one-timer. Concordia managed to regain the lead less than two minutes later on an unfortunate bounce as a Cobber pass went off of a Middlebury defender and past goaltender Liam Moorfield-Yee. The Panthers had several good opportunities to tie the game back up in the third but were unable to convert. After their 4-3 win Concordia went on to win the tournament.
There was no rest for the weary as the Panthers were forced to turn around and play Plattsburgh in the third-place game just 21 hours after their tough loss to Concordia. The team’s exhaustion was evident as they fell into a four-goal deficit by the midway point of the third period. When it seemed like the game was all but over, Middlebury rallied and scored on two straight power play opportunities two minutes apart from each other three-quarters of the way through the third. Jake Charles scored on a redirect of a Greenwald slap shot and Gisonti put home a rebound off the Concordia goaltender. The comeback fell short, however, and Middlebury lost 4-2.
Defenseman Fishman was named to the all-tournament team.
Fishman commented on the honor, as well as the team’s performance over the weekend.
“I can utilize this to perform to the best of my ability to help the team win games,” Fishman said. “I can see good things happening once we tighten up on our mistakes.”
The men’s hockey team is back in action on home ice for their last two games of 2014 this week. The Panthers play rival Amherst at 7 p.m. on Friday Dec. 5 and Hamilton at 4 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 6 in two important NESCAC divisional games.
(12/03/14 10:03pm)
2013-14 record: 7-17
Captains: Alexis Coolidge ’15, Rachel Crews ’15, Nora Kelly ’15
Following last year’s 7-17 record, the Middlebury women’s basketball team looks to rebuild in the 2014-15 season.
With the loss of Sarah Marcus ’14, Laura Lowry ’14 and Scarlett Kirk ’14 — the team’s three leading scorers — the Panthers must bolster the offensive effort this season. Returning members Elizabeth Knox ’17 and Rachel Crews ’15, who tallied 184 and 156 points respectively in 2013-14, will likely lead the charge on offense. Tri-captain Alexis Coolidge ’15 will also assume a leadership position, having contributed 111 points last season.
First-years Sarah Kaufman and Sabrina Weeks have made notable scoring contributions in the first five games of the season. In her second collegiate appearance, Kaufman set a program single-game record by sinking 20 free throws.
The new dynamic has proved successful thus far, as the team currently holds a 4-1 record, including a championship title in the season-opening Tyler Tip-Off Tournament.
KJ Krasco has joined Middlebury women’s basketball as head coach after three seasons as Bowdoin’s top assistant. Krasco, a successful recruiter in previous positions, “[looks] forward to the challenge of moving the women’s basketball program to the next level.” The Panthers will rely on Coach Krasco’s enthusiasm and leadership as they advance to face heightened competition in and out of conference.
The team will wrap up regular season play in February with six consecutive appearances against NESCAC rivals, including a final matchup against top-seeded Amherst. Pending on a successful in-conference record, Middlebury will appear in the league tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season, in which they fell to Williams in the NESCAC Semifinal.
(11/19/14 10:03pm)
The Middlebury women’s hockey team opened their 2014-2015 season this past weekend, Nov. 15 and 16, with a doubleheader against conference foe Colby. The Panthers outscored the visiting Mules 9-1 on the weekend, en route to a pair of wins.
After narrowly missing qualification for the NCAA tournament a year ago, Middlebury enters the new season ranked fourth in the Division III hockey national poll. As the highest ranked team from the NESCAC, the Panthers trail only reigning national champion Plattsburgh State, in-state rival Norwich University and Elmira College.
Though Middlebury was favored to win, the opening weekend against Colby has nearly tripped up the team in past years. Just last season, the Panthers escaped Waterville with a narrow 2-1 victory on opening night. The opener last Saturday night in Kenyon arena was not so close.
Senior forward Emily Fluke ’15 got the Panthers on the board in just the second minute of play, taking advantage of an early power-play opportunity to give Middlebury a 1-0 lead. Carly Watson ’17 assisted Fluke’s goal. Allie Aiello ’17 soon added an insurance goal for Middlebury in the 18th minute to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Five minutes into the second period, Elizabeth Wulf ’18 netted the first goal of her college career with assists from Julia Wardwell ’16 and Hannah Bielawski ’15. Despite having to go on the penalty kill twice in the period, the Panthers kept pressure on the Mule defense throughout, nearly earning goals on two man-down breakaways. Colby goalkeeper Angelica Crites recorded eight saves in the second period to keep her team within three goals from a comeback.
After Colby’s Carolyn Fuwa was called for a holding penalty in the third minute of the final period, Watson scored for Middlebury just as the penalty expired to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead. Nikki Donato got the Mules on the board later in the period, but it was too little too late for Colby.
Bielawski’s first goal of the season kicked off a three-goal run for Middlebury over the game’s final 10 minutes, with Aiello and Victoria Laven ’17 adding goals of their own down the stretch. By the final horn the scoreboard read 7-1 in Middlebury’s favor.
The Panthers outshot the Mules 31-11 in the opener, with nearly half of those shots coming in the final period of play. Middlebury was 1 for 6 on power plays, while Colby failed to convert on all 5 of their man-up opportunities.
For the weekend’s second game on Sunday afternoon, both teams made switches in goal, with Jessica Thulin replacing Crites for Colby, and Maddie Marsh ’15 taking the place of Annabelle Jones ’15 in goal for the Panthers. While Thulin played an outstanding game in goal, she could not help her team on the offensive end, as Panther goalkeeper Marsh recorded her first shutout of the season in Middlebury’s 2-0 win.
Just a minute into the game, a tripping call against Colby’s Sasha Fritts gave Middlebury a power-play opportunity. Watson was able to make the most of that opportunity, burying a feed from Maddie Winslow ’18 in the back of the net to give Middlebury a 1-0 lead. The two teams traded power-play advantages for the rest of the period, with neither team managing to score.
The second period was a quiet one on the scoreboards, as Thulin and Marsh kept the attackers at bay with strong play in the net. Thulin, who would end the game with 25 saves, made 10 in the second period alone to keep her team in the game, as the score remained 1-0.
The Panthers eventually found an opportunity for another shot past Thulin in the third period, as Janka Hlinka ’18 – with assists from Fluke and Watson – added an insurance goal for Middlebury to make the score 2-0. A pair of late power plays allowed the Panthers to run out the clock and secure the win by the same score.
Middlebury outshot Colby 27-13 while earning the win, and the Panthers did a particularly stellar job on penalty kill in the game, holding the Mules scoreless despite seven power-play opportunities. Middlebury was 1 for 5 on power plays in the game.
Following the weekend’s games, Watson was named NESCAC Player of the Week. A first-time honoree, Watson scored a pair of goals in the two games against Colby, while also contributing a pair of assists.
After starting the season 2-0, the Middlebury squad will take to the road on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22 and 23, for a pair of matchups with Trinity. Early-season play will culminate in a tournament at Plattsburgh State at the end of the month, where the Panthers will face number one Plattsburgh State and number three Elmira.
(11/19/14 9:58pm)
The Middlebury women’s basketball team began their season with a pair of victories on the road against out of conference opponents Endicott and Smith on Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16, respectively. The squad participated in the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament at Smith College, earning a win over Endicott by a score of 67-46, followed by a 67-50 victory over the host school in the tournament championship game the following day.
The Panthers opened their season with intensity, taking a 14-0 lead against Endicott within the first six minutes of the game. Middlebury maintained a commanding lead, holding Endicott’s deficit between seven and 25 points throughout the remainder of the game. Elizabeth Knox ’17 led the Panther’s scoring effort, recording a career-high 29 points in addition to five rebounds.
Rachel Crews ’15 scored first in the contest, landing a layup to spark the Panther’s early 14-0 scoring streak, in which Knox contributed six. Endicott bounced back from their early disadvantage, ultimately outscoring the Panthers 14-11 in the final twelve minutes of the half. The two teams entered halftime with a score of 30-17 in favor of Middlebury.
Middlebury continued to bolster its lead as the second half commenced, recording a game-high 25 point advantage on two occasions. The Panther defense held Endicott’s shooters to just 22.5 percent from the floor, while Middlebury managed to convert 27 of 60 field goal attempts, for a 45.0 percent scoring average. Offensively, Sarah Kaufman ’18 posted 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Sabrina Weeks ’18 and Alexis Coolidge ’15 combined for 16, with eight apiece.
After holding a comfortable lead for the majority of the second half Middlebury earned its first win of the season by a margin of 67-46. The victory was the first at Middlebury for first-year head coach K.J. Krasco, who joined the Panthers in this previous summer after serving for three seasons as the top assistant coach at NESCAC rival Bowdoin.
Following Saturday’s victory, the Panthers advanced to face Smith in the championship game of the tournament. Middlebury entered the matchup with considerable energy, scoring the game’s first seven points within the first three minutes of the half. Smith then reciprocated, posting an 11-3 scoring run to take their lone lead of the contest.
The sides traded scoring opportunities until back to back three pointers by Knox put the Panthers ahead 27-17 with 5:08 remaining in the first half. Smith answered with a three point shot from Shannon Saywell and a pair of free throws, cutting her team’s deficit to five.
Looking to expand their lead before intermission, the Panthers mounted a 10-4 scoring run, concluded by a Kaufman three pointer at the buzzer to wrap up the first half at 39-28.
Kaufman, in only the second game of her collegiate career, recorded 32 points on the day, earned all-tournament recognition, and set a new program single-game record for completing 20 free throws.
Middlebury assumed more defensive responsibility throughout the second half as Smith pushed to narrow the score. The Panthers edged out strong advantages in field goal shooting, recording 43.9 percent in comparison to Smith’s 30.8 percent. Additionally, the Middlebury team knocked out 25-30 free throw attempts for a success rate of 83.3 percent while Smith converted only 7-13, 53.8 percent.
Effectively fending off offensive efforts while continuing to convert allowed the Panthers to maintain a double-digit lead for the majority of the contest. Eager to claim the tournament championship title, the Panthers ended the game with a 13-4 run on the way to securing the 17-point victory with a final score of 67-50.
Mirroring her performance from the Saturday’s win, Knox contributed her first double-double of the season with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Teammate Coolidge added an additional seven points, eight rebounds and a game-high four steals. Knox was named an all-tournament honoree for her efforts against Endicott and Smith.
The Middlebury women’s basketball team walks away from a successful opening weekend with two victories — one in the championship of the Tyler Tip-Off Tournament. “I think this weekend went so well because we stayed composed and disciplined on offense and defense. We worked hard to execute our plays. There was a lot of good ball movement and hustle to rebound,” Knox said. “In both games we made it a point to work together as a cohesive unit which sparked our offense and motivated our defense.”
The team looks to carry their momentum from the weekend into upcoming contests on the road. The 2-0 Middlebury squad will face Castleton on Thursday, Nov. 20 followed by Salve Regina on Saturday, Nov. 22.
(11/13/14 12:39am)
Friday night the Middlebury volleyball team (12-12, 6-4) played its final game of the season, falling to the Bowdoin Polar Bears (21-7, 6-4) three sets to one in a NESCAC tournament quarterfinal match at Tufts.
The first match was knotted up at 15 a piece before Bowdoin closed the Panthers out on a ten to three run, sparked by a pair of Christy Jewett service aces. Erika Sklaver slammed home the final two points of the initial game to give Bowdoin a 25 to 18 victory.
Middlebury started the second set on a high note with a six-point streak, highlighted by kills from Emily Kolodka ’18 and Melanie English ’17 and four Bowdoin attack errors.
Bowdoin crawled back into the match, overtaking the Panthers 17 to 16, before Middlebury went on its second six to nothing run, led by three kills from Alice Roberts ’18, propelling the Panthers to a 25 to 18 win which tied the affair at one match each.
Bowdoin began the ultimately close third set with early momentum, gaining a seven to one edge on the Panthers, led by a Michelle Albright service ace and a pair of Christy Jewett Kills.
The run lasted until a Roberts kill started the Panthers’ engines. The Panthers tied the match at 19 when Becca Raffel ’18 hammered home a kill. But the Polar Bears were unfazed, capturing six of the last nine points, led by a service ace and kill by Hailey Wahl, and another kill by Jewett.
The fourth and final match provided a gut-wrenching end to the Panthers’ season.
Bowdoin went up 14 to seven and looked to have the game and the match all but in the bag. But a Bowdoin service error and two Lizzy Reed ’15 service aces as well as two Olivia Kolodka ’15 kills put the Panthers right back into the thick of the game with a deficit of only one point.
After a Hailey Wahl kill put Bowdoin up 21 to 17, the Panthers mustered one final push to try and stretch the meeting to a fifth match.
A Hannah Blackburn ’17 kill and a bevy of Bowdoin service and attack errors found the Panthers on top of the Polar Bears 23 to 22 heading into the final stretch. Bowdoin’s coach, Karen Corey, elected to take a timeout to settle her young team.
The Panthers needed only two more points to set up a dramatic rubber match, but the Polar Bear defense and two more Christy Jewett kills iced the quarterfinal match.
“It’s always tough to lose that last match, but all good things come to an end eventually. We played well, but not great, and when you get to the championships, you usually have to play your best if you want to win,” Head Coach Sarah Raunecker said.
First years Roberts and Raffel led the Panthers with 11 kills apiece. English finished with nine kills, a .368 hitting percentage and a strong defensive showing with three block solos and two block assists. Blackburn had 33 assists and Charlotte Devine ’17 had a match high three service aces. Olivia Kolodka had a team high 16 digs as fellow senior Reed collected 15.
Bowdoin’s Jewett led all players with 22 kills and Sklaver also posted a double-digit total of 13 kills. The Polar Bears’ Quincy Leech contributed 27 assists, and Katie Doherty had a match high of digs.
On Monday, Nov. 10, the selections for the NCAA volleyball tournament were announced. Tufts and Bowdoin were selected as at-large bids from the NESCAC, and will join conference champion Williams in the tournament.
The loss was the final game in a Panther uniform for seniors Reed, Olivia Kolodka and Piper Underbrink ’15.
The three seniors graduate having been members of the 2012 NESCAC Tournament championship team that collected a victory in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round.
“They had very successful careers here, and have helped strengthen our program, and we thank them for leaving that legacy,” Raunecker said.
(11/13/14 12:28am)
The last day of football season is always an interesting intersection of past and future. Next fall, a new class of first years will replace this year’s seniors, who, like most of the thousands of Panthers who came before them, will probably not have a chance to play on a football team again.
Last Saturday, the Panther football team came together to finish out their season proudly as they dismantled Tufts at home on Youngman Field, racking up points en route to a 48-13 win.
As fans of the Middlebury football team have grown accustomed to this season, the Panthers opened the game with a display of defensive prowess. Middlebury crippled Tufts’ passing offense, allowing only one first down on Tufts’ two first drives.
Following the second of such drives, Middlebury took over on their own 22 yard line, where quarterback Matt Milano ’16 and company got to work on offense.
Following a slew of nice runs from running back Jon Hurvitz ’17, Milano found a rhythm with his talented receivers.
Finding tight-end Daniel Fulham ’18 for a few key receptions, Milano capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown throw to Fulham for his first career touchdown, putting the Panthers’ up 7-0.
The ensuing drive featured play uncharacteristic of a typically disciplined unit. An unsportsmanlike conduct call negated what would’ve been a sack by nose-tackle Kyle Ashley ’16, and Tufts completed two passes to gain 20 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown strike against the Middlebury pass defense. Tufts, refusing to lie down, equalized the score at 7-7.
In the Panthers’ next offensive drive, running back Andrew Miller ’16 showcased Middlebury’s running game, gaining 30 yards on the drive. To complete the drive, Milano completed a six-yard pass to Fulham at first-and-goal to record Fulham’s second touchdown of the day.
The teams then traded possessions as Middlebury’s defense shut the Jumbos down.
With standout linebackers Tim Patricia ’16 and Jake Vacovec ’15 making frequent visits to the Jumbos backfield, Tufts found it difficult to gain footing. In response, the Milano found Matt Minno ’16 for a 57-yard bomb down the sideline.
In the second quarter Tufts would took over at midfield after a fumbled punt. Following a big run against Middlebury’s front seven, the Jumbos scored with less than three minutes remaining in the half to make the score 21-13. Middlebury countered with an impressive two-minute drill, capped by a 34-yard strike by the talented Brendan Rankowitz ’15 to set up the Panthers on Tufts’ one-yard-line. During this drive, Rankowitz took on the first defender at the six yard line before dragging two additional defensive backs over five yards, a play which elicited raucous cheers from the assembled crowd at Youngman Stadium.
Milano, on a timely third-down run, ran to score the last touchdown of the half, which ended with a score of 27-13 after the extra point was blocked.
Midway through the third quarter, Middlebury added to their already considerable lead. After a twenty yard completion to Ryan Rizzo ’17, Milano completed the drive with a 13-yard pitch and catch with Rankowitz.
A key sack by Addison Pierce ’17 on the ensuing Tufts drive allowed the Panthers to again take the helm at offense. Apparently time was at a premium on the Middlebury sideline, as Milano found the speedy Rizzo for a 72-yard strike on the fifth play of the drive. After yet another forced three-and-out by Tufts, Milano found Rankowitz for a 33-yard score through the air, which signified the last significant action by the starters of the day.
The final score tallied in at 48-13 in Middlbury’s favor, with Milano responsible for seven touchdowns, including six on the ground and one through the air.
Finishing the year with a record of 6-2, the Panthers finish third in the NESCAC behind undefeated Amherst and 7-1 Wesleyan, the two teams to whom they lost.
Over the past four years the team has won 24 out of 32 games, including last year’s NESCAC title — a shining period in Middlebury football history that the seniors ought to be proud of.
Meanwhile, the team has answered the greatest question mark that they faced at the beginning of the season: the replacement of all-everything quarterback Mac Foote ’14. After starting the season slowly, Milano has rebounded to record one of the most prolific passing seasons in the history of the program. With Milano back at the helm in 2015, the Panthers will look to improve upon this year’s record.
(11/05/14 6:54pm)
This past weekend, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, volleyball seniors Lizzy Reed ’15, Olivia Kolodka ’15 and Piper Underbrink ’15 played their final regular season home games in Pepin Gym. In the process, the Panthers solidified their fourth seed for the NESCAC tournament that begins Friday night, Nov. 7.
Friday night the Panthers beat the visiting Connecticut College Camels (14-10, 5-5) convincingly in just three sets: 25-18, 25-20 and 25-13. It was a night that celebrated the three members of the team who will in May, kicked off by the singing of the national anthem, courtesy of Underbrink’s mother.
Underbrink and Alice Roberts ’18 had a team high with nine kills each. Melanie English ’17 hit .778 with seven kills on nine attempts and no errors, and defensively had two block solos and three block assists. Becca Raffel ’18 continued her strong first-year campaign tallying seven kills. Reed and Hannah Blackburn ’17 dished out two service aces apiece to go with Blackburn’s 35 assists.
After a late Middlebury comeback fell short in the first set, the Panthers and the crowd began set two energized, jumping on the Jumbos four to one. Olivia Kolodka and English denied a number of Tufts kills early, before making subs to try and stave off a Tufts run.
Jumbo outside hitters Maddie Kuppe and Hayley Hooper led a Tufts run that put the Jumbos on top 12-8. Hooper, a senior and Tufts kills leader, seemed to capitalize on every kill opportunity she had in the set, while the Tufts front line formed an iron curtain, denying Middlebury scorers until Roberts converted a kill for a 16-9 deficit.
Middlebury would fight back after a timeout, as Olivia Kolodka denied a kill shot from Tufts senior Isabel Kuhel. But it wouldn’t be enough for the Panthers, with Tufts looking unstoppable taking the second set 25-13.
A pair of Raffel kills and Jumbo errors saw Middlebury take a narrow lead. Middlebury’s Blackburn delivered a service ace that was followed by a net violation on Tufts. A kill from English coming out of a Jumbos’ timeout appeared to give Middlebury the momentum. The Panthers were pushed to victory by several key kills and blocks by the front line, forcing Tufts to play a fourth set.
Although the Panthers lost the fourth and deciding set, the team battled down the stretch and gave the favored Jumbos all they could handle. The Jumbos’ hulking and more experienced front line may have been victorious, but first-years Roberts and Raffel, along with Underbrink, all contributed with both sensational kills and momentous blocks.
Playing her final regular season game for the Panthers, Reed said the seniors tried to play it like a normal game.
“We have a very special team and it’s an honor to play with such a great group of people and such devoted coaches,” Reed said. “It’s going to be exciting for us to go to NESCACs and see what we can do.”
Next up for the Panthers is the NESCAC Tournament. The fourth-seeded Panthers will play fifth seeded Bowdoin (20-7, 6-4) Friday night, Nov. 7 at 8pm in Medford, MA at Tufts’ Cousens Gym.
(11/05/14 6:52pm)
Traveling to Clinton, NY to face the Hamilton Continentals after beating perennial power Trinity College last week, it would have been easy for Middlebury to relax. However, the stakes were arguably higher this week: the Rocking Chair Classic was on. The victor of the matchup between Middlebury and Hamilton has, since 1980, taken home the “Mac-Jack” rocking chair. Not wanting to go home without an extra place to sit, the Panthers came to Hamilton with their emotions at a fever pitch.
Perhaps struggling to deal with all the pressure of retaining such an esteemed prize for the Middlebury faithful, the Panthers started the game making uncharacteristic mental errors on both sides of the ball. With the defense causing, yet inexplicably failing to recover two fumbles in the first four minutes of the game – although defensive end Jake Clapp ’16 deserves credit for an excellent sack to cause one of them, major opportunities to get on the Continentals early and often were lost.
Similarly, following offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both teams, Middlebury would settle for only a field goal to put the Panthers up 3-0.
Middlebury would make good on their next drive, with quarterback Matt Milano ’16 finding Matt “the Fish” Minno ’16 with an expertly thrown pass over the top for a 42-yard gain. Stationing the offense on Hamilton’s 13-yard line, the former Duxbury Dragon, running back Jon Hurvitz ’17, would only need one carry to find the end zone, putting Middlebury up 10-0, as the first quarter drew to a close.
Hamilton would not go down quietly, however, busting Middlebury’s coverage in a rare lapse from the Panther’s vaunted defense, where Hamilton’s Jim Fisher wrangled a 64-yard pass down the sideline to bring the Continentals within range of the Panthers. However, following a great return on the ensuing kickoff by Middlebury first-year Kevin Hopsicker, ’18, Milano and company would have a short field with which to play with on offense. After finding the speedy Ryan Rizzo ’17 for a few completions underneath, Milano would again go over the top and find Minno for the touchdown on a 25-yard strike.
The defense would follow up the touchdown by forcing an excellent three-and-out, spurred by a sack from linebacker Addison Pierce ’17, causing an 11-yard loss. With a solid return from Rizzo, the Panthers would again take a short field. On third and goal, following some nice work by Hurvitz, Milano would find captain Brendan Rankowitz ’15 on a slant for the score, putting Middlebury up 23-7.
As Middlebury’s offense would score another touchdown, Middlebury’s defense would force another three-and-out from Hamilton.
This time keyed by crucial stops against the run from free safety Matt Benedict ’15 and defensive tackle Gil Araujo ’16, Middlebury would take over again on offense with little over five minutes left in the half.
Starting on their own 21-yard line, the offense would put on a master class in execution. With Milano finding Rizzo and Grant Luna ’18 repeatedly underneath, Middlebury would drive the length of the field in little under 4 minutes, before Milano found Minno again for the score.
Going into the half up 30-7, the Panthers would begin to cruise. Receiving the ball to start the second half, Milano would, wasting no time, find Matt Minno again for the score, putting the Panthers up 37-7. Minno’s third score of the day, the Panthers would soon pull the starters and go into an extended victory formation, the final score remaining 37-7. With such a dominant win, the Panthers could rest easy – the Mac-Jack rocking chair would remain in merry, merry Middlebury for another year.
(10/30/14 4:25am)
Following last year’s game against Trinity — an instant classic in which Middlebury downed the heavily favored Bantams to earn a share of the NESCAC title — the Panthers went into this year’s rematch knowing Trinity would have the loss firmly on their minds. Trinity, again considered one of the strongest teams in the conference, went into last weekend’s game sporting an undefeated streak at home spanning 53 games and 13 years.
With Trinity having not lost a game at Jessee-Miller Field since before many of the team’s current first-years were even in kindergarten, coming away from Hartford with a win seemed like a daunting task for Middlebury. However, it seems that the Middlebury football team doesn’t care much for history, as they not only beat, but thoroughly routed Trinity by a score of 27-7.
Middlebury’s offense started strong with a 25-yard return from Ryan Rizzo ’17 to the 30-yard line, followed by a series of moves from Matt Milano ’16 and company.
Setting the tone for the day, Milano linked up early and often with receivers Matt Minno ’16 and Brendan Rankowitz ’15, finding the pair for completions of 15 and 26 yards on the drive respectively. Reaching Trinity’s four-yard line before stalling and botching the field goal attempt, Middlebury’s offense showed great facility in throwing the ball downfield.
Middlebury’s defense came out just as strong as the offense, shutting down Trinity and their vaunted running game. Gil Araujo ’16 and Tim Patricia ’16, part of Middlebury’s tough front seven, found themselves frequently in the Bantam backfield during the first quarter of play, with Patricia infiltrating Trinity’s offense’s A-gap to record a particularly impressive tackle resulting in a loss of seven yards for the Bantams.
The hard work done by the Middlebury defense would be rewarded late in the first quarter.
After a three and out, the Panther offense took over on their own nine yard line following a booming 62-yard punt by Trinity.
The Panthers disregarded their adverse field position, driving the ball at will. With Milano completing passes to five different receivers on the drive, and running backs Drew Jacobs ’18 and Jonathan Hurvitz ’17 picking up solid chunks of yardage on the ground, the 91-yard drive only took four minutes of game time, with Milano completing a 28-yard score to Minno to put the Panthers up 7-0.
The game would break open again early in the second quarter with a great play from the Panthers defense. With the Bantams driving down the field, and the goal line in sight, Trinity looked poised to score.
However, Middlebury’s Dan Pierce ’16 had other intentions, picking off the ball in the end zone, the junior defensive back took the return 71 yards, giving the Middlebury offense a great field position just outside Trinity’s red-zone.
Milano and Minno decided to give the rest of the offense a breather, with two passes, including a four yard touchdown reception, giving the Panthers a bigger lead. A failed field goal attempt would make the score 13-0, which held to the end of the half.
Having elected to receive the ball to begin the 3rd quarter, Trinity set up for the return.
Catching Trinity off-guard, Middlebury successfully pulled a surprise-onside kick, with Pierce coming up big on the recovery. Just 40 seconds later, Milano found Minno for a 24-yard score, the third touchdown for both on the day. Putting the Panthers up 20-0, the Panthers did look back.
The ensuing drive from Trinity was another three and out, with big stops from Patricia and defensive tackle Nick Burdeau ’15.
The Panthers offense, however, sputtered, causing the two teams to trade punts for much of the third quarter. Some semblance of action came late in the third, with Trinity finally breaking through on the scoreboard. A 33-yard score early in the fourth quarter proved to be a rare misstep for the dominant Middlebury defense.
Pierce, recording his second interception of the game, then set up the offense near midfield. Milano soon capped off the drive with a 26-yard pass to Brendan Rankowitz ’15 for the final score of the game.
With the Panthers up 27-7, the Middlebury defense rode out the rest of the game to secure the win.
For their efforts, Milano and Pierce were the respective NESCAC Players of the Week on offense and defense.
Milano, going 25-36 on the day for 286 yards and four touchdowns, turned in his finest effort as a starter to date, showing continued and sustained development at the quarterback position.
Pierce, meanwhile, was all over the score sheet, doing a little bit of everything for the Panthers defense. Recording 12 tackles on the day, including 10 solo tackles, as well as 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and an onside kick recovery, there really was nothing the defensive back didn’t do.
Milano and Pierce were not alone in their outstanding performances, as the win was truly a team effort, with the offense, defense and special team units all contributing to the victory.
Going into next weekend’s matchup against Hamilton, a lesser opponent than Trinity, the Panthers should be more than confident about their ability to win.
(10/30/14 4:22am)
The Middlebury volleyball team spent the weekend in Massachusetts tuning up for postseason play at the Hall of Fame tournament. The NESCAC tournament is set to begin on Friday, Nov. 7 and the Panthers wrap up their regular season with matchups on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 against conference foes Connecticut College and Tufts.
In action at Amherst and Smith in the Hall of Fame tournament, the Panthers beat Brandeis and MIT in four and five sets respectively, and lost a tough battle against Springfield in five sets for the trips’ final matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Friday night’s bout with Brandeis saw Middlebury get off to a hot start. In the first set, the Panthers and Judges were knotted up at 11 before a service error by Brandeis led to six straight Middlebury points and a 14 to three run to take the set.
The second set went the way of the Judges, who jumped on top of the Panthers 10-3. Down 19-12, Middlebury head coach Sarah Raunecker subbed in Charlotte Devine ’17 and Alice Roberts ’18, who promptly helped Middlebury’s cause with a kill. However, it would not be enough, as the Judges would take the set without much resistance.
In set three, Olivia Kolodka ’15 set the tone with a kill to give the Panthers the first point from which they never looked back, taking the set 25-17. The fourth and final set saw the Panthers off to a decisive 20-2 lead. During that span, the Panthers went on two big runs: one of seven straight points and one of 11 straight points. They won the set 25-13 to finish off Brandeis.
In Saturday’s early match, the Panthers built off of the momentum gained Friday night, as they edged the 24-4 MIT Engineers, who received votes in the ACVA Division III national poll earlier this week.
The Panthers grabbed the opening set by a 25-21 count. MIT took a 2-1 set lead after a pair of 25-16 and 25-22 victories.
The Panthers showed strong resolve as they took the last two sets from the Engineers, 25-17 and 15-13 respectively.
Becca Raffel ’18 led the Middlebury attack with 15 kills, while fellow first-year Roberts had 14. Olivia Kolodka had nine kills, Gabi Rosenfeld ’17 added six and Hannah Blackburn ’17 contributed 43 assists.
The late matchup with Springfield saw the Panthers fall in five sets despite winning the first two sets 27-25 and 25-17. The Pride stole a victory away in the final three sets by margins of 25-17, 25-19 and 15-8.
Raffel’s efforts were rewarded by her selection as Middlebury’s representative to the all-tournament team. In three matches, the first-year racked up 37 kills, maintained a .234 hitting percentage, posted 13 digs on the defensive side as well as a block and three block assists.
Through 21 games, the Panthers sport 11 wins to 10 losses overall and a record of 5-3 in NESCAC play. The final two matches against Connecticut College (12-9, 4-4) and Tufts (17-7, 7-1) present challenges to the Panthers on multiple fronts.
In terms of seeding for the conference tournament, wins (and some help) can put the Panthers into a tie for first place with a combination of multiple other teams. Losses can see the Panthers’ seed slip from their current position as the five seed down to the seventh seed.
(10/29/14 5:56pm)
President Obama claims to not be on the ballot this November; however, in a few days, we will see if voters agree with that or not. Republicans need to gain six seats in order to “Fire Reid,” the Democratic Senate Majority Leader. The field is not good for Democrats. They are mostly on defense, defending their gains from 2008. Many vulnerable incumbents and open seats fall in states that Romney won in 2012. Moreover, the GOP has recruited many strong candidates with previous experience in office. I know that there are more races going on besides the Senate races, but the House will most likely stay Republican and few gubernatorial races are as national as the those in the Senate this cycle. I refer to the Real Clear Politics Average Polls (RCP Poll Average) as of Oct. 26. The 2012 Presidential Results are from Politico.
Alaska: Begich (i) v. Sullivan
RCP Poll Average: Sullivan +4.2
2012 Presidential: Romney 55%
Prediction: Alaska has been an interesting race from the onset of this election cycle. Begich (D) is relatively popular in Alaska and overall shows great political aptitude. However, he slipped up in recent weeks after refusing to take down a recent advertisement that has been deemed offensive. This, as well as the Affordable Care Act’s unpopularity, have created a unique opportunity for former State Attorney General Dan Sullivan (R), who fought his way through a crowded GOP primary. I think Sullivan pulls this one out, but it will be close.
Arkansas: Pryor (i) v. Cotton
RCP Poll Average: Cotton +5
2012 Presidential: Romney 60.5%
Prediction: Mark Pryor (D), knew he was in trouble early on in this race. In fact, he was behind in the polls as early as March and then rallied over the summer, but has since slipped again. Arkansas has not had a good experience with Obamacare and the President has a disapproval rating of about 60.3 percent, according to the Huffington Post. Moreover, Tom Cotton (R) is no fire breather. In fact, Cotton graduated from Harvard undergrad and Law School and has served in the Army, completing two tours of duty overseas. I’m chalking this one up as a GOP victory as well.
Colorado: M. Udall (i) v. Gardner
RCP Poll Average: Gardner +2.8
2012 Presidential: Obama 51.2%
Prediction: Colorado is one of the many states Democrats didn’t think would really be in play this cycle that turned out to be tougher for them than they originally thought. Cory Gardner (R) is risking a sure congressional seat to challenge Mark Udall (D). Gardner is a more moderate GOP candidate challenging a strong liberal incumbent. However, Colorado in recent years has shifted much more to the left, supporting marijuana legalization and voting for Obama in 2008 and 2012. The state legislature even felt safe enough to challenge the Second Amendment, and that was the final straw. Two Democratic legislators were successfully recalled in 2013, which may signal that the GOP is motivated and ready to take back the Rocky Mountain State. It is important to note that Colorado’s other Senator, Michael Bennett (D), chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, so he will put up a fight for fellow Coloradan Udall. This race is too close to call, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is only one Udall in the Senate next year.
Georgia: Nunn v. Perdue (Open Seat)
RCP Poll Average: Nunn +0.3
2012 Presidential: Romney 53.4%
Prediction: This is a race to watch this November. Georgia has arisen as the Democrats biggest chance at a seat pickup this November, and even one could derail a GOP majority. Michelle Nunn (D) has a slight advantage in that her father served as a U.S. Senator from Georgia. David Perdue (R) is a businessman who is fighting attacks on his record as a business leader and CEO of Dollar General. This race will most likely go to a runoff (no candidate will receive 50 percent of the vote in November, I think). This race will then be the focus of national attention and may determine Senate control. In my mind, there are two things to consider: who will have enough resources to win and how will the runoff effect turnout? Georgia is experiencing a slight demographic shift that may benefit Nunn, and national attention may drive up turnout which could benefit her as well. This race is too close to call. I will nominally give it to Perdue, because midterm voters tend to be more skewed towards the GOP.
Iowa: Braley v. Ernst (Open Seat)
RCP Poll Average: Ernst +2.2
2012 Presidential: Obama 52.1%
Prediction: Joni Ernst (R) has stormed onto the scene and become a frontrunner in this critical Iowa Senate race. She started was a dark horse in the GOP primary, but her “Let’s Make ‘Em Squeal” ad made her a GOP rock star. She has many presidential hopefuls come campaign with her (remember: Iowa is a critical presidential primary state). Moreover, Brue Braley (D) has lost some steam. I mean, even Michelle Obama doesn’t know his name, famously telling voters to vote for “Bruce Baily.” That’s not good. Also, Ernst is a State Senator and an officer in the Iowa National Guard who has had success pitching herself to voters. Congressman Braley, on the other hand, has often come across as cold and unlikable. He has managed to insult farmers, complain about the lack of towel service in the Congressional gym during the shutdown and is generally portrayed as callous. I think Lt. Col. Ernst will defeat Congressman Bruce “Baily” Braley.
Kansas: Orman v. Roberts (i)
RCP Poll Average: Orman +0.6
2012 Presidential: Obama 52.1%
Prediction: Kansas is probably the most frustrating and confusing race of the cycle. Pat Roberts (R) could have easily walked to victory had he squashed rumors of his lack of a home in Kansas. Moreover, Greg Orman (I) may just convince voters that he isn’t a Democrat and march to victory. Orman is quite possibly the most confusing candidate out there and has been a member of both major political parties, most recently the Democrats’. He has also contributed to many Democratic campaigns, including Barack Obama’s and Hillary Clinton’s, but also to Scott Brown (R-NH) in 2010 and the famous Todd Aiken (R-MO) campaign of 2012. I have no idea where this guy stands on anything. However, Roberts is in trouble, and Gov. Brownback isn’t helping him very much heading the GOP ticket. However, the other Kansas Senator Jerry Moran (R) is the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and won’t lose Kansas without a fight. Overall, I think this race is a pure tossup. I’ll give it to Roberts, but only because he is an incumbent (and for the sake of a nice looking map).
Kentucky: Grimes v. McConnell (i)
RCP Poll Average: McConnell +4.4
2012 Presidential: Romney 60.5%
Prediction: If the Democrats win Kentucky, it would be a major victory for them because Mitch McConnell (R) is the current Minority Leader for the Republican Caucus. After fighting off a Tea Party challenger, McConnell has gained on Alison Grimes (D) and surpassed her in recent polls. It is interesting to note that in Kentucky, the state’s Obamacare Exchange has been relatively successful and may hurt McConnell, or at least take Obamacare out of the race. The big issue of this race is jobs, specifically those from the coal industry. Obama’s EPA regulations threaten Kentucky’s coal industry, and McConnell has accused the Democrats of waging a “War on Coal.” Grimes claims to support coal as well; however, she also campaigns with “coal makes us sick” Harry Reid, so it will be interesting to see who Kentuckians decide has their best interests at heart. I think Leader McConnell holds onto his seat.
Louisiana: Landrieu (i) v. Cassidy
RCP Poll Average: Cassidy +4.4
2012 Presidential: Romney 57.8%
Prediction: This is in close second for the most perplexing race of the cycle. Mary Landrieu (D) has a major name advantage in Louisiana. Most importantly, her brother is the Mayor of New Orleans. She also wields a lot of power as Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee. She has taken favorable stances for her constituents on the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Export-Import Bank, and the oil export ban. Also, Louisiana, like Georgia, can go into a runoff if neither candidate reaches 50 percent. Congressman Bill Cassidy (R) leads in the polls, but if he doesn’t break 50 percent in the first election, I think he could lose the second. Landrieu has more resources at her disposal to play a massive turnout game in New Orleans, and, if turnout is high, she could hold on by her fingernails. This is another tossup, but Cassidy could win and avoid a runoff, so I will tentatively predict Cassidy.
Maine: Bellows v. Collins (i)
RCP Poll Average: Collins +29.7
2012 Presidential: Obama 56%
Prediction: Everybody in Maine likes Susan Collins (R). She is an example of moderate and thoughtful leadership in a partisan Senate. Shennah Bellows (D) is a former leader of the Maine ACLU and also a Middlebury alumna, class of ’97. However, she doesn’t stand a chance against Senator Collins. She would have a better shot at Angus King (I) the next time he is in cycle.
Michigan: Peters v. Land (Open Seat)
RCP Poll Average: Peters +10.1
2012 Presidential: Obama 54.3%
Prediction: I really was hoping Terri Lynn Land (R) would pull out a win for the GOP. She was a successful Secretary of State, but her Senate bid has lost steam heading into the last ninety days. Congressman Garry Peters (D) will win Carl Levin’s vacated seat.
Minnesota: Franken (i) v. McFadden
RCP Poll Average: Franken +10.5
2012 Presidential: Obama 54.3%
Prediction: The funniest Senator is going to win his first reelection contest by more than 500 votes. Al Franken (D) was a writer for SNL before moving back home to run for office, but has since convinced voters that he is a dedicated and serious U.S. Senator. Mike McFadden (R) fought through a GOP primary, and the football coach may not even put up a fight at the polls. Some have called McFadden a dark horse, but I think Franken wins by double digits, no joke.
Montana: Curtis v. Daines (Open Seat)
RCP Poll Average: Daines +18 (yes, 18)
2012 Presidential: Romney 55.3%
Prediction: The Democrats pulled out all the stops to hold on to Max Baucus’ seat. Yes, they shipped the sponsor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act all the way to China so they could appoint Sen. John Walsh (D) to fill his spot. This was in hopes of giving him an “incumbency advantage,” but the Democrats put their eggs in the wrong basket. Walsh recently had his master’s degree revoked due to severe plagiarism. This sent the Democratic hopes of holding onto Montana out the window. Steve Daines (R) is going to easily win.
New Hampshire: Shaheen (i) v. Scott Brown
RCP Poll Average: Shaheen +2.2
2012 Presidential: Obama 52.2%
Prediction: This is an interesting race and, like Colorado, is another example of the GOP “expanding the map” and increasing the number of competitive races. Jeanne Shaheen (D) is a longtime political figure in New Hampshire and has previously served as the state’s governor. Scott Brown (R), on the other hand, grew up in New Hampshire, but served as a Senator from Massachusetts. Shaheen has a few problems to confront, and that may just tip the scales for Brown. Obamacare is very unpopular in New Hampshire due to drastic medical network restrictions associated with Obamacare insurance plans. Shaheen’s races have historically tightened at the finish, but she often pulls them out. I predict Shaheen will hold onto her seat.
New Jersey: Booker (i) v. Bell
RCP Poll Average: Booker +15.6
2012 Presidential: Obama 58%
Prediction: Cory Booker (D) defeated Steve Lonegan (R) in the 2013 Special Election, and that may have been his only real contest. The 2013 election produced one of the most entertaining debates I have ever watched though. So, if you don’t want to do homework, look it up on Youtube. Lots of one-liners. Previously, Booker was a controversial mayor of Newark. He faces a weak challenger and should retain his seat.
North Carolina: Hagan (i) v. Tillis
RCP Average: Hagan +1.6
2012 Presidential: Romney 50.6%
Prediction: Kay Hagan (D) has done her best to distance herself from an unpopular president, and it just may have been enough. The polls are close, but most people are saying Hagan will win, and I agree. Sean Haugh (L) may just take away enough of Thom Tillis’ (R) vote share to put Hagan over the top. Also, Tillis is the speaker of the unpopular State House. So that isn’t helping him much. I think Hagan wins.
Oregon: Merkley (i) v. Wehby
RCP Average: Merkley +13.5
2012 Presidential: Obama 54.5%
Prediction: Dr. Monica Wehby (R) is an interesting candidate; she’s a neurosurgeon and more libertarian, supporting many middle of the road social stances. However, that will not be enough to overtake Jeff Merkley (D), who should easily win.
South Dakota: Weiland v. Rounds (Open Seat)
RCP Poll Average: Rounds +10.2
2012 Presidential: Romney 57.9%
Prediction: Mike Rounds (R) is going to win, this race really was never that close. There are four Candidates in the race, two of whom will detract from making Rick Weiland (D) a true threat to Rounds’ healthy lead.
Virginia: Warner (i) v. Gillespie
RCP Poll Average: Warner +10.6
2012 Presidential: Obama 50.8%
Prediction: Mark Warner (D) is a relatively moderate Senator and former business exec. He has done a lot of bipartisan work, most notably in the “Gang of Eight” who often are the source of major compromises. He faces former RNC Chair and Bush White House Staffer Ed Gillespie (R). Warner is going to win with ease.
West Virginia: Tennant v. Capito (Open Seat)
RCP Poll Average: Capito +16.6
2012 Presidential: Romney 62.3%
Prediction: Both of these candidates initially seamed very strong, but Congresswomen Shelly Moore Capito (R) has pulled ahead. She faces Secretary of State, and former UWV mascot, Natalie Tennant (D). Tennant, however, made the mistake of bringing Sen. Warren (D-MA) to West Virginia, where she probably was less than helpful. On the other hand, Paul Ryan (R-WI) was better received. Capito will win handily.
(10/22/14 9:02pm)
The Middlebury men’s soccer team (7-2-3, 4-2-3) drew and won over fall break, and won on Saturday, Oct. 18 at home to move up in the NESCAC standings and record their first wins since Colby halted their five game shutout win streak in September.
On Saturday, Oct. 11, the team traveled to Hartford and battled Trinity to a 1-1 double overtime draw. The Panthers fell behind early when Trinity put home the opening goal 20 minutes in. Middlebury was able to keep the game close in the opening half and equaled the Bantams’ seven first half shots.
Middlebury’s equalizer came in the 63rd minute when Adam Glaser ’17 found Greg Conrad ’17, who put home his third goal of the season. Middlebury looked for an opportunity to take all three points, but were unable to find a winner, despite holding a 10-3 advantage on corner kicks. As the game went into overtime, the Panthers put four shots on target in the first ten minutes, but had all of the chances turned away. Greg Sydor ’17 recorded five saves on the day as the Panthers played their second straight draw.
The following day, Middlebury played their second fall break game at last-place Hamilton. The Panthers were able to convert their early opportunities and scored two of the three on-target shots in the first half. Just 97 seconds after kick off, Glaser stole the ball outside the Hamilton penalty area, passed to Conrad, who returned the favor to set up Glaser’s sixth goal of the season.
Hamilton had an opportunity early in the first half when Sydor punched a ball out on a corner kick and a Hamilton player bicycle kicked a ball that was cleared by the Panther back line.
Middlebury took a two-goal lead after Dan Skayne ’15 set up Conrad. Conrad took a pass in from Skayne in the 29th minute, settled the ball outside the penalty area and sent a shot into the top right corner.
Middlebury preserved its lead throughout the second half; Sydor turned away the two on target Hamilton shots to earn the shutout. Hamilton led Middlebury 13-11 on shots, but could not match the Panthers’ accuracy. Kirk Horton ’17 nearly added a third goal before halftime on a corner kick, but the score remained 2-0 as Middlebury won for the first time since Sept. 23.
After the draw and loss, Conrad described the team’s mentality.
“Although we didn’t get the results we wanted going into the weekend, we played some of our best soccer this season,” Conrad said. “It seems like everything is coming together and now we just need to focus on closing out games.”
This Saturday, Oct. 18, the Panthers hosted Bates in a homecoming matchup for the Hedley Reynolds Cup, an annual trophy awarded in memory of Thomas Hedley Reynolds, an administrator at Middlebury prior to becoming the President of Bates College.
Middlebury dominated early in the rainy ordeal, buoyed by a size advantage that saw the Panthers win most balls in the air and push forward into the Bates half, including a flurry of shots all turned away in the 13th minute. In the 18th minute, Philip Skayne ’17 crossed the ball from the right towards Glaser. Glaser settled the ball, put a move on a Bates defender at the top of the penalty box, and pushed a curling shot around the keeper into the right side of the net. The goal was Glaser’s seventh on the season, and the assist was the first for Skayne.
Bates kept the game close, despite struggling for chances early in the second half. In the 70th minute, Middlebury mishandled a clearance on the right baseline, and the ball bounced around several players until Bates forced home the equalizer. As regulation drew to a close, Bates had several opportunities to go ahead, including a one-on-one save from Sydor in the 77th minute — his only save of the day — and a shot that missed just wide right with under three minutes to go.
The game went to overtime, as four of Middlebury’s last five matchups have, and the Panthers wasted no time showing that they were the better team. Two minutes in, Phil Skayne sent in Middlebury’s eighth corner kick of the day from the left side, where the rebound shot of Deklan Robinson ’16 bounced off of Horton before Conrad pushed in the game winner.
Horton commented on the recent string of wins. “Getting back to winning ways was great after a couple of losses and ties, but we haven’t been doing anything differently defensively from a tactical perspective, it has been more about regaining our bite that we had in the first six games, and the aggressiveness to keep forwards away from our goal.” Horton said.
Despite scoring three goals in three matches, Conrad pointed to an improved team attack mentality, saying, “I don’t think anything has really changed for me personally, I just happened to be the last guy to touch the ball in our buildups. We seem to be getting a lot more opportunities going forward as a team and have a wide variety of guys that can score goals.”
Middlebury finishes its NESCAC season on Saturday, when they host Wesleyan, who currently is tied with Williams and Middlebury for third place in the NESCAC. Middlebury’s regular season will conclude Wednesday, when they play Plymouth State.
“One thing that’s great about this team is we all believe that on any given day, we can play with and beat any team in our league,” Horton said.
(10/22/14 8:51pm)
Middlebury volleyball spent homecoming weekend in Connecticut, picking up two conference victories on the road at Trinity and Wesleyan on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18.
On Friday night the Panthers overcame the Bantams’ quick start in Oosting Gymnasium and cruised to their fourth win in conference play.
The two teams were neck-to-neck in the first set until Trinity went on a four-to-nothing run to take a 17-16 lead. Middlebury closed out the set on a nine-to-one run to take the first set 25-18.
The Panthers carried the momentum over, gaining an early advantage in the second set. A run of aces and well-placed kills gave Middlebury a 19-10 lead, as they held on and secured the set, 25-14.
In the third set, the Panthers traded points with Trinity, until a run of four straight points saw Middlebury grab a 17-13 lead, propelling the Panthers to a 25-19 victory.
Becca Raffel ’18 and Olivia Kolodka ’15 posted the team high for kills with eight each and were followed by Alice Roberts ‘18 who registered seven. Emily Kolodka ’18 played a key role in the victory as she registered a match-high 15 digs for the Panthers along with four service aces. Hannah Blackburn ’17 recorded a double-double with her match high 28 assists to go with 14 digs.
Trinity was led offensively by Kate Giddens with a match-best 11 kills, while Hunter Drews chipped in with six. Amanda Horan added four kills, while Randi Whitham dished out 13 assists. Defensively, Kristen Cooprider led the Bantams with 10 digs. The Bantams fell to 11-7 (3-5) with the loss.
“We feel good about what we’re doing right now, and will continue to strive to improve a little bit every day,” Head Coach Sarah Raunecker said.
Middlebury would look to carry Friday night’s momentum into Wesleyan’s Silloway Gym on Saturday afternoon in Middletown, but quickly found itself down a set when the Cardinals jumped on the Panthers early.
After a Charlotte Devine ’17 kill in the first set, Wesleyan collected 10 of the next 13 points and led by a score of 18-9. Kills by Olivia Kolodka and the first-year duo of Roberts and Raffel looked to stop the bleeding for the Panthers, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop Wesleyan from taking the first set 25-16.
Despite dropping the first set, the Panthers were able to win the next three and capture the match. The second set saw Middlebury in another tough battle as the match went down to the wire with the Panthers leading 19-18. However, a Roberts kill shifted the momentum in Middlebury’s favor. Kills from Melanie English ’17, Olivia Kolodka and a pair of Blackburn service aces sealed 25-18 set victory for the Panthers, knotting the match at one game apiece.
The third set staunchly belonged to Middlebury. The set was highlighted early by three Lizzy Reed ’15 service aces, and was closed by a Devine ace and kills from Raffel, Roberts and Olivia Kolodka.
“It doesn’t necessarily show in our stats, but I think we’ve been a pretty strong serving team this year so far, and we’d like to continue with that these last couple of weeks before NESCACs,” Raunecker said.
The fourth and final set got saw the Panthers off to a rocky start, as three straight attack errors turned their three to nothing lead into a four to three deficit. Once again, it was a close set until the end, when Middlebury managed six straight points, bookended by kills from Emily Kolodka and Raffel, to clinch the set 25-15, and the match three games to one. The loss dropped Wesleyan to 10-9 (2-7).
Olivia Kolodka collected 12 kills, Reed had 18 digs, and Hannah Blackburn dished out an impresive 44 assists to go with her four service aces.
The Panthers, 10-9 (5-3), have six games remaining in the last two weeks of the regular season.
The Panthers’ regular season wraps up with a pair of NESCAC matches against Connecticut College and conference leader Tufts. These matchups provide Middlebury with a chance to improve its seed heading into the conference tournament.
Currently sitting in fifth, the best position the team can find itself is the two seed, but this will require a lot of help; at worst the Panthers will earn the seventh seed.
“Our team has really started to gel and come together as we hoped it would, which has been really fun to see,” Raunecker said. “I think this is due to the strong leadership of our captains, and the maturation of our large freshman class.”
(10/22/14 8:41pm)
The Middlebury women’s field hockey team celebrated a victorious homecoming weekend by defeating Bates this past Saturday, Oct. 18 at home on Peter Kohn Field.
The Panthers came into the game confident from a 7-0 win over Hamilton on Wednesday and proved unrelenting in their Saturday morning NESCAC matchup. Defeating the Bobcats 6-0, the third ranked Panthers add another tally to their current eight-game winning streak.
The opening 12 minutes of the game stayed scoreless until Jillian Green ’16 scored her first of two goals for Middlebury. Senior captain Cat Fowler ’15 provided an assist from eight yards, which Green tapped in with 12:51 on the clock.
Green went on to score the following goal for the Panthers coming off of an assist on the left side by Lauren Berestecky ’17 after a penalty corner allowed the Panthers to work the ball around the circle at the 25-minute mark.
Middlebury controlled the remaining five minutes of play in the half, notching another two goals before the break. Fowler scored off of a shot by Olivia Jurkowitz ’17 with just two minutes to go in the half. Middlebury dominated the possession game, with Berestecky adding one more goal in the final seconds of play before the buzzer sounded.
Accumulating four goals in just the first half, the Panthers shined through the unfavorable rainy conditions and entered the second half with a comfortable lead.
Anna Kenyon ’16 scored the fifth goal of the day and her fourth of the season, tapped in from three yards out and assisted by Pam Schulman ’17. Less than ten minutes later, Fowler scored the final goal of the game, her second of the day, with an unassisted shot that ricocheted off the shin guard of a Bates player and glided into the goal.
The Bobcats were unable to answer the ferocious offense that the Panthers demonstrated, managing only three shots in the game, all to be saved by Middlebury goalkeeper Emily Knapp ’15.
“We were really able to play off of each others strong suits and capitalize on a lot of the penalty corners, ” Berestecky said.
The Bobcats’ goaltenders Cristina Vega and Katie Knox saved a combined ten of the sixteen shots on goal taken by the Panthers.
The Panthers, currently ranked third in the national poll, continue on in the season with a 12-1 record overall and an 8-1 mark in the NESCAC. With just two more regular season games left in the season, the Panthers currently sit atop the conference standings as the season winds down towards the NESCAC tournament.
The Panthers faced Castleton on Tuesday, Oct. 21 in a midweek matchup, earning a resounding victory over the out of conference opponent by a margin of 13-0. Seven different Middlebury players tallied goals in the contest, with hat-trick performances from Josie Trichka ’17 and Annie Leonard ’18. Fowler added two on the day, including her team-high 12th goal of the season.
The team’s performance helped propel Coach Katharine DeLorenzo to her 300th career victory. She now owns a record of 300-114-2 in 14 years of coaching.
Middlebury returns to the field this Saturday, Oct. 25 for a matchup with ninth ranked Wesleyan at home. If the Panthers can get past the Cardinals, they will be able to turn their attention to sharpening their play in anticipation of the postseason. Expectations remain high for this team.
(10/22/14 7:25pm)
Over the past few weeks, there was a flurry of construction along South Main Street where workers dug a trough and buried a natural gas distribution line leading to the College’s service building to provide the campus with a new source of energy. This is the local extension of Vermont Gas’s highly contentious Addison Rutland Natural Gas Project — a 41-mile service extension south from the Burlington area to Middlebury that, despite growing controversy in the state, is now partially in the ground and will soon be operational.
Back in March 2011, the College wrote a public letter of support for the pipeline project along with many other businesses in the area hoping to diversify their energy options and support economic development in the state. These letters, in combination with testimony from the community and many of Vermont’s agencies and departments, were presented to the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB).
In Dec. 2013, the PSB granted a Certificate of Public Good (CPG) to phase one of the project, finding that natural gas’s lower cost and cleaner emissions would be benefit the state economically while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. The project will also create opportunities for biomethane development.
The PSB decision in favor of the pipeline authorized Vermont Gas to establish lease agreements with Vermonters whose land would be affected by the proposed path of the pipeline. Many of these landowners, however, refused to accept Vermont Gas’s offers.
“Landowners objected for a number of reasons,” said Isaac Baker ’14.5, an Environmental Studies major who wrote his senior thesis on the pipeline. “Some felt that they were being bullied into signing a lease they weren’t happy with, some wanted a lawyer present but couldn’t afford one and many environmentalists objected to the idea of investing in fossil fuel infrastructure on principle.
As opposition grew along the path of the pipeline, signs reading “Stop the Fracked Gas Pipeline” began popping up along the roadside throughout Addison County. In 2012, the state banned hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” the extraction process used in Canada to supply much of the energy in Vermont Gas’s pipeline. The towns of Cornwall, Shoreham and Monkton all passed non-binding resolutions against the pipeline, while Vergennes and Middlebury, which will receive more distribution, voted in favor of the pipeline.
At the College, a student group led by Cailey Cron ’13.5 and Anna Shireman-Grabowski ’15.5 gathered over 1,000 signatures in a week with their online petition, encouraging the College to revoke its support of the pipeline. Many professors simultaneously signed letters prompting the Administration to reconsider its position.
On May 6, 2014, President Ronald D. Liebowitz wrote an all-school email indicating that the Administration had noted the community’s concerns, particularly around fracking, but remained unchanged in its support for the pipeline.
“Ultimately, we believe the pipeline will contribute to the economic welfare of the region,” wrote Liebowitz, “and that it would be unacceptable for us to stand in the way of real and measurable progress toward goals broadly shared in our community.”
Beyond these broader economic goals, the College also supports the pipeline project because it is tied to the 2016 carbon neutrality goal.
“The gas pipeline will provide a means of storage and conveyance of renewable natural gas that will be produced by a manure digester at the Goodrich Farm in Salisbury, Vt.,” Director of Sustainability Jack Byrne explained in an email. “The College has contracted with the developer of the digester to purchase enough of the gas generated by the digester to eliminate the purchase of 640,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil.”
The College explored other ways of bringing the renewable natural gas to campus, but found that connecting to the Vermont Gas pipeline would significantly reduce costs. The renewable natural gas from the farm will enter the pipeline in Shoreham, and the College will withdraw an equivalent amount at the Service Building, depending on its heating needs on any given day.
“Using the pipeline,” wrote Byrne, “made the digester project economically feasible because the alternative of building a storage system for the gas on campus was not affordable.”
According to Vermont Gas’s website, the College will receive natural gas service by the end of 2014. Over the summer, the College spent $1.7 million to convert its boilers to be able to burn natural gas in the central heating plant. The construction on South Main Street over the past few weeks connects the College with other large, industrial energy users in the area and awaits connection with the main high-pressure line coming south from the Burlington area.
The main pipeline construction north of Middlebury has so far not gone according to plan. Many landowners along the path of the pipeline have continued to refuse to sign Vermont Gas’s leases, which caused the company to threaten to take the land via eminent domain this past summer.
“The power imbalance between Vermont Gas and an individual Vermonter is completely unacceptable,” said Baker. “It is David versus Goliath every time a Vermont Gas lawyer knocks on a door and asks a Vermonter to sign a lease without legal counsel.”
Rising Tide Vermont, a direct action group focused on opposing fossil fuel expansion in the state, is planning a protest in Montpelier on Monday, Oct. 27 with 350 Vermont and the Vermont Workers Center. A small group of students associated with Sunday Night Group, the campus’s environmental organizing student group, are planning to join Vermonters for a mass-protest and sit-in at the state’s capital, calling for the state to reject the pipeline.
“I think the pipeline is the wrong decision for Vermont, and the College is taking the easy way out by using fossil fuel infrastructure to achieve our carbon neutrality goals,” said Baker. “Biomethane is a great energy choice, but not if it means supporting a company like Vermont Gas, which has repeatedly shown its preference for profit over people throughout the review process. I will be at the protest on Monday.”
Other students, however remain undecided. Campus Sustainability Coordinator (CSC) president Teddy Kuo ’15 expressed concern with the environmental impacts associated with fracking, but noted the significant benefits of the pipeline as well.
“It’s hard to determine the benefits of the pipeline,” said Kuo, “because of personal perspectives and what people think creates more benefit, such as a cleaner environment or a more affordable energy source.”
Ultimately, Baker and Kuo each individually expressed a preference for renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, while acknowledging the clear economic benefits of natural gas.
“There’s no denying that natural gas is cheap and will help local businesses in the short term,” said Baker. “But the problem is bigger than that. This pipeline is a 50 to 100 year investment in fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when we are already feeling the negative impacts of climate change. If we can’t bring ourselves to care about the Canadian communities that energy companies are fracking, we should at least consider the long term pricing for natural gas and make efforts to limit our carbon emissions with real investments in renewable fuel sources.”
(10/09/14 2:47am)
The Student Government Association held its latest weekly meetings on Sunday, Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 in the Crest Room of the McCullough Student Center.
The meeting on Sept. 28 opened with an introduction of the new Director of Publicity Committee, Robin Loewald ’16. Confirmed the week prior, Loewald’s tasks in her new post include raising awareness about SGA, promoting SGA sponsored programs such as Middcourses and publicizing SGA events.
Next, the Student Liaison to the SGA on Endowment Affairs, Ian Rhee ’15, gave a presentation and asked for suggestions on getting student input on the endowment. SGA President Taylor Custer ’15 and Speaker of the Senate Michael Brady ’17.5 reminded senators to listen to constituents, then act as middlemen to bring those suggestions to Rhee.
Next, three Student Council Committees were ratified. The SGA voted on ratifying the Environmental Affairs Committee, the Athletic Affairs Committee and the Constitutional Committee. A motion was made, and passed 13-4-0, to ratify all three committees together. The SGA ratified everyone on all three committees by a vote of 11-4-2.
Most significantly, a new bill was passed at the meeting that requires all senators to have at least one scheduled office hour a week. The Office Hours Bill was proposed by President Custer and aims to bridge the disconnect between the SGA and the student body at large. While there was support for the bill by many senators, it was met with significant resistance.
Community Council Co-Chair, Ben Bogin ’15 worried that few students will show up to the office hours and Ross Senator Zak Fisher ’16 contested that this would be mandating just another thing senators are required to do. Bogin proposed an amendment to the bill, “If no student shows up at designated office hours for two consecutive weeks, senators, president and SCOCC have the discretion of canceling those hours for the remainder of the academic semester.” The motion was not seconded.
Custer asserted that “even if nobody comes to these office hours for the entire year, the fact of having them is a good symbol for the student body that the SGA is actually concerned with their opinion and wants to hear what they have to say.”
A motion to vote was made and the bill narrowly passed as originally drafted with a 9-7-1 vote.
The meeting ended with a short discussion about We the Middkids protocol. In the past, it was standard that with 100 votes, a petition was brought up at SGA meetings for discussion and with 300 votes, the president issued a response.
Chief of Staff Danny Zhang ’15 suggested changing the method of voting so each student could give single petitions only one vote instead of the current option of giving petitions one, two or three votes. He also proposed giving biweekly updates to the Senate on We the Middkids petitions. There was a strong consensus that these suggestions were all valid and should be put into place in the coming year.
At the Oct. 5 meeting, no bills were passed but a variety of issues were discussed that will likely be revisited in the future. Some of these included a change in the bylaws of how the Student Liaison to the SGA on Endowment Affairs is selected, the implementation of LaundryView on campus, and the relationship between financial aid and external scholarships.
(10/08/14 10:29pm)
This past weekend the Middlebury volleyball team took a Massachusetts road trip to battle NESCAC foes Amherst and Williams on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and 4, falling 3-1 in both matches.
On Friday night, the Panthers went into Amherst’s LeFrak Gymnasium to take on the formidable Lord Jeffs, owners of a 9-2 record overall including a 2-1 mark within the conference.
In the first set, the Panthers got off to a slow start, falling behind 7-0 before Hannah Blackburn ’17 assisted Olivia Kolodka ’15 for a kill that began a 25-9 Middlebury run. Another kill from Olivia Kolodka capped off the run for the Panthers with a win in the first set.
Amherst rallied in the next three sets, however, winning 25-20, 25-16 and 25-22, each of which was toughly contested.
A late Panther rally fell short at the end of the second set, and although they were able to pull within four points of the Jeffs, Amherst’s Asha Walker sealed it with a kill.
In game three the Panthers started hot, mustering a 5-1 lead before the hosts went on a fierce 18-7 run to put the set out of reach. The Panthers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in what would be the final set, and led by as many as six points at 16-10 before the momentum changed after a Panther service error.
Amherst also benefited from a key substitution in the set, putting junior Samantha Newby and sophomore Kate Bres in the game.
On the night, Olivia Kolodka led Panther attack with 13 kills and also had nine assists and 16 digs. Fellow senior Piper Underbrink ’15 contributed 11 kills, while Becca Raffel ’18 logged 10. Blackburn led all players with 41 assists to go along with her 15 digs, and Lizzy Reed ’15 had a team-high 20 digs.
The Panthers then made the 60-mile trek to Williamstown to take on the defending NESCAC champion Ephs of Williams, who entered the matchup in Chandler Gym with an impressive 12-1 record and with an eight-game winning streak.
Williams took the first set 25-17, but the second set belonged to the Panthers, who needed an extra point to close it out 26-24.
The third and fourth sets would go to the Ephs. A service ace by Williams junior setter Ryan Farley began a 15-1 run to open the third set.
The Panthers managed only a few side-outs before Williams broke twenty points, getting the score 20-6 en route to taking the third set by a score of 25-10. The fourth set would feature much of the same, with the Ephs charging ahead 4-0 on the heels of Raea Rasmussen’s outside kill and a serving streak provided by Amanda Schott. The Ephs won the last set handily, 25-12.
Raffel led the attack with 13 kills and Olivia Kolodka added seven more. Blackburn had 34 assists and 15 digs in the match, while Emily Kolodka ’18 added 16 digs. Reed had a team-high 17 digs in the contest.
The Panthers – who are now 4-7 overall on the season and 1-3 in NESCAC play –play host to Bowdoin at 8pm on Friday, Oct. 10 followed by a matchup with Colby at 2pm on Saturday, Oct. 11 in Pepin Gym.
The Polar Bears and Mules should provide a slight break for the Pantherse.
Sitting at 12-4 on the season and 4-2 within the conference, Bowdoin is coming off a weekend in which they were upset by Trinity. The Polar Bears are in need of a win in order to solidify their place among the NESCAC’s competitive teams in 2014.
Colby, meanwhile, has struggled to a 9-7 record so far this season, including a 1-4 mark in the NESCAC. Both the Panthers and Mules look to be teams who will have to pull together a string of late wins if they are going to qualify for the eight-team NESCAC championship tournament.
(10/08/14 10:26pm)
Some of the greatest games in football history have come in inclement weather – earning titles like the Ice Bowl, the Sneakers Game and most recently, the “Tuck Rule” game.
The Panthers’ game on Oct. 4 against Amherst, however, did not rank in greatness alongside these other legendary games. The persistent, driving rain that fell over Youngman Field last Saturday interfered with both teams’ offenses, and the Panthers ended up falling 7-0 to the Lord Jeffs despite their confidence coming off of a great performance against Colby on Sept. 27.
With the loss to Amherst, Middlebury football now has a 1-2 record on the season. With two losses in a relatively short eight-game season, the team now faces long odds in their goal of repeating as NESCAC co-champions this season. While their position is not optimal going forward, the Panthers need to win each of their final five games in order to keep their title hopes alive.
After a quick three and out from the Middlebury offense to start the game, the Lord Jeffs went on to record their longest drive of the day, advancing 66 yards in 11 plays. This ended prematurely when Amherst’s kicker sailed a 23-yard field goal attempt wide left. Middlebury did not capitalize on the momentum, with an ugly sequence on offense that included a false start and a sack, resulting in yet another three and out.
Both offenses would trade possessions until Dan Pierce ’16 intercepted a promising play by Amherst and gave Middlebury the ball on it own 34 yard line. Despite a nice completion on third and long from Matt Milano ’16 to Drew Jacobs ’18 on a day when passing yardage came on a premium, Middlebury did not gain enough yards to keep the drive going and use Pierce’s turnover to full effect. So the Panthers were forced to punt as the first quarter of play came to an end.
In the second quarter, both teams struggled to do much of anything. Neither team advanced into its opponent’s side of the field on offense, and a flurry of three and outs along with fair catches brought the game into the half.
Amherst, having won the coin toss at the start of the game, elected to start with the ball in the second half. Following a decent kick return, Amherst opened up the half with a 59-yard scamper from running back Nick Kelly, which put them up 7-0 over Middlebury. On the ensuing series, Middlebury, aided by multiple personal fouls by Amherst, advanced the ball deep into Amherst territory. Within sight of the red-zone at Amherst’s 27, the rain again proved to be a massive hindrance to Middlebury’s pass-heavy offense, and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.
While opportunity presented itself again in the form of Pierce’s second interception of the day, the Panthers offense sputtered to another 3 and out. Following this trend, Michael Dola ’15 recorded 13 punts in this game alone. With the clock running out on this dreary Saturday, the Panthers left the field disheartened to say the least.
It really is hard to take positives out of a game like this- two for 17 on third down conversions, 129 yards of total offense, and less than two yards per carry running the ball. Objectively speaking, these statistics are far from optimal. However, the numbers in no way reflect the talent the Panthers have on the field. Held back by rain, Middlebury simply could not go about business in the manner of which it is accustomed, from the line to the wide receivers.
All things considered, on a day that featured better weather, the Panthers very well could have won this game.
If there is a silver lining to all the clouds (pun intended) the Panthers encountered on Saturday, it is the continued high-level play of the defense, especially in the secondary. With two picks from Pierce, and Matt Benedict ’15 winning NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week with his 20-tackle effort from the free safety position, the defensive unit has continued to be one of the league’s very best.
The Panthers should be able to rebound nicely this coming weekend when they travel to Williams on Oct. 11, so long as they steer clear of rain.
The Ephs, whose record also sits at 1-2 after three conference games, are another team who is looking to get back into the NESCAC fray in the second half of the season. After falling 19-12 to Bates on Saturday, Oct. 4, however, Williams’ prospects of reaching the top of the league appear bleak.
