The women's volleyball alumnae team gave everything they had against the 2009-2010 team, but came up just short of an upset.The current squad won in straight sets 25-14, 25-12, 25-19 Saturday night in Worthen Arena.
"This is so much fun. It's great to come back and get to play again at home," alumna Sarah (Obras) Steele said. "It's something we look forward to every year."
Looking forward to this year's face-off didn't help the more experienced alumnae team. The 2009-10 Cardinals jumped over the alumnae, taking a commanding 5-1 lead early in the first set.
"Coming back and playing brings back a lot of memories and makes us really feel like we should be on the other side in uniform," Steele said. "We still use the same plays and signs from when we all played so we can all communicate."
After trading side-outs, a long rally during which both sides shared at least a half-dozen exchanges before the Cardinals took the point. From there, they cruised to a 25-14 first-set win.
"It felt great to get back out on the court and get to play someone other than each other in practice," sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Boyd said. "Playing them is so much fun because they were on the All-MAC Team and provide a challenge for us."
Making a return to the lineup for the first time this preseason was junior outside hitter Hannah Sullivan. Sullivan was the catalyst for several early runs, providing multiple kills while in the lineup.
"It's very nice to be back and getting to play since I've been injured," Sullivan said. "I was a little nervous at first, but I feel I played pretty good once I just got into the game. It was really nice face competition outside our team."
The second set provided a much quicker start for the alumnae team. At one point, they led and were tied at 6. That's when the current squad got hot and went on a 10-0 run to take a commanding lead. Not even a time-out couldn't stall the blistering pace the Cardinals were setting en route to a 25-12 second set victory.
"We played all right for our first time out. It was great to see a pretty good-sized crowd out tonight," coach Dave Boos said. "It's fun to play someone else and for our players to see where the program has been."
After intermission, the alumnae team threw all they had at the Cardinals. Several runs kept the match close until midway when the alumnae went on a big run, closing within four points before errors put the match away.
"Having the opportunity to connect with competition outside the team is great," Sullivan said. "We learn each others tendencies in practice, so playing a new person is like a whole new game and lets us see what we've got."
From the other side, the alumnae were happy to have lost the match in convincing fashion.
"Last year it was so close, but it wasn't nearly as close this year," Steele said. "We're happy to see the team get better offensively and be really scrappy and fight for it."
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