The Lyndon women’s volleyball team fell to Castleton University 0-3 during their home game on Wednesday, September 29 in the Stannard Gymnasium. The scores for the three matches were 15-25, 14-25, 12-25. So far this season, the Hornets are winless, but that does not mean they haven’t played competitively throughout their games.
In the first game of the contest, Lyndon was able to score the first point. Castleton soon followed with the next, and a tight back and forth of scores ensued. The crowd’s energy was roaring at the strong opening to the game. Unfortunately for the Hornets, the Spartans were able to break away with a six-point gap. The Hornets fought tooth and nail to close the gap, but it grew over the match to a ten-point difference. The women were still fighting aggressively, so much so, a ball flew with such velocity, it hit the referee in his stand. Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t enough and the first game went to Castleton 15-25.
The second game opened with a missed serve by Lyndon. This arguably set the tone for the rest of the game. Castleton led by five points before freshman Kiana Jones (#10) blocked one of their attacks and got Lyndon on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, every time Lyndon got the ball, it usually followed with a serve that hit the net or went out. There were 11 serve errors throughout all three games that night, nearly half of them occurring in the second game. Despite the errors, Lyndon narrowed the point gap in the latter half of the match to only three points between the teams, but Castleton stood strong and pulled ahead 14-25.
In the third match, Lyndon was once again able to score the first point. Castleton had nearly twice as many players as Lyndon, an advantage that showed itself in the third game. As Spartans tired, they would swap in and out throughout the game. The Hornets, on the other hand, had to play for a large majority of the three games. Castleton’s energy reserves gained them an early seven-point lead. Lyndon did not give up and led a campaign of points to close the gap. Freshman Charlotte Morris (#14) controlled the serve for longer than any point in any of the three games. Both teams scrambled after the ball, diving and running out of bounds to ensure it got over the net. The audience once again thundered and roared at the players, stomping their feet at each point victory. A Lyndon player spiking the ball out of bounds closed the campaign, and Castleton scored the last few points they needed to win the match 12-25.
The team overall played much better Wednesday night compared to their first match of the season. Coach Alex Postpischil told The Critic, “It’s the volleyball we’ve played all year. Their ball control is much better than August and September; each day more there is progress.” Lyndon scored 41 points, 16 of which being nonreturnable kills. Coach Postpischil says he had to recruit a lot of freshmen with few upperclassmen remaining on the team, and it’s those freshmen that led Wednesday’s game. Freshmen Calysta Lohman (#9) and Jones led the attack, each responsible for five kills. Jones also played strong defense as well with seven digs. Morris strongly supported the team throughout the match with 11 attack assists and prevented 5 enemy attacks with digs. Morris also had four ace serves that led directly to points.
While new players have the chance to play with such a small team, there is still a lot of rebuilding left to do for the team. It’s Coach Postpischil’s dream to bring the team to the NCAA conference and he thinks, in time, this team can do it.
The Hornets still have nine more chances to secure a win this season. Students may be on their fall break, but the women’s volleyball team will not be breaking any time soon with four matches scheduled. They will have an away game against NVU-Johnson on Wednesday, October 6. This upcoming weekend, the Hornets will host Bay Path University and Fisher College on Saturday, October 9, and University of Maine – Presque Isle in two bouts Sunday, October 10.
Feature Photo by Isabella Mertens || The Hornets congratulate each other after a point is scored in their favor.