Consistent team play along with energetic performances by three freshmen led the women’s volleyball team to two victories this past weekend at the Fairfield Volleyball Classic.
The Lady Stags raced to an 11-1 lead against Harvard in the opener and never looked back. Sloppy plays by the Crimson Tide led to vicious kills from Kristin Fernandez and Casey Machon. Both freshmen finished with 11 kills each while junior Laurie Brands led the way with 13 kills and 13 digs. Fairfield trounced Harvard in three games: 30-22, 30-25, and 30-27.
More impressive than the individual statistics, however, was Fairfield’s communication on the court. Junior Kelly Sorensen, who paced the Stags with an impressive 38 assists, set up beautiful opportunities for every player on the court by relying on other players calling out where to deliver the ball. The play was fluid and relaxed, letting every player get involved, contrasting Harvard’s obvious reliance on their best attacker, Kaego Ogbechie (14 kills).
First-year head coach Jeff Werneke loved the effort. “We’re finally playing together and we’re consistent in all aspects of the game,” Werneke said. “We try to give ourselves a chance to win, and tonight we did that.”
The Stags continued to play with that consistency against Stony Brook the next day. Lauren Laramore, another freshman standout, dazzled the crowd with 13 digs, diving at impossible angles to rob Stony Brook players. The rest of the team greatly appreciated the extra chances. Brands slammed a team-high 11 kills as the Stags defeated the Seawolves by scores of 30-21, 30-20, and 30-26.
The big test for the Lady Stags came from the University of Illinois – Chicago. Instead of hard slams into the Fairfield defenders patrolling the net, UIC players eased the ball over their fingertips and between defenders.
Whenever Fairfield started to build a rally, a serve would go in the net and momentum would shift right back to the Flames. The Stags were blown out in the opener, 30-17 but Fairfield came roaring back in the second game. Amid loud chants of “F.U.” the teams stayed deadlocked for most of the game. The Stags would not quit, tying the game at 30 after a Machon kill, but two unforced errors sealed the Stags’ fate as they lost the hard-fought battle by a score of 32-30. The third game was close as well, but fatigue began to set in for Fairfield.
UIC changed its strategy from finesse shots to hard knocks, slamming kills down between the tired Fairfield players. The Stags lost the final game, 30-21. Senior Erin Doherty recorded a fine effort in the losing cause with six kills.
Though they missed their chance to pull their record to .500, the Lady Stags felt great about their effort against a good team and their progress. “The team played way more consistent and with more discipline than we did last weekend,” Doherty said. “Hopefully we can build on it for next week.”
The team will be traveling to Valparaiso for games against the Crusaders, Jacksonville and Northeastern.
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