The volleyball team returned Sunday from the United States Air Force Academy Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo. with two wins and two losses. Coach Charita Stubbs was proud of the hard work that her team put in throughout the tournament.
“This weekend was a lot of fun,” Stubbs said. “It was a rough start losing the first two matches, but the girls put their minds together and pulled out some wins.”
In Fridayís first match, the Wolfpack fell to U.C. Davis in four sets (23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 18-25). Senior middle blocker Aiwane Iboaya led the team with 13 kills, but her outstanding performance could not hold off the Aggies.
Akron took the second match against State in four games as well (11-25, 25-22, 23-25, 17-25). Sophomore setter Alex Smith earned 15 digs, while freshman Allyson Weissberg put down 10 kills.
The team earned its first match wins of the season Saturday. The day began with a shutout of Montana State (25-22, 25-19, 25-14). Sophomore defensive specialist Nikki Sweet led the defense with nine digs. Stubbs said the team “really showed up” in the Montana State match.
“A lot of people came out off the bench,” Stubbs said. “They stepped in ready to play.”
The Wolfpackís final match came against the United States Air Force Academy. The team fought through five sets and came out on top (18-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11). Junior Arlee Tamietti nailed down 18 kills, and freshman libero Kelly Wood racked up 18 digs.
Coach Stubbs knew Air Force tried to rattle the Pack but was glad the team pulled out the win.
“Air Force did a good job of scouting us — it flustered the girls in the beginning of the match,” Stubbs said. “But they came together with a group effort to get the task done.”
Jana Angel, sophomore middle blocker, said the whole team contributed to the victories.
“Every individual knew they had their part to play and knew what they were doing was helping us to win, whether you were playing and scoring the points or cheering from the sidelines,” Angel said. Sophomore Alex Smith received individual honors for her performance during the tournament, being selected for the Air Force All-Tournament team. In addition to her personal accomplishment, Smith feels that bringing home two wins can only help the team in this weekendís Hilton/RTP N.C. State Classic.
“The wins will definitely give us a lot of confidence coming into this weekend’s home tournament,” Smith said.
