This weekend the DePauw women’s volleyball team played three games over the course of two days at the Gargoyle Classic in Chicago.
On Friday Aug. 30 they played against University Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the University of Texas at Dallas. In their first game, the Tigers lost to UW-Stevens Point in three sets, but came back in their second match against UT Dallas to win 3-0.
Head coach Deb Zellers said, “All the competition that we played this weekend was outstanding. UW-Stevens Point, I thought, played a fantastic match. They made very few errors and for an opening weekend play match. Their play was exceptional.”
All of the teams DePauw played this weekend were pre-season ranked teams.
“UW-Stevens Point, DePauw and UT Dallas all received votes in ranking which were just outside the top 25,” Zellers said.
During the second game on Friday, Zellers thought the women played with a lot more confidence than in the first game.
“I think that our teamwork on the floor was better and I think we played more indicative of how we typically play in our program, in terms of being gritty on the court, scrappy and determined,” Zellers said.
Sophomore Grace Filburn helped the women to their win by recording 18 assists during the final set.
“The games were a good starting point for the season,” Filbrun said. “We saw what we did well and we also saw lots of room for improvement. We have a great group girls with lots a talent so it will be very exciting to see where it takes us.”
On Saturday Aug. 31 the Tigers played the University of Chicago Maroons and fell short with a final score of 0-3. Although they didn’t come out on top, Filburn’s serves and senior Liv Hartman’s cross-court kills helped the women get back in the game after being down 3-8 in the first set.
“That match we lost in three sets, but two of the three sets we lost 25-23, so it was a pretty competitive match,” Zellers said.
Going into this season, senior Morgan Stearley is one of the leading players in the conference. She earned a spot on the all-tournament team over the weekend by recording a total of 34 kills and an attack percentage of .247.
Stearley, according to Zellers, is a special player because of her ability to play any position.
“She excels at a very high level both as a front row player and a back row player. When Morgan was a freshman, I was dreading the day that she was a senior at DePauw,” Zellers said.
Reflecting on the weekend, Hartman said, “Our main goal was to go out there, play our hardest, and from there see what we need to continue improving on. We have a talented group this year (receiving votes for American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25) and we have plans to make it far!”
Overall, the Tigers have a goal of making it to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament for the fourth year in a row. Zellers has a lot of faith in her players.
“I really like this team. I think that we have a ton of potential and I am looking forward to seeing where this team can go, especially since we have so much depth and we are competitors pushing each other at practice everyday.”