Volleyball team opens with victories

Team has jsut one win less than it did 1995

Oberlin's volleyball team has already done something this year it never did last year: it won three matches in a row.

Those matches were the first three, all in pool play at the Oberlin Invitational, a 16-team event held in Philips Gym Sept. 6-7. Last weekend, Oberlin beat Clark State, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pittsburgh-Bradford before bowing out to University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown three games to one in single elimination.

In the history of the invitational, Oberlin had never advanced beyond the three-match pool play. This year, though, under new coach Suzanne Garland, they swept the pool games en route to a fourth place seed in single elimination.

The Yeowomen's numbers have dwindled to seven players, just one more than they need to play games.

But numbers at this point aren't the problems. The problem facing Garland is helping her team realize it can be competitve. "They're good. I've just got to tell them they are," he said.

How good are they? In Garland's five years coaching at Emory University, her teams faced many of the nation's best, including Washington University, a dynasty. "I have seen in my coaching experience the top 20 teams. Oberlin could play with Wash U. We could play with any of them."

But players returning from last season's 4-26 finish aren't used to winning.

Five returning players make up the bulk of the starting line-up. And Garland said the team will have more balanced statistics than it did last season.

She cited senior Naeli Joen as one of the team's best all-around players, even though she did not know how to play when she arrived on campus.

Spike: Katie Ruth aims for a spike in the Oberlin Invitational. (photo by Christina Rudden)