Volleyball ends the weekend with a 3-3 record after traveling to Middletown, Connecticut to face three tough opponents in the Wesleyan Invitational.
The Pirates opened up the Invitational by taking on the number 21 ranked Wesleyan (Conn.) Cardinals. In the September 6th AVCA Coaches polls, the Pirates were ranked number 22, one spot behind the Cardinals.
The Pirates came out strong in the first set with Emma White having five kills, the most of either team, leading the Pirates to a first set 25-18 win. However, the second set would go to the Cardinals, beating the Pirates by 12 points, 25-13.
Southwestern would put up a fight for the next two sets, but the Cardinals edged out Southwestern each time, winning the third and fourth sets 25-23 and 25-20, respectively.
"This was an elite match between two nationally ranked teams in a great volleyball environment, there were key moments and key plays that we will learn how to handle better in our coming matches," says Head Coach Don Flora.
Emma White finished with 15 kills, good for second best in the match while Christina Kuras had 14 kills in the game. Claire Romo and Annika Flora led the Pirates with 12 digs each; Romo also led the Pirates in assists with 22.
Another tough opponent awaited the Pirates at 1:30 on Saturday, the Aurora Spartans also received top 25 votes in the September 6th poll.
Southwestern went to battle with the Spartans in a five-set match. The Spartans opened up with two set wins, 22-25 and 17-25. But a relentless effort for the Pirates led them to two set wins of their own, winning them 25-20, 25-20, respectively. In the fifth set, it was the Spartans who came away with the victory, 7-15.
Four Pirates walked away from the match with double-digit kills, both middle blockers Riley Brantley and Andie Valenzuela led the Pirates in kills, Brantley with 13 and Valenzuela with 14. Christina Kuras continued to steady the Pirates on the offensive and defensive end with 14 digs and 10 kills.
For the final match of their three-game stretch in Connecticut, the Pirates earned a win against the Roger Williams Hawks, 3-0. The Pirates were ahead 5-4 in the first set when they scored nine out of the next ten points to make it 14-5, finishing the Hawks 25-18. The Pirates went on similar runs in the second and third sets to get the win against the Hawks.
Southwestern's match against the Hawks was highlighted by Joelle Zoolkoski who had a match-high seven kills and a .600 kill percentage, while first-year outside hitter Kacy Miller recorded eight digs and six kills
Coach Flora had this to say about the degree of difficulty the Pirates faced this weekend.
"The level of competition and parity among the top teams in the country is very high this season and we are right there with them. The team represented the University well and showed resilience in some tough matches. Learning comes first in this program and we had a lot of opportunities to learn and develop, we're eager to get back in the gym and go to work".
Despite the two hard-fought losses, Coach Flora believes they are still working to find the best combination of players on the floor.
"We are still designing and working towards our best lineup, which takes studying all of the variables in real matches".
The Pirates stay in Texas next weekend, driving down to San Antonio to compete in the Trinity Invitational on Friday, September 16th, and Saturday, September 17th.
