Pine Manor Volleyball Starts Anew with Season-Opening Win

After a 1-22 record in the fall of 2009, the Pine Manor College Gators women's volleyball team is ready to be victorious.

"We struggled a bit last season," admitted new head coach Mike Murphy.

In response to 2009's rough season, the team added nine freshmen, asked their returners to step up to leadership positions and hired Murphy—who introduces himself as "living, breathing, sleeping and eating volleyball"—in May. Murphy was previously the head coach at Waltham High School and Massachusetts Bay Community College, where he led teams to multiple tournament appearances.

So far, the changes have worked. The Gators won their first match of the season on Wednesday evening against previously undefeated Newbury College, 3-2, coming from behind after losing the first and third sets.

Murphy hasn't been afraid to lean on his talented freshmen right away. Tennessee native Megan Patch, the Gator's starting center, was targeted by Murphy as a player to watch, and she showed it on Wednesday night. Patch had 35 set assists against Newbury.

"(Patch) has a lot of good volleyball experience, and she has to in order to start in the important role of center," said Murphy before Wednesday's game.

Jenn Gross, a junior and the oldest player on this very young Gators squad, is another one of Murphy's key players for the 2010 season. "We'll be looking to her a lot as a role model for the younger girls."

Murphy also has a fair number of players who are duel-sport student-athletes, a trait their other teammates look up to. Freshmen Imara Jackson (basketball) and Ashley Carusone (softball), and sophomore Aponi Washington (basketball) will be representing the Gators in two sports.

"Players bring a lot of leadership experience when they've played two sports," stated Murphy. "It also makes them great athletes, and there are a lot of transferable skills." 

Win or lose, playing volleyball has presented the geographically-diverse Gators with opportunities that will resonate outside of volleyball, which Murphy points to as one of the most important takeaways.

"(The team) shows a lot of sportsmanship and integrity, important aspects of anything. They get the chance to travel and meet other student-athletes from other schools that they may not had to chance to meet otherwise," expounds Murphy. "And, of course, they get to know each other."