Sports > October 20, 2004

By Ryan Durham

Old Gold & Black Reporter

The volleyball team continued their losing streak Oct. 15-16 with losses to Virginia Tech and Winthrop by scores of 3-0 and 3-2, respectively.

Wake Forest started out its weekend at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. on Oct. 15. Despite some strong efforts, the Deacs could not pull out a win against the Hokies.

In game one of the match, the Deacs came out strong, going point for point against the Hokies until three attack errors started the Hokies on an 8-1 scoring run.

The Deacs could not muster more than three points in a row the rest of the match and were weighed down by 13 costly attack errors, losing the match 30-26.

Wake Forest once again came out tough in game two, taking Virginia Tech to the 12-11 mark before Tech’s Rachel Dulla served four straight points. This started the Hokies on a 7-2 run. The Deacs, led by junior Valerie Rydberg and senior Kim Stern, fell short on their rebound attempt and lost, 30-25.

The Deacs, despite the odds, hung tough in game three only to fall once more. After getting out to a 19-16 lead, they allowed the Hokies to score four quick points.

Rydberg and Stern attempted to pull the team out in the end, each getting a kill, but their efforts were not enough. The Hokies took the game and the match with a 30-27 score to sweep all three games.

The Deacs posted an attack percentage of .087, compared to the Hokies’ .287. It was their lowest attack percentage of the season.

Junior Erin Borhart led the team with 33 assists and Stern had 10 kills on the night.

“Tech is an incredibly strong blocking team and we just failed to adjust to their style of play,” Head Coach Valorie Baker said.

The Deacs faced Winthrop Oct. 16 in Reynolds Gym, hoping to end their losing streak. Baker inserted two freshmen, Emily Nedderman and Michael Faulkner, into the starting lineup for the game.

In the first game, the Deacs jumped out to an early lead, but Winthrop caught them and knotted the score at 18.

However, a service ace by Faulkner and kills by Nedderman and junior Christy Williams put the Deacs out of the Eagles’ reach as they won 30-24 and took a promising 1-0 lead in the match.

Game two did not go as well for the Deacs. The Eagles took an early 7-3 lead, making it hard for Wake Forest to rebound. Winthrop soon extended its lead to six, a deficit from which the Deacs could not recover, losing the game 30-26.

Wake Forest kept its hopes alive in the third game of the match. The teams tied the score eight times before Stern came to the line and served three consecutive aces.

Though Winthrop tied the game back at 17, Stern and Borhart helped to end that run with a kill apiece, leading the Deacs to a 30-26 win.

The Deacs came out fighting in game four with a chance to put the match away and end their losing streak, but Winthrop had other plans. The two teams tied the score an amazing eight times in the game, including at the 25-25 mark. The Deacs finally succumbed to the Winthrop attack, losing the game 30-28.

The loss in game four sent both teams into the fifth and final game. The Deacs jumped out early with a 3-1 lead but Winthrop managed to tie the game at 8. They went point-for-point until the Eagles came to the line and served the final four points. The Deacs lost 15-11, giving them their ninth consecutive loss by a score of 3-2.

Three Deacs, however, posted career-highs in the match. Nedderman notched a career-high 25 assists in the game and also managed three kills. Faulkner had a career-high 19 digs and posted two service aces and 11 kills on the day.

“Obviously it’s not fun to lose but we are confident that we can come back and are taking it one step at a time,” Faulkner said.

Junior Klarysa Henry also had a big day for the Deacs, playing strong in all five games of the match. She posted a career high 23 digs and also had three assists in the match.

“Saturday was a good time for the team to see some new faces in and this gave me a good chance and the other girls to help out the team,” Henry said.

The Deacs have been plagued by injuries so far this season, causing in large part their struggles on the court. Rydberg has had problems with her knees, Williams had a sprained ankle, sophomore Natasha Schafer is still recovering from an ankle injury and senior Morgan Havig has been injured.

This has caused Wake Forest to rely partly on younger players, who have stepped up admirably, but even here they have had injuries with freshman Jessica Furlong out all season with a shoulder injury.

“Injuries are frustrating because I feel I could be doing more for the team because I can’t really help like some of the other girls that aren’t as hurt,” Furlong said.

The Deacs are slowly improving, though, and hope to have a good second half of conference play.

Wake Forest will return to action Oct. 22 at Maryland and Oct. 23 at Virginia.