Back on track at Saint Joe's

Last night, our team finished off a three set victory over Saint Joseph's College of Maine! We played much better than we have in the past two weeks, as we push towards the end of the season. The mid-October stretch is always a difficult one and, combining that with matches against some top-notch teams, we struggled to mark tallies in the win column. Yesterday's win showed our endurance and our determination to finish the season on a positive note. I challenged our team to step up in this last week and I'm proud of the way they responded in practice on Monday and in last night's match.

Saturday marks our last match of the season and an opportunity to honor our two seniors, sisters Claudia and Andrea Amado! We hope to send them out in style with a strong showing against conference foe Western New England University at 1 pm.

Homecoming weekend a success!

This weekend was a celebration and a reunion, as Gordon celebrated Homecoming and Family Weekend. We had several volleyball events going on, that allowed our team to join in the spirit of the festivities.

On Friday night, we hosted our alumni game, which pitted recent alumni against the current team. I was very excited that several alumni came from so far away to play with us! We welcomed back Meredith Phipps, Leah Chamberlain (soon to be Brooks), Cherisa Fee (soon to be Ellis), Jessica Taber, and Megan Spurgin. Our two assistant coaches, Heidi Hakes and Jeren Lanoue, both Gordon grads, rounded out the alumni team. The current Gordon team edged the alumni team in our 3-set match.

Saturday was a success as well, as we claimed a win over Salem State 3-1 in the morning. Our match was followed by a reception for parents and alumni that allowed all of us some time to reconnect. Most of the girls on the team spent the afternoon supporting the men's soccer team in their conference victory over Salve Regina. The soccer team has been a vocal presence at our matches this year and we were glad to return the favor!

It was wonderful to have a weekend devoted to celebrating and reconnecting with the friends and family that are so supportive of Gordon volleyball. Thank you for being part of our community!

Gordon stays strong for win against Suffolk

Yesterday was an exciting match for us! After tough conference losses on the road to Roger Williams and University of New England, we bounced back to defeat Suffolk at home 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 26-24). I was particularly happy with the mental aspect of our game last night. Each of the sets was close and our team worked hard to stay focused and communicate well through every point. We also had some great support from our home crowd, particularly the men's soccer team.

This game was also designated as our Free2Play game. This year, our team has been partnering with Free2Play and Not For Sale, an organization that fights human trafficking in all its forms. Free2Play believes that all children should have the right to rest and leisure. Unfortunately, children who are victims of human trafficking are deprived of this right. Our team decided to partner with Free2Play this season by pledging a donation of $1 per team member for every set win and an additional dollar for every match win. We've already raised several hundred dollars, which will go towards recreational programs for children who have been rescued out of slavery. You can learn more about Free2Play and Not For Sale and find ways to get involved on their website.

Gordon grabs first conference win against Curry

Last week was a busy one, with four matches total (Eastern Connecticut, Curry, Roger Williams and Coast Guard). After our loss to Eastern Connecticut on Tuesday, we bounced back to beat Curry College in 3 sets, claiming our first TCCC victory of the season. Curry made a run at the second set but I was proud of the way our girls closed the match out.

The weekend provided a chance to test ourselves against some very strong competition. Roger Williams is the reigning TCCC champion and Coast Guard Academy is the reigning NEWMAC champion and went to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year. Needless to say, they are both top notch teams. We lost both matches but we played scrappy defense and continued to improve our serve receive. All in all, it was a good weekend for us.

Tonight we play at University of New England in another TCCC match-up. You can follow the live stats or live video on UNE's website. Go Scots!

Gordon falls to ECSU

Lauren Kranyak receives the serve.

On Tuesday night, our team played a hard fought match at home against a tough ECSU team. After losing the first two sets, we were able to come back and take the third but dropped the fourth set and consequently, the match (15-25, 19-25, 25-23, 14-25).

This match was a good measuring stick for us. Last year, we played ECSU on their home court and lost 3-1. It was one of our all-around better matches of the season. Even though the score was the same this year, the improvement that our team has made since last season was evident, even to the opposing head coach, as he commented after the match.

So while we have come a long way, we still know that we are capable of being a better team than we were on Tuesday night. Specifically this week in practice, we're working on out of system offense and decision making. Striving for our potential and seeing how much better we can become are exciting motivators! Tonight we take on Curry College at 7 pm in a home conference match. We'd love to see you there!

Gordon volleyball conquers Vermont

For the second year in a row, our team has traveled to Vermont for the Green Mountain Invitational. It has been a good opportunity for team bonding and allows us to see the beautiful mountains and fall colors. We won the invitational for the second year in a row, beating Saint Joseph's College of Brooklyn and Green Mountain College in 3 sets each. I was proud of our confident play and the way we encouraged each other this weekend.

Stopping at Hathaway Farm in Rutland, VT was one of the highlights of this trip. The farm boasts the biggest corn maze in Vermont, a barn full of animals, tetherball, and rubber duckie races. Our team enjoyed all aspects of the farm, as you can see below. :)

The entire team at the beginning of the corn maze

A laughter-filled tetherball game

 Cornfield and mountains - Vermont is beautiful!

Claudia and Martyna petting the pygmy goats

Joy found a friend!

Yes, we enjoyed ourselves. :)

Gordon beats Regis, begins conference play

Last week, we played a pair of challenging matches that tested our character and endurance. First we played Regis on Wednesday. We won the first two sets but then Regis, rallied by their raucous fan base, came back to win the next two. I was proud of the effort our team demonstrated in the fifth set, making some good decisions at key points to pull out the set and match win.

Kranyak attacks the ball while Chelsie Clemens covers.

 
On Saturday, our team started conference play with a match against Salve Regina. They are always a tough, aggressive opponent and we were looking forward to playing them. Our strong serving kept them out of system for a good portion of the match. Lauren Kranyak led the charge with 4 aces and Joy Kimmel and Andrea Amado followed with 2 each. In the end, we were unable to pull out the win. It was a good introduction to conference play for us, as we expect to see several other strong opponents in the next few weeks.

This week, we look forward to our match at Wentworth tomorrow and then a trip to Vermont this weekend!