There’s no place quite like home. Just ask the women’s volleyball team. Heading into another weekend of Ivy League action, the Red is 9-5 overall (1-1 Ivy), with four of those five defeats coming on the road. This Jekyll and Hyde show was on full display over fall break, as the women avenged a straight-set defeat at Columbia with a 3-0 sweep in the return match at home.
Road warriors they are not, but it appears the women will never lack confidence or self-belief.
“I don’t think it’s gonna be a factor [playing away]”, said senior Jennifer Borncamp. “We’re gonna show up this weekend.”
Borncamp’s words come on the eve of yet another grueling away trip. Tonight, the women travel to Princeton, in a rematch of last season’s Ivy League championship game. The heart-breaking 3-2 defeat in the final match of the conference tournament has not been forgotten by the Red.
“We need to show them who’s boss,” quipped Borncamp. “We should have definitely won last year.”
The road show moves on to Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, as the women face the Quakers who easily dispatched them in last year’s regular season encounter.
It is still early on as far as Ivy League competition is concerned, but victories against two of the stronger teams in the league would be a huge boost for a team trying to challenge for the Ivy League title. The resounding thumping of Columbia last Sunday is ample evidence that the women can more than stand their ground in the league. Borncamp, for one, remains optimistic about this weekend.
“Both teams are really good, but we have as good a chance as they do,” she said.
The Red’s attack will once again be led by Borncamp (3.29 kills per game), and sophomore Debbie Quibell (3.71). Defensively, Jamie Lugo looks to continue her breakout year. The 5-11 sophomore leads the team in blocking with 1.20 blocks per game.
Archived article by Soo Kim