Monday, November 1, 2004

by Andrew Quinton
Gazette Reporter

Congressman Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania’s 7th district (the district containing the College) came to Swarthmore yesterday. While he endorsed President Bush, he also spoke at length on the need for students to choose their candidate without being influenced by potentially biased professors.

Weldon’s arrival was delayed for about half an hour. Joe Conley, a member of his campaign staff, explained that “it’s a very busy time of year for. His race is pretty secure, but he’s been doing a lot of work for Bush and the other candidates.” Once Weldon arrived, Maria Macia ’07, President of the College Republicans, made a brief introduction and Weldon took the floor.

He began by describing some of the work he does both as a member of Congress and as a teacher at Drexel University. In Congress, he mainly deals in foreign policy and has used his ability to speak Russian and interest in foreign affairs to become one of America’s leading liaisons to Russia. Much of Weldon’s speech consisted of accounts of some of his 38 visits to Russia as well as representing America while visiting other countries. He often spoke of displeasure towards members of the executive branch. The current administration was blasted for trying to prevent Weldon from having a diplomatic meeting with some North Koreans, and the Clinton administration was criticized for failing to enforce the terms of disarmament treaties with Russia after it was shown that Russia was selling the technology that is now used to make weapons of mass destruction to terrorists.

Weldon stated near the end of his talk that national security was the most important issue of this election and his speech clearly bore that out. He spoke with passion on the key issues of foreign policy, asserting that the invasion of Iraq was justified because of the numerous ghastly human rights violations committed by Saddam Hussein and the refusal of Iraq to comply with 17 United Nations resolutions. The invasion of Iraq was compared to our bombing of Serbia during the Clinton administration and found to be much more justifiable on all grounds. Throughout his speech, Weldon took great care to note the bipartisan nature of his overseas efforts, noting that he has worked extensively with Dennis Kucinich and always brings Democrats on his diplomatic missions.

To close, Weldon restated his main thesis and endorsed our sitting president. “George Bush may not be a great debater or speaker,” he said, “but he knows who he is.” He also noted that while he may not agree with Bush on all issues, he believes that national security is the most important issue and Bush is the best man to keep our country safe. A spirited question-and-answer period followed, as the Swarthmore Democrat majority disputed some of Weldon’s assertions and tried to turn the discussion towards domestic issues such as the economy and gay rights.

For more information on Curt Weldon, visit www.curtweldon.org

*****

by Jen Roth
Gazette Reporter

Swarthmore received an introduction to Chinese opera on Friday evening when the International Beijing Monkey King Peking Opera Troupe came to perform. The show, entitled Journey to the West, was part of a tour hosted by Cornell University to help share the increasingly rare art of Beijing/Peking opera with the Western world. Beijing/Peking opera is an ancient craft, combining song, dance, acting, acrobatics, and martial arts. All of the performers are highly skilled and have to go through a great deal of preparation—generally ten years of training are required before the performers actually get to go on stage.

Journey to the West was broken into three acts, and each act was actually a play or excerpt of a longer play. All three centered on the Monkey King, in honor of 2004 being the Year of the Monkey. The first piece was The Dragon King’s Palace, followed by The Iron Fan Princess. The show concluded with Havoc in Heaven. Since the first two shows were performed solely in Chinese, a brief plot summary was given before each show, as well as quick tutorials in some phrases that were used often in the show. The finale had some translated lines, but a plot summary was still given to help the audience better understand the action occurring on stage.

The stories were only a small part of the finished product. The entire show was accompanied by a four-person orchestra playing the traditional instruments of Chinese opera, and this music was often added to by the performers’ singing. There was also a fantastic visual element. The set was sparse, usually consisting of only a decorated backdrop, but all of the performers had intricately painted faces and were garbed in elaborate costumes. The costumes were obviously designed with a delicate balance of appearance and functionality in mind: they were beautiful, but still allowed the actors to perform astounding amounts of acrobatics. The astounding acrobatics were easily the audience’s favorite portion of the performance; each impressive feat was met with a hearty round of applause. Many of these moves occurred during the stylized fight scenes, which were filled with perfectly timed leaps and rolls.

Among the highlights of the performance were the many dances, the various twirling and balancing routines using staffs and other weapons, an amazing sequence where one actress kicked away staffs being tossed towards her by two other actors, and a sword fight that led to another actress bending backwards until she almost touched the floor and then quickly righting herself with ease. Overall, Journey to the West was a stunning showcase of troupe members’ skills, training, and versatility, as well as a wonderful introduction to the tradition of Beijing/Peking Opera.

*****

by Andrew Quinton
Gazette Reporter

Tomorrow’s election and the natural tendencies of Swarthmore students have led to a lot of friendly political banter on campus. When banter turns to debate and debate turns to frustration, most Swatties can return to their dorm room for some peace and quiet. Not so for Sam Asarnow ’08 and Mikio Akagi ’08. The constant debating of these two dedicated souls is rapidly becoming a Willets legend. This reporter sat down with the passionate young men in an effort to determine just why two roommates would talk so much about politics.

Daily Gazette: How would you describe your own political views?
Sam Asarnow: Very very liberal. I believe in big government and my views border on socialist.
Mikio Akagi: I’m a libertarian. I believe in small government…very small government.

DG: How would you describe your roommate’s political views?
Sam: Insane. Libertarians are harmful to the world as a whole. And…
Mikio: Misguided. I’m misguided.
Sam: Yeah, that.
Mikio: Sam, do you want me to describe your radical views or your practical views?
Sam: Practical
Mikio: His views on economics show that he hasn’t taken any economics courses. Then again, he’d probably still believe the same thing even if he had taken economics courses.

DG: How often do you argue about politics and philosophy?
Mikio: Never after 1:00 in the morning. Notice the first rule. (“Willets N015 Rule #1” is posted on the mini-fridge).
Sam: Otherwise…every waking moment.
Mikio: Yeah, basically all the time. Unless we’re talking about music, how much homework we have, or how small the rooms in Willets basement are.

DG: What kinds of issues do you discuss?
Sam: Mostly economic issues and the general role of government. Mikio thinks that if you leave markets alone, good things will happen.
Mikio: Most of the time, good things will happen.
Sam: Either way, he’s wrong.

DG: What’s this other piece of paper on your refrigerator?
Mikio: Sam’s greatest fascination. It’s a chart on what role people think the government should play. There are two axes: one measures how much the government should be involved in the economic sphere and the other measures involvement in social life. Are you on here?
DG: Yes. (“Andrew Q.” is marked far left of the origin and on the x-axis, denoting economic ambivalence and a strong belief in civil liberties.” It looks like most people are in the upper left.
Mikio: Yes, that’s the “low social involvement, high economic involvement” section.
DG: The modern American liberal.
Mikio: Yes. There are only three libertarians and two of them don’t go to Swarthmore.
Sam: I’m in the Communist/Fascist/Populist section with Hitler and Stalin.

DG: I noticed the Badnarik poster outside the room with the devil ears drawn onto it…
Sam: Yeah, you can probably figure that one out.
DG: I think I can.
Mikio: I posted some libertarian propaganda on the door one day and came back later that night to find that somebody had posted an angry response poster next to it. I came back to my room and told Sam how somebody had posted an angry response to my poster.
Sam: And I had put up the other poster. But it wasn’t like we were mad at each other.

*****

Swarthmore was one of 35 debate teams to compete at the American University Parliamentary Debate Tournament this past weekend. Julie Baker ’08 was the first place novice speaker while Molly Piels ’08 placed third. Baker and Piels teamed up to take first place in the novice teams competition and 10th place overall. Garth Sheldon-Coulson ’07 and Chris Ford ’07 took 9th place overall in the team competition.

(Thanks to Maria Macia for providing these results)

*****

*As the presidential campaign neared its end on Sunday, voters in swing states were hit with a barrage of advertisements and candidate visits. During this last week along, $60 million has been spent on these TV ads. In an effort to motivate people to go to the polls on Tuesday, volunteers from all over the country have been flying into swing states to go door to door and convince people. Meanwhile the latest New York Times/CBS news poll showed President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry in a statistical tie, even as the president’s approval rating went up slightly.

*Insurgents fired a rocket into a hotel in Tikrit, Iraq late Sunday, killing 15 people and wounding 8. The violence continued in Ramadi, where a roadside bomb killed one marine and wounded 4 others. Meanwhile, Prime minister Allawi held a press conference warning that the coalition’s negotiations with Fallujah rebels were running out of time. “The time is closing down really. I’m not putting a time schedule, but we are approaching the end”, Allawi remarked. If the negotiations continue to flounder, the coalition will fight to re-take the city.

*In Urugay on Sunday, a socialist candidate-Tabare Vasquez, has made history by being the first leftist politician elected in that country. Dr. Vasquez had run as part of a coalition that includes former guerillas, capping a 33 year fight by these people to win power by lawful means. During the American supported right wing dicatatorship that ruled the country from 1973 to 1985, many of these guerillas were forced into jail or exile.

*****

Chemistry Colloquium: “DNA as a Generic Instead of Genetic Material: Toward Nucleic Acid Engineering”
Science Center 181, 4:30 p.m.

David G. Dalin lectures: “The Presidential Elections and the Jews: Retrospect and Prospect”
Science Center 199, 4:30 p.m.

Diya Week film screening of “Final Solution”, followed by discussion with director Rakesh Sharma

Science Center 101, 7:00 p.m.

Film Studies evening screening: “Survivor and Big Brother samples”
LPAC Cinema, 7:00 p.m.

Swarthmore College Bowl
Kohlberg 202, 7:00 p.m.

SATO meeting
Kohlberg 228, 8:00 p.m.

Earthlust meeting
Kohlberg 116, 9:00 p.m.

Swing Dance Club class
Upper Tarble, 9:00 p.m.

Feminist Majority meeting
Kohlberg 226, 10:00 p.m.

Swil movie: “Nausicaa”
Science Center 101, 10:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

by Andrew Quinton
Gazette Reporter

The men’s soccer team continued its winning ways on Saturday night. A record crowd of 466 watched the Garnet dismantle the hated Fords of Haverford College, 3-1. The victory snapped a 10-game losing streak to Haverford that dated back to 1993. Swarthmore finishes the regular season at 10-5-2 overall and 6-2-1 in Centennial Conference play, while Haverford finishes its season at 4-14 and 2-7 in conference.

Previous Senior Nights for the Swarthmore men’s soccer team have been bittersweet, as the celebration of four great years for the departing seniors has been tempered by the knowledge that those seniors will probably never take the field again. Things are different this year, as the team is headed to the Centennial Conference playoffs for the first time ever. But before the promised land lay a hated rival: Haverford College. Swarthmore pride was on the line, and the team did not disappoint.

Athletic Director Adam Hertz introduced each of the seniors. “I think it’s been an interesting experience for these seniors,” he said, noting the coaching change that occurred after their freshman year and the new playing surface on Clothier Field. On senior goalkeeper Nate Shupe, Hertz asserted that, “He’s become quite possibly the best goalkeeper to every play at Swarthmore.” Each senior was presented with a replica Swarthmore jersey with their name and number on the back. Sixteen Feet sang the national anthem, and the match began with the intensity that one would expect from a Swarthmore-Haverford game. Jordan Stuart had a shot at the goal, but his header went straight at Shupe. At the other end, the Garnet managed a couple of corner kicks, but couldn’t convert. Leading goal scorer Andrew Terker ’06 went down with a sprained ankle in the tenth minute, but the team had no reason to panic. The squad’s remarkable depth merely took over, and there was no dropoff in production from the forward position.

Swarthmore took the lead for good when Alex Elkins ’06 moved up from his defensive position to pick up his first goal of the season. “Marty flicked it on and the ball landed in front of me,” said Michael Bonesteel ’08. “Bone kicked it at the goalie and after it came back at me, I kicked it in,” continued Elkins. Coach Eric Wagner often directs Elkins to either “go ahead” or “sit back” on offensive series, trying to balance the help an extra can offer against the risk of the opponents stealing the ball and Elkins being caught out of position. Naturally, with a lead, Wagner wasn’t taking any chances, and a frustrated Elkins showed just how intense the players were. “Let me go back up! I’ve been waiting three years for this!” he pleaded. Elkins was his usual vocal self on the backline all game long, captaining the defense to another victory.

The Garnet took a two-goal lead when Vernon Chaplin ’07 got open behind the defense, received a pass from Colton Bangs ’07, and shot it past Ford goalkeeper Tom Reynolds at 38:50. Just before that, Patrick Christmas ’08 nearly had a goal of his own, starting with the ball around midfield and beating several defenders before Reynolds’s diving save just barely kept the ball out of the net. Marty Griffith ’05 nearly put in a goal of his own just before the half ended. The ball was rarely on the Swarthmore half of the field after the first few minutes; at halftime, it was 2-0, but it could have been a lot worse for the Fords. Goalkeeper Shupe had a quiet half, but wowed the crowd with several prodigious drop-kicks, sending the ball well beyond the midfield stripe.

Swarthmore kept up the intensity in the second half, and it quickly paid dividends. Ellison took a pass from Griffith a good distance from the goal and didn’t appear to be a threat to score. But he spun by the Ford defender and launched a left-footed rocket into the net. A shocked Reynolds never had a chance. The senior connection proved to be the last goal of the day for Swat, but three goals was more than enough. Haverford’s sizable contingent of fans finally got a chance to cheer when Glenn Antkowiak headed the ball into the net off with assists going to David Poolman and Brian Doherty. But an active Shupe and the always-solid Swat backline kept the Fords at bay for the rest of the game. Charlie Taylor ’06 played his best soccer of the year in the second half, forcing Reynolds to make a diving save and shooting another ball just over the net. The physical play continued, with Haverford’s Jordan Stuart being assessed a red card in the 76th minute after receiving a yellow card in the first half. For the match, Swarthmore outshot the Fords by a 15-6 margin. Shupe made 2 saves in the victory and Reynolds made 6 while taking the loss.

The moment everybody had been waiting for finally came at 86:43 when the three seniors left the game to wild applause from the record crowd of 466. Chants of “Warm up the bus,” filled the air as the Swarthmore fans celebrated the victory over the despised Fords. Just before the end of the game, coach Eric Wagner received the obligatory Gatorade shower, though it was actually a water shower in this case. The team was all smiles after the game, but the celebration will soon end. The playoffs begin on Friday night vs. McDaniel at Johns Hopkins.

*****

by Alex Glick
Sports Editor

The men’s cross country team earned third place this past weekend at the Centennial Conference Championships held at McDaniel. Seniors James Golden and Lang Reynolds led the way and earned All-Conference rankings.

Golden took twelfth place, finishing the 8k course in 27:08.10. Reynolds placed 13th, was just behind his fellow co-captain, in a time of 27:11.11. Garret Ash ’05, Ross Weller ’08, and Adam Hunt ’06 all finished at about 27:58 and earned 26-28th place. Keefe Keely ’06 was the next Garnet runner to cross the finish line with a 34th place finish (28:11.29), while Mickey Katz ’08 took 41st (28:28.34).

The course was noticeably different compared to others for some runners. Weller commented, “The race at McDaniel was on the hilliest golf course I’ve ever seen. The ground was soft, the course was tough and hard to follow, and it was pretty dreary out – classic cross country.” Reynolds noted, “On a tough course like this it’s important to go out (run the first mile of the race) relatively conservatively, which are team did well.”

The environment proved to be a tense one, with one runner falling less than 20 meters into the race, according to Weller, so the race was restarted. Golden commented, “Both the guys’ and girls’ teams were pretty serious and pretty nervous
before the race. We had all been training for this race since June, and since all that work was being measured in a 20-30 minute effort that could be easily disrupted by something stupid like an upset stomach or a twisted ankle, we were just very anxious.”

Swarthmore’s 87 points gave them third place overall. Haverford was crowned champion with 18 points; Haverford runners earned seven of the nine fastest individual times. Dickinson placed second with 72 points.

With Haverford being such a dominant team for such a long period of time, many teams were hoping to stay in the running for second place. Weller noted, “If Dickinson hadn’t placed their number one man so well (3rd), we may have taken
second.” Golden added, “It was good to run against the guys in our conference. Haverford was unstoppable as they have been earlier, which is always discouraging, but we beat Muhlenberg, who had beaten us earlier in the year.”

The team ran hard and made a good showing overall. Reynolds commented, “As a team, we really showed the depth we have this year thanks to some solid ’08 runners.” He added, “All in all, I’m really happy with how the team ran. We’ve improved an incredible amount since James and Garrett and I were freshmen, when we got fifth, and it’s a little frustrating because Haverford keeps getting better and better, but I think we’ve showed that we have one of the best teams in conference.”

The Garnet will race again on November 13 at Allegheny in the NCAA Div. III Mid-East Regionals.

*****

by Alex Glick
Sports Editor

The women’s cross country team raced in the Centennial Conference Championships this weekend, finishing in fifth place behind a field of tough teams on the hilly 6k course. Junior Sarah Hobbs continued to dominate the competition with a second place individual finish (23:15).

Hobbs was named to the All-Conference squad along with fellow junior Carrie Ritter, who finished in twelfth at 24:33. Kavita Hardy ’08 was the next Garnet runner to finish as she took 18th place (25:04). Emily Wistar ’06 (43rd) and Pam Davis ’07 (49th) were also among Swarthmore’s top scorers.

As with the men’s team, the course proved to be a challenge for the women. According to Molly Maurer ’06, “There were
many hills, which we haven’t had so far this year, so it was a much more difficult course.”

Although the team hoped to do better, their sprits continue to stay high. Davis said, “I’m really proud of our whole women’s team-it was an extremely challenging course but everyone hung in there and gave it their best. Sarah, Carrie and Kavita
especially ran exceptionally well.”

Dickinson, Haverford, Gettysburg, and Muhlenberg earned first through fourth place. Davis commented, “Hopefully we’ll be able to pull it all together in two weeks and all run a solid race to place well at regionals. We had our hearts set out to beat [H]averford like we did two weeks ago at Seven Sisters, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Swarthmore will return to action on November 13, when they join the men’s cross country team at Allegheny in the NCAA Div. III Mid-East Regionals.

*****

by Jonathan Ference
News Editor

The Garnet Tide field hockey team nearly pulled off an incredible upset Saturday afternoon at Clothier Field, leading the nationally ranked Franklin and Marshall Diplomats for a good portion of the game before falling behind in a final score of 2-1. The season finale was bittersweet, as the team played solidly but couldn’t hold off the precision attack of the Diplomats
for more than a half.

The game began with a Senior Appreciation ceremony to honor the seven seniors–four of them the team’s captains–and their parents. Each was presented with a rose before the call of the starting lineup.

Swarthmore surprised the Diplomats by coming out firing, forcing F & M to make a quick defensive stop right after the face-off and earning two quick penalty corners. After turning aside those Garnet tries, F & M settled down and forced Swat goalie Karen Lorang ’07 to prove her mettle–a request to which she was glad to oblige, making an incredible stop on an F & M penalty corner in the game’s ninth minute.

The game began to fall into a rhythm of incredibly accurate and efficient passing by the Diplomats that was met by a tough Swarthmore team which refused to roll over and insisted on finding ways to keep the ball out of the cage. Julia Morrison ’07 had a career day on offense, using incredible speed to jump-start the Garnet counterattack. Morrison and the offense were
backed up by the ever-reliable defensive play of Chloe Lewis ’06 and Julie Monaghan ’07, who was particularly effective in her efforts on Saturday.

The Garnet Tide rebounded from the first wave of the Diplomats’ attack well, forcing F & M goalie Michelle Altman to earn most of her 12 saves for the day. Morrison’s efforts were matched by Swat attackers Julia Lindenberg ’05 and Summer Spicer ’07, and their collaboration paid off as Spicer assisted Morrison on the first goal of the day with 13:15 remaining in the first period.

The Diplomats were not to be outdone, and they came at the Swarthmore defense with a vengeance. The Garnet pulled together to turn away several Diplomat penalty corner tries, including one superb defensive save from Spicer with less than four minutes remaining in the half. The period expired with a 1-0 score in favor of Swarthmore, which had more or less
shown itself able to pull itself together to match a more skilled squad.

Swarthmore’s lead would not last much longer, as the Diplomats came out attacking in the second half behind the play of Brittany Croll and Eileen Keever, both ’06. Croll herself tied the score just 1:02 into the half. Swarthmore was not ready to give up yet, but Altman kept the Tide from scoring with several big saves on fully-wound shots. Lorang did her part to
keep the Garnet in reach as well, making a diving save in the half’s ninth minute that had the crowd cheering. She was credited with a total of 11 saves on the day.

The Diplomats continued to systematically pressure the Garnet, and play briefly got physical as Lindenberg collided with an F&M player and was granted a green card, or warning, by the umpire. The Tide searched desperately but fruitlessly for a go-ahead goal, earning a series of penalty corners with 16 minutes remaining that also included a free hit from the top of the F&M circle that Altman had to kick away.

Croll nearly broke the tie minutes later when Lorang made a diving attempt to break up a play from which the Diplomats were able to recover possession. The ensuing shot went wide, but at 10:13 remaining the Diplomats’ Stacy Swymelar ’06 converted a rebound from a penalty corner to take a 2-1 lead.

Swarthmore was able to threaten seriously only twice more, once off a penalty corner and then with an intense effort in the game’s last two and a half minutes. The Diplomats broke up two Swat corners in the final minute and the Garnet watched the final seconds of their season tick away, having given the country’s #12 team a scare but still frustrated that they hadn’t
been able to hand the Diplomats a loss.

The Garnet finished their season 8-9 and 3-7 in conference, while the Diplomats move to 15-3, 9-2. Swarthmore coach Kelly Wilcox ’97 will have her hands full next year replacing the gap in talent that will be created with the departure of Joanna Hess, Lauren Sippel, Julia Lindenberg, Chelsea Ferrell, Val Marone, Emily Szydlowski, and Katherine Athanasiades, all seniors who each contributed to the team’s chemistry.

*****

by Andrew Quinton
Gazette Reporter

The women’s soccer team wrapped up its season on Saturday by losing to #18-ranked Haverford by a 5-0 margin. The Garnet finish their season at 4-13-1 overall and 2-7-1 in the Centennial Conference. This year’s senior class finished with the second most career wins of any class, trailing only the class of 2004.

Before the match, Coach Amy Brunner honored each of the team’s 8 seniors with a short speech. She described the seniors as, “great players, great people, and great teammates.” The team enthusiastically took the field with thoughts of springing a huge upset and ending the season a positive note. But such hopes were quickly dashed as Haverford scored only 37 seconds into the match. Ashley Emmons sent a cross into traffic and Lindsey Dolich poked the ball past Garnet goalkeeper Rachel Jordan ’08. The sizable and raucous Haverford rooting section roared their approval and it was difficult for the Swarthmore fans to respond.

The Garnet nearly struck back in the 5th minute of play when, off of a corner kick, Jane Sachs 07’s header went just wide of the goal. The Fords came back and scored again at 8:13, as Elena Kozakewich sent a free kick from just outside the box past Jordan. A third goal was added midway through the first half by Caryn Dolich, and a fourth was added at 32:03 when, after Jordan made a diving save, the rebound came straight to Amy Arundale who deposited the ball into the near-empty net. The score was 4-0 at halftime, and it could have been worse but for Jordan’s efforts in goal.

The largest crowd of the season tried to get the Swarthmore back into the game as the second half began. The Garnet gamely tried, managing to outshoot the Fords by a 9-7 margin in the half, but couldn’t finish. Natalie Negrey ’07 created several opportunities. Her shot in the 60th minute went just right of the goal, and she got by Ford goalkeeper Andrea Fishman only to be denied by the excellent play of a Haverford defender. Many of the Swarthmore fans thought that the defender had been holding Negrey and voiced their displeasure to the referees. The Fords added a goal at 64:14 when Emmons blasted a ball into the upper left section of the goal. It was a fine shot, and Jordan had no chance.

Rachel Jacobs ’05 had a couple of scoring chances as the game wound down, but her two shots narrowly missed. Swarthmore’s final chance came just before the game ended as Sam Brody ’05 broke free with under 10 seconds remaining, but goalkeeper Jill Foley came out of the net to make a nice save. She made 2 saves in goal to go with Fishman’s 4. Jordan had 7 saves for Swarthmore. The Fords outshot the Garnet 19-10.

*****

by Cara Tigue
Gazette Reporter

The women’s volleyball team feel to Salisbury in 3 games Saturday afternoon at Tarble Pavilion. In their final contest of the season, the Garnet lost 30-20, 30-19, and 34-32. Prior to the first game, Swarthmore seniors Natalie Dunphy and Erika Newton were honored at the senior day festivities. The Garnet were unable to pull out a win despite an enthusiastic crowd of family and friends sporting hats made from old volleyballs and streamers reading “Go Swat!”

The first game was back and forth early on, as neither team seemed able to get into a rhythm. However, Salisbury took advantage of the little breathing room Swat gave up to take the first game 30-20. The second game was much of the same. After a strong start, Swat could not seem to hold on and gave Salisbury a 30-19 victory. Down 2 games to none, the Garnet did not give up. Swat came out fighting in the third game, forcing Salisbury to closest decision yet. In the end, the day belonged to Salisbury who took the third game 34-32.

Erica George ’07 accumulated 10 kills and 15 digs while Katie Gold ’08 added 6 kills and 9 digs. Juniors Emily Conlon and Patrice Berry were also major contributors. Conlon, a co-captain, piled up 22 assists, 9 digs and 2 service aces. Berry had another outstanding defensive effort with 19 digs. Natalie Dunphy ’05 ended her Swarthmore career holding school records in total attacks (2555), kills (755), service aces (176), and total blocks (235).

Swarthmore finishes the season at 9-18 overall, 2-8 in the Centennial Conference. The two seniors will be missed, but with a strong group of first years and the solid leadership and defensive intensity of the other underclassmen, the Garnet are looking ahead to a bright future.

*****

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today.

Tomorrow:
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Hope is a waking dream.”
–Aristotle

*****

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