Yale volleyball seeks to recapture Ivy League title

After last year’s impressive finish, the Yale women’s volleyball team, which finished 2008 ranked No. 30 in the country, is now ready to defend its Ivy League title. The athletes all have the potential and drive to achieve this goal, and while the Bulldogs will undoubtedly face challenging opponents, the team, if it plays up to its potential, should not only win the Ivy League but go far in the NCAA Tournament as well.

The Elis started off strong at the Yale Invitational, winning decisively against Georgetown, Fairfield, and Colorado. The Bulldogs swept the competition, winning each match in three sets. All three sets against Georgetown were close, with the Bulldogs often trailing, but the Elis were able to win key points to pull each set out. In the first set against Fairfield, the team began with a 10-point lead, but Fairfield remained tenacious and gained seven points in a row. Despite this setback, Yale regained composure, took charge, and won the set. In the next two sets the team increased its hitting percentage to clinch the match. Yale’s final opponent, the Colorado Buffaloes, kept pace with the Elis throughout most of the first set. However, in sets two and three, Yale had almost errorless hitting, while Colorado made mistake after mistake, giving Yale another resounding “W.” The Elis left the tournament brimming with confidence.

That confidence was tested last weekend, when Yale lost its first set of the year at the American Volleyball Classic. The Bulldogs dropped the first set in their match against American University, but rebounded strongly to win the next three. “We could have beaten them in three, but they caught us on our heels,” said outside hitter Alexis Crusey, BK’10, who was unanimously named to the 2008 All-Ivy first team.

The next day, however, the Bulldogs lost their first match of the year when they were overpowered by the Virginia Tech Hokies. Despite holding a late lead in the first set, the Elis were unable to take a single set from the eventual tournament champions, falling 3-0.

Virginia Tech featured a fast offense that Yale had not yet faced. “We aren’t used to seeing that sort of pace. We need to learn to find a way in these situations. That was the main issue,” said Captain Julia Mailander, DC’10. “They found our holes and exploited them, and we didn’t really rise to the challenge. That was the biggest lesson we learned.” This early in the season the team did not yet have the confidence and preparation necessary to beat such a seasoned, tough opponent. Even with this slight speed-bump sullying an otherwise tremendous start to the season, the players refused to dwell on the loss. Instead, they came back focused, ready to improve, and eager to face more stiff competition.

This weekend, the Bulldogs are headed to New Jersey for the Seton Hall Invitational, where they will play Hofstra, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and host Seton Hall. The Bulldogs have not played these teams often, and attempting to familiarize themselves with unfamiliar opposition should be good preparation for potential NCAA Tournament games down the road. While acknowleding the challenge of the unknown, the players still have a lot of confidence in themselves. “If we always play our best consistently, then we can beat almost everyone,” said middle blocker Haley Wessels, JE’13, who was placed on the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll for the week of September 8. With such a positive attitude, Yale should be favored in all three of the games.

The ability to focus and perform skillfully as a team is strengthened by the high return rate of important team leaders. All but one of the starters from last year remains on the team. Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Cat Dailey, JE’10, took little to return to form, as she captured the Ivy League Player of the Week honor for the week of Setpember 8. Newcomer Kerry Clavadetscher, CC’13, who led the team in assists in the match against Virginia Tech, has also been a pleasant addition to the Bulldogs. The Elis will also rely on Crusey, who was named First Team All-Ivy last season, Kelly Ozurovich, ES ’11, who received an All-Ivy Honorable Mention last season, and captain Mailander. When considering Yale volleyball, the raw talent exhibited by so many players is an undeniable boon. The depth of talent is an indispensable component of the team’s success.

But the team knows raw talent is not enough to accomplish all their goals; the team must maintain a constant focus in order to achieve ultimate success. No opponent is too small, too insignificant, to garner the team’s full preparation. “We don’t talk about the Ivy title,” said Head Coach Erin Appleman. “Instead, we try to improve everyday, improving everyone individually, and bringing that to matches.” The next game on the schedule is always the most important one, and Coach Appleman tries to instill in her players the idea that working their hardest in every game should take top priority, even over winning. This focus on hard work instead of the Ivy championship lessens pressure on the players.

Success is in sight, but the Bulldogs haven’t won anything yet. The group has not yet fully coalesced as a team; the athletes are still adjusting to new freshman additions and adapting to each other’s play styles and tendencies. “Even having one new person on the court changes the team,” said Wessels. “We still have so much to improve on.” Other players agree, “Our biggest focus right now is to come together as a team and to make sure we know our potential.” said Crusey. “I think we all have that hunger, that drive to keep working hard.” If the Bulldogs do learn to work well together, they will have a good chance of defending their Ivy League title.

Three opponents in the Ivy League will serve as the Bulldogs’ greatest rivals: Princeton, Penn, and of course, Harvard. Yale first faces Princeton and Penn on October 9 and 10, while its initial match against Harvard looms large in late October.

Princeton has a historically strong program. The Tigers, ranked No. 72 among all Division I schools, finished the 2008 season with 17 wins and four losses. With that said, last year Penn was the only school in the Ivy League to defeat Yale. Returning Bulldogs, such as Crusey, feel that Penn poses the toughest challenge for this season. Moreover, aside from the traditional Yale-Harvard rivalry that makes any game against the Crimson a battle, “Harvard is also very good this year,” said Coach Appleman.

Of course, Yale cannot assume that the rest of the Ivy League will simply toll over. For instance, Columbia has put together a great program this year, with a really strong freshman class. Brown, Yale’s first opponent of the conference season, generally has a skillful team. “Brown always gives a really good fight; you can never ever count them out. It’s a great match to start with. We will give each other a hard battle,” said Mailander.

Aside from the Ivy League, Yale volleyball has the potential to perform well in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Yale became the first Ivy League school to win an NCAA Championship first round match. The Bulldogs won in a five-set match against Ohio University, ranked No. 23 in 2008, but went on to lose 3-0 to Penn State in the second round. This season, the team possesses the skill to make it just as far, if not farther. Getting to the second round in the NCAA Tournament is the team’s ultimate goal for the year.

The Yale team understands the possibilities for this year and is eager to make them into a reality. “It would be a shame to waste our talent,” said Crusey. “We must seize the moment.” There is no lack of determination, no lack of enthusiasm among the players. What remains to be seen is whether or not this eagerness will be channeled effectively into a coherent and convincing team effort; if it is, then the Elis may be able to top last year’s lofty height.

By Hanjing Cao

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