Oberlin bows out early

OC beats Bryn Mawr to close regular season

It started with a bang, muddled through a whimper and ended with an honorable rumble.

The women's volleyball team rolled into the 1999 season with four early wins, surpassing 1998's total within two weeks of play. Then came a three-week slump capped with three conference losses that forced the team to question where they were going and how they could turn the season around.

However it was accomplished, they did it, winning five more games and earning a spot in the conference post-season tournament. But to continue to resurrect their season, the Yeowomen would have to knock off the top seed in the tournament - undefeated and nationally ranked Wittenberg University.

It was not to be, however, as the Tigers defense gave the Yeowomen little chance to get things started en route to a 15-4, 15-2, 15-5 sweep on Tuesday.

"We definitely didn't come out that weak; we came out pretty solid," said sophomore Mai Lynn Grajewski. "At the beginning of the games, you could tell they [Wittenberg] had to fight against us, but by the middle, maybe they gelled better than we did."

"The frustrating thing was that no one could put their finger on it," said first-year Katie Gass. "Everyone was playing their hardest, everyone wanted to win, but it was just kind of an off day. Passes weren't going where we wanted, hits weren't going where we wanted ... it was just kinda out of whack."

The end of the season wasn't totally negative. Three days earlier the women had closed out the regular season by beating out-of-conference Bryn Mawr at home in convincing fashion. Oberlin would send the Mawrtyrs home with a 15-12, 15-4, 15-12 loss. "I thought we played really well," said Gass. "I'm bummed that it didn't count for our conference."

"It was a bummer that we had to end on Wittenberg but Bryn Mawr felt good," she added.

The team's performance over the course of the season was uneven, and some team members felt that Oberlin was playing below their ability at various points. But the fact that the team tripled last years wins total - without the aid of all-conference standout Katie Ruth, OC '99, - speaks clearly to the promise this team holds.

"I think overall it was a pretty good season. We got better, which was expected," said Grajewski. But the timing of the team's improvements bothered her somewhat. "It seemed that when we finally started to gel, it was the last week of the season."

Team spirit was stressed throughout the entire season. Getting a quote concerning individual standouts was like pulling teeth - every win was attributed to the team communicating and clicking. "I love the girls to death," said Gass. "They are my biggest support system here at Oberlin. Without them I would have been really lost."

Individuals did give standout performances. Sophomore Anna Ruth finished the season fourth in the conference in kills per game. First year Mariana Padias was among the top five in the league in setting for most of the season.

Next season will hopefully continue the growth evident in this year's squad. The team will graduate no players and will only have two seniors next year. "I think it's cool that we have no seniors on the team because we'll be really tight next year because we'll all have played together," said Gass.

Even with two seniors next year, the core will still be intact. Anna Ruth and sophomore Alana Kenmore will have another year of experience and first-year sensation Mariana Padias will also mature given the extra time.