Issue date: 9/29/04 Section: Sports

After having a full week off in between games, the Suffolk women's volleyball team took their 3-2 record on the road for three matches this past weekend.

The Lady Rams traveled across Beantown last Thursday to take on UMass Boston, trying to avoid losing two games in a row for the first time this season.

While the Rams went into the match fully rested, they were unable to come out on top against UMass, losing 3-0.

Two days later the Lady Rams put the UMass loss behind them and geared up for a Saturday doubleheader.

Suffolk took on two conference opponents, first meeting Western New England College and then going up against St. Joseph's.

The Lady Rams suffered another tough loss at the hands of WNEC, getting shutout for the fourth time this season.

The win was Western New England's tenth win on the year, ultimately improving to 11-5 after taking both games of their own doubleheader.

The Rams were out for retribution later in the day in their match against St. Joseph's, trying to climb back to .500 on the season. Suffolk dominated the match, winning 3-1 and improved their overall record to 4-4.

They now stand in sixth place in the GNAC standings and post a 1-1 conference record.

Despite dropping two out of three over the weekend, Coach Schwager was satisfied with the team's effort.

"This past week was a very good experience," said Schwager. "In the end, we did what we were suppose to do."

The Rams didn't hang their heads after the tough losses and never lacked intensity on the floor.

"They played fluid out there and they played like a team," commented Schwager.

"They had confidence and they knew where they were suppose to be."

The Rams exemplified what a team really is, with contributions from the entire squad. "We got to use every player this past week," said Schwager.

"Kids who didn't play a ton went in and did their job."Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this is that everyone was on the same page, a problem that often arises with freshmen on other teams.

"People weren't worried about what everyone else was doing out there," recalled Schwager.

"They're learning to work together."

The Rams took much more out of this weekend than just a simple win. While most learning is done during practices, a team as open minded and as devoted as the Rams is able to absorb information and aspects they pick up from opposing teams.

They took advantage of this when they played first place Western New England College. "It was a wake up for the level of play that we are looking for," Coach Schwager said.

"We got to see first hand where we need to go and how to get there."

The Rams will continue to use this insight to build upon and improve what is already a strong team and will put together more pieces to a successful season this weekend with a tournament at Salem State.

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