Garnet Swirl Through Maine
WATERVILLE/BRUNSWICK, Maine -- The Garnet volleyball team traveled north this past weekend, picking up its first win of the season at the Colby Invitational.
Swarthmore senior outside hitter Jen Wang (Palo Alto, Calif. / Henry Gunn) posted consecutive matches with 20-plus kills and junior setter Kearney Bangs (Kingston, Wash. / North Kitsap) [pictured left] was named All-Tournament as the Garnet split at the Colby Invitational Saturday afternoon.
In the first match, the Garnet (1-3) faced off against Bates (1-1), defeating the Bobcats in a five-set thriller by set scores of 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 29-27 and 15-12. Swarthmore faced host Colby (3-1) later in the afternoon, falling 3-1 by set scores of 25-19, 25-22, 26-28 and 25-16.
Garnet head coach Harleigh Chwastyk returned to her New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) roots on this three-day excursion in Maine. Chwastyk (the known as Harleigh Leach) captained the Trinity (Ct.) volleyball team, graduating in 2000 and saw this as an opportunity for Swarthmore to play like-minded athletic programs.
The team flew out of Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, landing in Manchester, New Hampshire before making the three-hour drive into Maine. The team stopped in Freeport, Maine (home of L.L. Bean) for shopping and a seafood dinner. The caravan continued north for Colby College, site of the seventh annual Colby Invitational, an eight-team round-robin including Gordon, Husson, Maine-Farmington, Main Maritime Academy and Plymouth State.
After splitting the first two sets in the morning match with Bates, Swarthmore freshman Genny Pezzola (Oakland, Calif. / St. Mary’s College HS) ran off three aces to stake the Garnet to a 11-1 lead in the third set. The Bobcats fought their way back into the game, benefiting by five consecutive Swarthmore hitting errors. With the score knotted at 22-all, Bates collected the final three points to gain a one-game advantage.
The fourth game saw Pezzola and Swarthmore build an early lead. The athletic freshman rattled of three more aces (she posted a match-high eight service aces) to put the Garnet out front, 6-0. Resilient Bates fought back to take an 11-9 lead, but Swarthmore remained undeterred. Freshman Lisa Shang (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East) served an ace to put the Garnet ahead, 16-14, and Pezzola posted a solo block to increase the lead to 18-15. Swarthmore pushed in front by five points, 21-16, when Bangs and freshman outside hitter Hillary Santana (South Lake Tahoe, Calif. / South Lake Tahoe) combined on a block on the outside.
One play in particular epitomized the Swarthmore effort. With the score 21-18, Bates received the Garnet serve and looked to kill a ball in the short right corner. Pezzola lunged with one arm out, popping the ball up and over her shoulder. Senior libero Erin Heaney (Buffalo, N.Y. / City Honors) turned and sped towards the ball headed out of bounds. Heaney passed it straight up and the only person close to the ball, a sprawled Pezzola, quickly got back up and, again with one arm, played the ball back across the net. Bates immediately transitioned, bring the attack back at Pezzola. The freshman dug the rocket up, Bangs set a floater out to Wang, who killed the ball off the block for a 22-18 lead.
The fourth set seemed endless, with the teams changing leads five times and five ties. Facing match point, Swarthmore got a kill from Pezzola to prolong the set, 24-all. Bates fought off a set point as well, taking a 26-25 lead before Pezzola and Wang posted consecutive kills. After Bates tied the set at 27-27, Bangs forced a fifth set by dumping the second ball into an open spot on the court.
Swarthmore jumped on the Bobcats in the final set, assuming an 8-3 lead when Bangs caught Bates off-guard again by playing the second ball for a kill. The Bobcats would not go quietly, coming within one point on two occasions (9-8 and 13-12) before a kill by Wang from the backrow brought about a Swarthmore match point. Shang ended the match the way she began it, with a service ace to give the Garnet their first win of the sesason.
Wang led the team with 22 kills while adding 17 digs and Pezzola contributed 16 kills and a match-high 20 digs. Bangs handed out 39 assists while posting 16 digs.
Colby controlled the afternoon match with the Garnet, winning the first two sets before Swarthmore picked up a hard-fought win in the third. Facing match point, Wang rattled off three kills and served the set-winning ace as the Garnet prevailed 28-26. The Mules jumped out to a 16-12 lead in the fourth set and cruised to their third win.
Wang again led the offense with 21 kills while Bangs registered 32 assists. Pezzola (23 digs) and Heaney (22 digs) paced the defensive effort.
The Colby volleyball team graciously hosted Swarthmore for dinner on Saturday night, mixing lively chatter with salad, ravioli and cheesecake. The Garnet scooted between a light rain on the way back to the hotel, staring up at ominous skies. The team safely bunkered down in the hotel for team bonding mixed in with sporadic studying, avoiding the deluge outside. The remnants of Hurricane Hanaa circled over central Main, dumping torrents of rain throughout the night.
The Swarthmore women awoke to overcast skies and trekked south to Bowdoin College where the sun was shining and a dazzling air show was taking place at the local base. With fighter jets roaring overhead, the Garnet women captured the positive vibe of the day and squashed the Polar Bears volleyball team in the first set of the afternoon match in Wadsworth Field House. Wang and Pezzola combined for seven kills as Swarthmore picked up a 25-19 win.
Bowdoin (2-1) righted their attack in the second set, using distinct size advantage to win set number two, 25-16., despite six more kills from Pezzola. The first-year outside hitter would finish the match with a team-high 14 kills, to go along with 13 digs (her third double-double in six matches).
The Bears secured the victory with similar scores in the final two sets, 25-16 and 25-17, behind 21 kills (a match-high) from Kristin Hanczor.
Heaney paced the Garnet defense with 14 digs while Wang added 11 of her own. Bangs registered 25 assists and 10 digs for her fourth double-double in 2008.
Swarthmore (1-5) will make a mid-week trip to Bethlehem, Pa. this Wednesday, Sept. 10, facing the Moravian Greyhounds at 7:00 p.m. The Garnet return home this weekend, hosting the annual sixth Garnet Classic on Sept. 13-14. Swarthmore takes the court first at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 against Clark.