By Olson Barthelemy
On the surface it truly sounds like an absurd question for one to even ponder. It is a question that, if it is bothered to be asked, can only have one logical answer. Yet the same question arises in the same situation every time and the answer never does seem to be quite so simple. So, is it better for a team on a lengthy win streak to lose a game before it starts postseason play, or is losing never a good thing?
In the world of sports, where success is measured in wins versus losses and winning percentages, such a question seems blasphemous. Yes, one can only learn from one’s mistakes but if one makes no mistakes in the first place one saves the trouble of learning. When given the choice of winning continuously versus failing rarely, the choice is simple. Right?
Entering its match at the University of Delaware on Friday Oct. 27, the Hofstra Pride volleyball team had become very accustomed to winning. In fact the Pride had come out the victor in its last 11 straight matches overall and had won its last 12 matches against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opposition. The agony of defeat was a foreign feeling to a Pride team that hadn’t suffered a loss since Sept. 13.
That being said, the events that would follow in the next few days would serve to jar a streaking Pride team back to the realization that the road to the CAA Championship might just be covered in potholes.
In a thrilling five game match (sidebar), the first against CAA competition this season, the Pride managed to come out with a win thus salvaging its win streak and improving to a perfect 13-0 in conference play. Unfortunately, the difficulty the Pride had in putting away the Blue Hens was not a mere bump in the road. Rather it was a portent of things to come.
The last time the Pride suffered defeat at the hands of a CAA rival in the regular season was on Nov. 4. The responsible party: the Towson Tigers who outlasted the Pride in a five game match. Nearly a year later, the Pride found was facing the Tigers once again. This time however, they found themselves at Towson after having just outlasted Delaware just two days before.
What was apparent early on as the two teams faced off was that the tough time the Pride had had against Delaware was not necessarily an isolated occurrence. Despite a valiant effort in taking the first game past the traditional 30 point mark, a somewhat reeling Pride team dropped the first game against the Tigers 31-33.
Even in dropping the first game, the Pride seemed prepared for a second consecutive marathon as they forced Towson to extra points to win the first game. However, the assumption did not match reality as the first game seemed to be all the fight the Pride could muster. Without much of a fight, the Pride dropped the second game by a score of 19-30. In a true show of dominance, the Tigers lead the game from the first point to the 30th.
On its last legs, the Pride team tried, in vain to prolong the match and its win streak. Perhaps in a case of the inevitable, or perhaps merely a case of one team outplaying the other, the Tigers would not drop a game in defeating the Pride. In a third game that saw only one early tie score, the Tigers beat the Pride 22-30 and with the match point shattered any dreams they may have had for a perfect season.
“Our confidence was perhaps riding too high and we found ourselves complacent with our well-deserved record,” said head coach Lauren Netherby. “Our focus is snapped right back into place. Now we know what we need to improve on and prepare for. For that I’m thankful to the loss.”These words were echoed by her players as Catherine Durakis asserted, “We’re not too terribly upset, we’re just happy that it happened now instead of during playoffs. Now we know what we need to fix and we can work on it really hard throughout practice the entire week and we’ll be set for the weekend and hopefully work things out from there.”
Shellane Ogoshi had 34 assists and eight digs in a losing effort.