Volume CXXXIII, Number 7 October 26, 2001 f

Women's volleyball survives disappointing season
ANN SMITH
STAFF WRITER

The women's volleyball team struggled to fulfill high expectations this year, closing out its regular season with a 6-21 record. "We're a stronger team skill-wise this year; we just don't have the record to show it," said junior Rebecca Geehr.

According to Geehr, a lack of players contributed to the team's struggle. "It's definitely been a rebuilding year, there's no question about it because of our lack of numbers," she said. "We had a hard time competing against teams that had twice as many players as we did."

The Bowdoin team, consisting of only eight players, competed against squads with rosters of twelve. "We get so close," sophomore Erin Philipson said. "We could definitely compete with those teams, but I think that having more players helps them in rotations."

"We wanted to go to the NESCAC championships, which we unfortunately didn't make," Geehr said. "We played the entire season without subs...which left us at a pretty sizeable disadvantage."

"We've learned a lot this year," Philipson added. "It's had its ups and downs, but...because we've worked through it, in my opinion, we've succeeded."

Geehr said that head coach Kellie Bearman was a strong presence within the team. "I think everybody enjoys Kellie; she has a very personalized coaching style and high hopes for the volleyball program. She definitely wants us to be more competitive in NESCAC," Geehr commented.

Team captains Lindsay Davis '02 and Mara Caruso '03 have helped to lead and inspire the team. "They're doing very well," Philipson said. "They definitely take the initiative to hold the team together and get everyone pumped up for games. They inspire us; you want to play better for them."

"I think they had a big challenge ahead of them this season," Geehr said. "There were a lot of expectations put on the team this year...I think they've done a remarkable job this season by both their example and their words."

Overall team spirit has been strong this fall, as a tough season has pulled all the players together. "Team spirit, at times, is great and very high. It's as if nobody can break that spirit; [the team is] so energized, excited, and full of life," first year Bennedicta Doe said.

"We have this stuff called "spike me" that encourages us to play hard; even if we were to win or lose the game, we know that we played our best and gave it our all."

The lone first year on the team, Doe has shown great promise this season. "She has a lot of raw talent and athletic ability," Geehr asserted. "It was definitely a challenge for us to hone her abilities, but she's made great strides so far."

Doe joined the team with three years of varsity high school experience as a middle-front, right-back, and setter. And although she has improved greatly in her premier season, she is eager to improve her game.

"Next year, I'm hoping to play more and be more aggressive on the court. I expect more from myself," she said. "I'm playing with some great girls that make me want to keep going. For that, I really thank them a lot."

The team will finish off its season this weekend at the State of Maine tournament. The women are eager to face archrival Colby and end their season with a big win. "There's always been a rivalry between Bowdoin and Colby, I think that carries over to every sport." Phillipson said. "We're going to go all out this weekend; we're not holding anything back.

"It's our last weekend, so we're going to give it everything and more. Our goal is to win the whole tournament."