by Lixsa Sandoval
The Southern Vermont College Men’s Volleyball team had the honor of making history on March 4th, 2014. This day marked the 14th meeting between SVC and the Endicott College men’s volleyball programs. Endicott had been known to dominate the New England Collegiate Conference ever since it joined in the 2011-2012 academic school year. Therefore, SVC faculty and men’s volleyball athletes spread the word around campus to come support the SVC men’s team as they were preparing to face off with the number one team in the NECC.
The bleachers at the Mountaineer Athletic Center (MAC) at SVC slowly filled up with SVC faculty, students, staff, and Endicott fans. Once the game began, the energy from the crowd never stopped; there was always someone cheering. It didn’t matter if it was the SVC or Endicott fans; the MAC was never silent throughout the excitement of this game.
The SVC Mountaineers quickly took the first two sets of the game to prove to Endicott that they were a team ready to compete for the first place spot in the NECC. The Endicott Gulls made it known that they were the number one men’s volleyball team in the NECC for a reason when they were able to bounce back and win the following two sets. When the game was tied at 2 sets a piece, it came down to the final set.
The first team to reach 15 points but also win by a margin of 2 points would be able to have the satisfaction of calling themselves the winners of this electrifying match. The atmosphere from the crowd during this final set was electrifying, full of intensity, and full of excitement.
There was never a dull or quiet moment during the last set. All fans were on their feet from the beginning of the set until the very end. SVC fans kept cheering throughout the last set, encouraging the Mountaineers to keep fighting for the historical win.
Assistant Coach Jessica Alvarez says the energy from the SVC fans was a huge contributing factor in the win over Endicott. She says, “I have seen great teams crumble because they did not have the energy from the crowd to help them. I think what gave us the edge over Endicott was the fact that our crowd was getting so into it and pumping the guys up.”
At the beginning of the final set the Gulls quickly started with a 4-1 lead making it seem like the Mountaineers were going to have no chance at winning this game. The Mountaineers were quickly able to create some offensive momentum when SVC fans began cheering louder. They kept chanting words of encouragement for the SVC male volleyball players.
With help from their fans, the Mountaineers were able to take the lead 13-12. When the Gulls lost their lead, they took a timeout to regroup. The timeout didn’t help much because Endicott made a critical mistake right after that put the Mountaineers up 14-12. SVC was set up for the match-point, and forced the Gulls to take another timeout again to reorangize themselves.
After the timeout the Gulls were able to make a life-saving point that tied the game up and kept them in the match. The Gulls kept trying to create some momentum, but the Mountaineers and their fans refused to lose the lead. The SVC fans continued to cheer at full volume. They did not allow the MAC to stay quiet at any moment.
The noise from Mountaineer fans made it difficult for the Gulls to communicate with each other. The loss of communication made Endicott generate another costly mistake that set up the Mountaineers for another match point. This mistake allowed SVC to gain possession and make a serve.
SVC served a short ball that caused problems for the Gulls. The difficulty of the short serve didn’t allow the Gulls to set up for an effective offensive play. Instead Endicott was forced to just play the ball over the net on their third and final touch. The ball was hit too hard and cruised past the end-line allowing the SVC Men’s Volleyball team to celebrate a historic win.
When the SVC fans saw that final volley fly over the end-line, they all rushed down from the bleachers to the court to celebrate the remarkable win with the team. Junior outside hitter Keven Walley says, “It felt very good and it was one of the best feelings I have had playing the game. That game opened up our minds and showed us how good we can be.” It was the first time in program history where SVC was able to earn a victory against the Endicott men’s volleyball program.
That wasn’t the only incredible achievement the Mountaineers were able to accomplish. SVC was also able to end Endicott’s 28 game winning streak in NECC conference matches and handed the Gulls their first loss.
Senior outside hitter Anthony Barahona says, “The feeling was amazing. It was a testament to how much the program has grown over the past few years. It showed our true potential and what this team is capable of.”
This win gave SVC men’s volleyball a new perspective that brings encouragement for a successful end to the season. Many of the players felt like this win was a big eye-opener. The Mountaineers feel like the rest of their season should end great and they should be one of the top teams in the NECC conference standings.
Walley says, “I feel very good about our season and we should finish out our season strong. Hopefully we win the conference and make the NCAA tournament; that is our main goal.”
Barahona says, “I don’t know what will happen in the near future but I feel that with enough hard work we can potentially be the number one team in the conference. We just made school history by beating Endicott for the first time and it can be done again as long as we are focused and stay on the same path to success.”
Since the win, the Mountaineers moved to 5-2 in the NECC and 9-7 overall. They currently hold the third place position in the conference with a tough schedule ahead of them. They have five conference games left which include a rematch against number one Endicott College and number two Daniel Webster College.