Shane EvansThe women’s volleyball team is well underway on their new season and hoping for as much success as they have seen in previous years.
During the weeklong preseason, the team spent nine hours a day together, which meant time for major bonding.
“It was a hard transition because it’s my first year at college, but by the end of the week I’d found my place on the team,” Kate Conahan, a freshman pre-physical therapy major, said.
All of the players agreed they have already become a very close-knit team.
Head coach Tricia Arnold is entering her fifth year as coach of the team. During her five years here, she has brought the team’s Pennsylvania Athletic Conference ranking from eighth to third.
Assistant coaches Lou Becht and Alex Reid have also been with the team since 2002.
With a record so far of seven wins and seven losses in the 2006 season, the Lady Cavaliers are confident they have what it takes to make it to the top of the PAC.
“We just have to focus on each individual game and stay relaxed and confident,” Danielle Finnegan, a sophomore elementary and special education major, said.
The season opener against Washington College showed just how promising the new freshmen are. Alyson Kuchinski and Lizzie Williams led the team with their aces against Washington; Kuchinksi with five and Williams with six. Traci Beltz, Alecia Weaver and Katie Frinfrock set the bar with their combined 27 kills.
Cabrini defeated Washington 3-2.
The freshmen are bringing an undeniable amount of new skill to the Lady Cavs, but the returning players are bringing their own accomplishments to the table this year as well. Sophomore Lindsay Martin was an all-conference pick last year and senior Amanda Murphy made the conference all-sportsmanship team.
The toughest competition this year, according to the team is Eastern, Neumann and Gwynedd-Mercy, all fellow top contenders in the PAC.
Eastern University has been the PAC Champions since 1997.
The Sept. 5 match against Eastern ended in defeat for the Lady Cavs, losing 1-3. However, Cabrini took one game from them, something that has not been done in almost 10 years.
Cabrini played Neumann College, ranked fourth in the PAC, on Sept 7. It was another defeat for Cabrini, losing 0-3. They did not go down without a fight and in the third game pulled ahead with a 26-25 lead until Neumann came back with five straight points to win.
The match against Marywood, number six in the PAC, took place on Sept 26.
Marywood lost the opening game to Cabrini, 15-30. They came back in the second game to win 30-18. The yo-yo effect continued with Cabrini winning the third game with a close 30-25 and Marywood dominating the fourth game 30-11. Cabrini ended the fifth and final match, winning 15-10.
The 3-2 game gained another victory for Cabrini.
Martin and Weaver led the team with their 11 and 12-kill achievements. Sophomore Michelle Mola and Lizzy Williams showed their skill with 19 assists each.
