Bridgewater, Va. – On Oct. 20, the Eagles volleyball team faced off and lost in a non-conference match against Marymount University. 

The Eagles started off strong in the first set of the game, with a starting lineup of senior Jessica Bissmeyer, junior Ann-Marie Johnson, junior Grace Hayes, sophomore Ashley Casey, sophomore Lauren Nofsinger, first-year Ashley Rutherford and first-year Grace Williams. 

Hayes was able to set up Casey for a strong kill in an open spot on the court, tying the Eagles at 9-9. This skyrocketed the Eagles, leading them to have the upper hand in the first half of the set. 

“I was just as excited and prepared for this game as I am for all of the games we get to play. Ever since the year of Covid-19, I’ve noticed I’ve been grateful for every opportunity I get to play.” said Bissmeyer. 

The going started to get tough when Marymount went on an attacking rampage. Multiple points were lost by BC — due to kills from the Saints and service errors — forcing the Eagles to call a timeout. 

Post-timeout, the Eagles started closing the score gap with numerous attacks and a serve ace by first-year Madeline Walker. This soon forced Marymount into a timeout as well, with the hopes that they would break the momentum of BC. Marymount ultimately succeeded, taking the set 25-19.

“I think the time-outs can hinder momentum build if you let them hinder you. I think some time-outs ended up cutting our momentum build-up while others didn’t.” said Bissmeyer. 

The second set mirrored the first, with the Eagles not giving up without a fight. With the score 19-16 in favor of Marymount, Bissmeyer springs for the attack, while going for the dig the Saints end up shanking the ball and receiving an attack error. This boosted the morale of the Eagles, and with another kill from junior Sarah Kerns, they tied the score 20-20. In the end, Marymount scored more kills and ended the set 25-21.

In the third set, the Eagles were on another point run leaving the Saints in the dust and going almost the entire half of the game leaving Marymount with a score of two. 

Ongoing rallies kept the score neck and neck the entire set. It had spectators and viewers on the edge of their seats wondering if the Eagles could pick up the third set to continue the match. Ultimately, the Eagles could not pull through. The set ended with 13 kills and a close game, 25-22. 

“Honestly, I’m not horribly frustrated about the loss,” said Bissmeyer “Don’t get me wrong, every loss stings in some way, however, losses can be lessons depending on how you handle them. Does the loss become too much of an obstacle to get over, or do you analyze what you could’ve done better and grow from it?” 

Work continues for BC Volleyball — now with a record of 11-12. There are two more games in the season. This Wednesday, Oct. 27 against Mary Washington, and this Friday, Oct. 29 at Eastern Mennonite — both matches are set to start at 7 p.m.