Issue date: 9/22/04 Section: Sports

While the warm days of summer have officially come to an end, a new season of Suffolk athletics has officially begun.

Suffolk's finest are back this fall looking to recapture the success of last year's teams.

The women's volleyball season is already underway.

The Lady Rams have set the year off on a strong and positive note, both on and off the court.

After finishing 17-12 with an early first round exit from the playoffs last year, Suffolk has already posted 3 W's during the first five games of their season, with wins coming against Maine-Presque Isle, Maine-Maritime, and Regis College.

The Rams fell to Colby College in the 2004 Colby Invitational and also dropped a match against Roger Williams University last Thursday, accounting for both of their losses.

Last year through five games, Suffolk had only 2 wins.

While it seems as though the Lady Rams are well on their way to eclipsing their 2003 record, they are not getting ahead of themselves.

Head coach Elaine Schwager and the players aren't thinking about future games or where they will be come playoff time.

"Three and two is three and two. Our expectations are one game at a time," said Coach Schwager.

"The only thing that matters is UMass Boston Thursday. We'll take it one game at a time."

This focus will be important to sustain throughout the season with the number of new players who have joined the team.

This year's squad has a different look with all the roster changes that occurred in the off-season.

The team watched five of its players graduate last May, saw only five players return this season, and brought in eight new athletes, five of which are freshmen.

The Lady Rams are young, but should not have to worry about inexperience becoming a major factor during the season.

"We learned a lot from last year's team," said Katie Hemlin, who along with Jennifer Stinchfield, are co-captains.

Continued...

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