The powerful sounds of passionate Conn fans and booming thunder sticks created a vibe of jubilation in the Luce Field House on Friday night. This abrupt change in mood came moments after the Conn College volleyball team downed Williams in five thrilling games. With the Trinity and Hamilton squads in attendance, the Camels sent a clear message to them and the rest of the league: we’re back, and we’re better than ever.
The first match of NESCAC play for Conn will be tough to top s the closest, most exciting game of the regular season. This match was a back-and-forth affair filled with incredible assists, kills and digs by players on both sides. After being down 0-1, the Conn players battled back and went up 2-1. A close 28-26 win for Williams in the fourth game tied the match at 2-2. But the Camels would not be denied success on this night.
Led by dominating kills from Amy Newman ’12 and reliable assists from captain Marissa DeMais ’11, the Camels fought back from several stretches of tough play by the Williams girls. Conn forced the Ephs into making several choices that ended up costing them precious points down the stretch, and the result was a stirring 16-14 victory for the Camels in the final game.
The team’s mentality going into this match was characterized by diligence and purpose. Captain Chelsea Manning ’11 described Coach Joshua Edmed’s strategy for his players as “the process.” According to Manning, “we’re concerned with getting all the little things right. This approach shifts our attention from the score and focuses it on the goals we want to accomplish against each team.” Clearly, the strong, coordinated team play demonstrated by the Camels on Friday is a result of weeks of training and preparation with this “process” in mind.
The team also benefitted from a strong fan presence in the field house. This was largely due to the efforts and enthusiasm of SGA President Nathan Cornell ’11. Encouraged by his campaign to restore a greater sense of pride in Conn College athletics, hundreds of students crowded the stands, donned t-shirts that read “Proud to be a Camel!” and annoyed the Williams players by clapping inflatable, blue thunder sticks for the duration of the match.
This massive showing of school spirit bolstered the drive and intensity of the Conn players on the floor. Manning summed it up nicely: “We definitely feed off of the energy provided by the fans. You always have fourteen teammates to rely on during a game, but the added support of several hundred people is simply amazing.”
On Saturday morning, Conn took to the court again and dealt a convincing 3-0 blow to Hamilton. According to one fan, “we went down to watch the game at noon, thinking it would still be going on; we arrived just in time to see the final point of the match being scored.”
With two exciting NESCAC victories behind them, the Camels now take their pristine 7-0 record to this weekend’s MIT Invitational in Cambridge, MA. Their next home game is on Tuesday, September 28 against St. Joseph’s College.
Photo By: Miguel Salcedo
