With the second round of the University Athletic Association round-robin coming up, the women’s volleyball team will go in with some swagger.
The Yellowjackets completed a perfect weekend sweep by not losing a single game in the team’s two matches.
“The team was happy to get the wins on Saturday, especially to win both matches in three and also to beat Brockport again,” head coach Ladi Iya said. “It’s difficult to beat a team multiple times. The wins are huge for us because they will help with our confidence going into our second UAA weekend.”
The women faced SUNY Brockport early Saturday but showed no fear, easily taking the match 3-0.
The offense was led by the balanced attack of outside hitters freshman Sara Ribakove and sophomore Kelly Mulrey. They each contributed to a team high of 11 kills.
“Another huge change in our team’s playing demeanor was our ability to consistently take care of our side of the court,” junior middle blocker Katie Kao said. “We limited our errors and as a result let our opponents make the errors allowing us to go 6-0 for the day.”
Their supremacy continued to the second game of the day against Buffalo State University. Buffalo could only watch as they were dismantled by the Yellowjackets.
Freshman setter Jackie Fluegel was solid for the team contributing a two match assist total of 45.
“I thought our team played well in that we were able to stay composed and not let any games go,” Kao said. “We played very disciplined defense, which was a big improvement since past matches, and found a lot of success with that.”
The Yellowjackets faced tough UAA competition two weeks ago in the first round-robin event. They lost all three matches to their conference opponents including University of Chicago, Brandeis University and Washington University in St. Louis.
Coupling those losses with a loss in the Dig Pink Charity match against SUNY Fredonia, the women had been riding a four game losing streak before this weekend’s matches.
“I believe the manner in which we won the matches reminded the team that there are still things that need to improve, but recognizing that and making the changes will allow us to be successful this upcoming weekend,” Iya said.
Finishing off the UAA schedule the Yellowjackets will play Carnegie Mellon University, Emory College, New York University and Case Western Reserve University. They will play those four matches over a grueling two day stretch.
“This past weekend gave our team positive momentum going into the second round-robin of UAA this weekend at Brandeis,” Kao said. “We know that we can play cohesively when we communicate consistently and this is crucial for this weekend when we face some tough opponents. I am excited to showcase our growth as a team and the hard work we’ve all put in so far this season.”
Manrique is a member of the class of 2012.
