Women's Volleyball

Youth Bodes Well for Hartwick Volleyball's Future

The Hartwick College Volleyball squad overcame a number of challenges this season to finish 2008 with a 12-25 (2-6) record, knocking on the door of several big victories.

Having lost all but two players from their starting lineup, the Hawks managed to play tough against conference rival RIT, missing on five match points to lose a tough 5 setter, St. Lawrence, Elmira and Hamilton, all very tough five set losses. With conference wins over Utica College and Alfred University, the Hawks finished 7th out of 9 teams in the Empire 8.

As the lone senior and four year starter on the team, Kerry Sisson (Ballston Spa, NY) moved from Libero to Outside Hitter and captain this year, and led her team both spiritually and in defense, recording a team high 203 digs, putting her 5th in Hartwick's all time digs list. Partnering with Sisson in team leadership was Junior Darcy Dolge (LaGrande, OR), who stepped up in the midst of a setting vacuum and earned a spot as the team's starting setter, where she registered 728 assists, enough to score 9th in Hartwick's all-time list. Sisson and Dolge formed the team's one-two punch, with Sisson providing the most accurate passing in recent Hartwick memory, and Dolge offering her a very tall target and great strength in the setter's role.

Making a huge impact in her freshman year, Courtney Desmond (Cortlandt Manor, NY) distinguished herself as a blocker, middle attacker, and even setter in a year filled with adversity and big lineup changes. Her cool demeanor and skills brought in from an excellent High School experience served her well, as she scored a team high 226 kills, and a team high 106 blocks. Adding to her contribution, Desmond, after a career spent in the middle, embraced a mid-season change to sharing setting with Dolge and hitting/blocking out of the right side, where she found a great deal of success, including a season high 15 kills and .486 hitting percentage against RIT in the best Hartwick result against the Tigers in it's history. Topping off her achievements, Desmond received an honorable mention for the conference All-Conference team and was named to the Sportswoman of the Year team.

Adding additional firepower in the Middle were Junior Cassie Dresser (Ovid, NY), and Freshman Lauren Mausert (Niskayuna, NY), both of whom brought incredible athleticism and energy to the Hartwick front line, as well as excellent support for Sisson in the pass. Joining the middles at the net was Laura Barone (Glen Gardner, NJ), the team's freshman OH, and the only player on the team to finish the season in the same position they started with in pre-season. Barone, Dresser, and Mausert played like seasoned players, despite this being their first season in the blue and white.

Overall, with the team losing only one senior, the prospects for next year look very strong for the team to build on this season's challenges. With this much growth over the course of a fall, it will be exciting to see how much more the team develops in the off-season.