Men’s volleyball opens with win

By Morgan Kamara//

Hood College’s new men’s volleyball team won its first NCAA match on Friday, Jan. 20, against Bryn Athyn College but lost its next four contests.

In their first win, the Blazers lost the first set and then rallied to win the remaining three sets.

After the first match, the men lost to Roanoke, Immaculata, Elizabethtown College, and Mount Aloysius, all by a score of 3-0.

William Fitch, one of the team’s captains, said the Blazers’ losses were self-inflicted. “As a team, it is our errors that keep us from getting the win,” he said. 

Fitch was optimistic that the team will get out of the slump. “When we put everything aside and play as a team, it is more stronger than our errors in the previous set,” Fitch said. 

Marc Fitzkee and Adam Bartice led the Blazers to the first victory. Fitzkee had 23 kills and 12 digs, and Bartice had 12 digs. 

A dig occurs when a defensive player successfully passes a ball that has been determined to be an attack attempt by the opposing team. Bartice was also credited with 32 assists in the game, and Fitzkee led the team with three aces. 

The men’s team is coached by Katie Barnett, who also coaches the women’s team. Barnett has nine years of coaching experience and four years of head coaching experience. Before coming to Hood, she held the same positions at Wilson College. 

Barnett said that the team had some first-match jitters but was able to bounce back. “Once we calmed down after the first set, we were able to focus back on our fundamentals,” Barnett said. 

Barnett said she planned around the jitters and aims to “eliminate our unforced errors.”

Fitch, a defensive specialist on the team, said he was nervous at first. “Once the ball goes up, that is when the jitters are going away,” he said. 

The team’s next match is Saturday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m. at the Ronald. J Volpe Athletic Center against Neumann University.