Last weekend, the women’s volleyball team played at the Great Lakes Crossover with a pool of teams from other conferences around the Midwest region. Although the Yeowomen started with a loss to Thiel College, they won against both Eastern Mennonite University and Allegheny College in a two-game win streak.

Second-year Cami Sweet couldn’t believe the games’ statistics as Coaches Erica Rau and Katie Stansbury read them aloud to the team. According to the coaches, the Yeowomen have a solid chance of winning more than half their games this season — a first in program history. Sweet became the North Coast Atlantic Conference Player of the Week by scoring points for almost half the swings made over the net during the tournament. Additionally, she had a hitting percentage of 0.475 from 36 kills out of her 59 hits.

“We’re all so dedicated and we all want to win,” Sweet said.

The team’s early success can be partially attributed to Stansbury, known to the team as “Stanny,” a new assistant coach for the Yeowomen and former Division I volleyball player for Colgate University.

“[Coach Stansbury’s] enthusiasm and volleyball knowledge make her an amazing coach. … I think our passers are already better after working with her,” second-year Natalie Dufour said. “She also just brings a lot of energy to the court.”

In addition to Stansbury’s leadership skills, it doesn’t hurt that the majority of the team is made up of returning players who were part of a historic win against DePauw University and the first victory against Kenyon College in six years. This team almost went .500 last season, and though they weren’t able to achieve their goal, third-years Taylor Gwynne and Andréa Jones earned All- NCAC Honorable Mentions in the end.

“We have worked hard to have a great relationship with volleyball in general, as well as our chemistry on the court, and it’s showing,” Jones said.

The coaches show just as much excitement as their players this season.

“We are so excited about this group of young athletes!” Stansbury and Rau wrote in an email to the Review. “Everyone has a lot of experience, and we have strong senior leaders that are ready to move the program forward. This is the most talented team I have coached at Oberlin, and there are big things ahead for us this season.”

Since then, the team added another win to its streak at a home game on Wednesday night against Waynesburg University. The team will play Olivet College tonight in the NCAC Challenge.