The Geneseo's women's volleyball team continued to get a feel for the season last week, finishing 1-3 at the Ithaca tournament before dropping a home contest against Nazareth.
The Knights were immediately presented with a challenge, facing off against NYU in their opening match on Friday. Despite spirited play by Geneseo, the Violets won handily, 25-16, 25-21, 25-14.
In the second match, Geneseo was pitted against Baptist Bible, and earned their first win of the year by taking three out of four games. First-year coach Jen Salmon was satisfied with the performance.
"We probably should have won in three, but I was glad we were able to come back and win the match," Salmon said. "We were the better team, and we should have won."
The elation of victory proved fleeting, however, as the Knights dropped both their Saturday contests against Rochester Institute of Technology and Vassar College. Geneseo came ready to play in the RIT match, splitting two 26-24 decisions in the opening games. Unfortunately, the Knights faded in the final two games, losing 25-12 and 25-10.
Salmon expressed disappointment with the way the match ended. "In the third game, they came out flat…it was a different atmosphere, they weren't communicating as much," she said.
Geneseo closed out the tournament later on Saturday, losing to Vassar 23-25, 17-25, 26-24, 21-25. In spite of the rocky start, Salmon believes the team showed promise during the Ithaca tournament, saying, "They played well. I was happy with the weekend, for sure."
On Tuesday, the Knights took on Nazareth in their home opener, losing in four games. Although the team is off to a rough start, they hope to improve on their record as they continue to adjust to their new coach.
Salmon mentioned that in a preseason meeting, the team set a benchmark of at least a .500 final record. The Knights head to the RIT tournament this weekend hoping to get closer to achieving their goal.