The volleyball team picked up three victories at the Dartmouth Invitational tournament in Hanover this past weekend, defeating Providence College 3-1, Quinnipiac University 3-2 and Siena College 3-1. On Friday, the team will move into conference play with a matchup against Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
Tasman Mullins ’25 was named MVP of the tournament, recording a triple-double on Sunday against Siena College. The Big Green closes out the preseason with a 7-2 record after three tournaments.
The team played their home opener against Providence College at Leede Arena on Sept. 20. After dropping the first set to the Friars, the Big Green bounced back, winning three straight sets 25-13, 25-22 and 25-18. Kauany Gutz ’26 recorded 23 of the team’s 57 kills, putting up seven in the final set of the match.
“It was a great growth weekend for us,” head coach Kevin Campbell said. “The key going into any Ivy competition is to stay ourselves, hold our own standards [and] play our best volleyball.”
Right-side hitter Mullins posted 13 kills, 16 assists and 13 digs on Sunday against Siena College, making her the 20th D1 women’s volleyball student-athlete to finish a match with a triple-double this season.
“[Mullins] played great defense, blocked well and was a great leader and a great teammate,” Campbell said.
Her performance boosted the Big Green to its third victory of the weekend and solidified her nomination for tournament MVP. Teammates Maddie LaFata ’27 and Ava Roberts ’26 were also named to the All-Tournament team.
Mullins attributed much of the team’s success to the bond the players have with each other.
“We really trust each other and believe in each other which allows us to play at a high level,” Mullins said.
With conference play beginning this week, Mullins said “it doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the net because we are going to play Dartmouth Volleyball.”
Campbell, who stepped into the head coach position before the start of last season, attributed the team’s success to its strong culture.
“We know each other, we trust each other, we have built a culture together, so now we can be harder on each other,” she said.
Fifth-year Karen Murphy ’24 commended the team’s “grit and resilience” over the weekend, noting that they “rode the wave” even when they were down by five to seven points in some sets.
“We weren’t playing our best, but we still kept riding the wave and kept going, and we ended up pulling out the win because a lot of people stepped up,” Murphy said.
The successes this weekend serve as a marker for the Big Green’s hard work for the past month. Murphy said this has been her favorite pre-season at Dartmouth.
“We have a really good group of girls, and everyone is on the same page,” she said.
Murphy attributed the team’s recent wins to a heightened level of “heart and competitiveness” that the team “[hasn’t] seen before.”
Murphy was careful to distinguish aggression on the court from a competitive team atmosphere. With a roster of 20 girls, Murphy said, the team has an especially deep roster at each position this season. During practices, a handful of girls rotate through each spot, fostering a “supportive and not competitive team atmosphere,” she explained.
Looking forward, Murphy noted that the Big Green has their eyes on the prize.
“Our goal is to get to the Ivy tournament and make the top four,” she said.
To make that a reality, the team is working on “getting their passing more consistent” so they can “hit their middles more,” she said. The Dartmouth squad is prepared to do that this season, with five middle blockers on their roster.
The Big Green returns to action at Harvard University on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. and again Sept. 28 at 4 p.m. against Bryant College. Harvard is 5-4 in preseason matches and is coming off a 3-0 loss to George Washington University on Saturday. The Big Green will then finally return home to face Cornell University on Oct. 4 at Leede Arena.
