Hannah Dawber/The Veritas News
The Lions celebrate a point against Wentworth on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
The women’s volleyball team is in sixth place in the Commonwealth Coast Conference following a 3-0 victory over Wentworth on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
After winning three of their last four games, volleyball is 10-13 and three wins away from matching the team’s 2012 win total.
Women’s volleyball’s lone loss since Oct. 3 was a five-set loss to fifth-place Western New England on Oct. 9.
The Lions stole the first two sets, winning by two points each time, before Western New England responded by taking the next three sets, including a 14-12 win in the decisive fifth set.
After the loss, first-year Head Coach Jim Rendle was asked about his mindset going into a match against a formidable Western New England squad.
“We are at a stage where I’m more concerned about us, how we play, and what we do, so whatever the opponent is, knowing that they’re tough, we changed our strategy a little bit, as far as being [more] aggressive,” Rendle said.
Senior Cayla Clinkscale (Winchendon, Mass.) led the Lions with 16 kills, 12 digs, three blocks, and three service aces.
“We had nothing to lose. We weren’t afraid to make mistakes,” Clinkscale said. “I went in thinking that it was going to be a game where we were going to learn a lot, and we did just that.”
Along with Clinkscale, two other players recorded double-doubles in the loss. Junior Kortney Jenkins (Bunker Hill, W.Va.) and sophomore Hannah Welsh (Derry, N.H.) both had 15 kills and 13 digs.
“We just wanted to play our best, and we knew that if we went in giving it our all and not being afraid to make mistakes, we were going to be able to compete with them,” Welsh said.
The Lions came back six days later to beat Wentworth.
In the three sets, the Lions won 27-25, 25-21, and 25-19. Clinkscale had 15 kills and four service aces, earning 19 points on the match.
Women’s volleyball dealt Wentworth their fourth loss this season, dropping them to seventh place in the conference.
The Lions will host a homecoming tri-match on Oct. 19. They play Mount Ida at 11:00 a.m. and Southern Maine at 3:00 p.m. in the Lahue Physical Education Center.