Volume CXXXII, Number 5 October 18, 2002 f

Vball tops S. Maine
JENN LARAIA
STAFF WRITER

After a tough weekend at Trinity, the Polar Bears rallied to defeat the University of Southern Maine in Bowdoin's last home match of the season on Wednesday, October 16. With the victory, the Bowdoin team improved its record to 8-12 on the season, surpassing last year's seven wins.

Becca Geehr '03 serves to Southern Maine. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient)

Last Friday, the Polar Bears kicked off the Trinity tournament with a 3-1 loss to Connecticut College, posting close scores of 33-31, 14-30, 30-19, and 30-28. On Saturday, Bowdoin battled Trinity, and came away with a 3-0 loss with game scores of 30-17, 30-26, and 30-16.

In their concluding match against Wesleyan, the Polar Bears continued their unlucky streak, dropping all three games, 30-12, 30-22, and 30-12. For the entire tournament, the Bowdoin team sorely missed one of its big offensive powers, Jessica Schlobohm '06, who was out with an injury.

Schlobohm returned in style on Wednesday, making high-powered plays for the Polar Bears in their victory over USM. Bowdoin took down their Southern Maine rivals in three straight games, showing tremendous improvement and teamwork.

Jess Reuben '03 made some amazing blocks and kills that kept the Huskies guessing, and Mara Caruso '03 boasted a wicked serve that helped Bowdoin to dominate the first game. Becca Geehr '03 added offensive power in serves as well as kills and was instrumental in driving the team' intensity.

Before Wednesday's match, senior tri-captain Geehr said, "It's been a hard couple of weeks, but the weekend break gave us some much needed rest and we're back and ready to play."

The Polar Bears hope to capitalize on the momentum they gained in their victory over USM. As they enter the end of the season, the team is gearing up for tournament play.