Revenge will be the name of the game when Guilford’s volleyball team faces their archrival Peace College in the first home game of the year on Sept. 3. “We beat them on their senior night, so they’re looking for some revenge,” said junior Bethany Hawks. “We need to start out strong and end strong.”

The players for Peace won’t be the only ones looking forward to the match. “Peace is one of those schools that we’ve been so competitive with that our team gets really pumped up,” said Head Coach Emily Gann.

In 2006, Guilford lost both of their matches against Peace. However, last year, Guilford sought revenge by beating Peace twice. Those wins were two of only seven victories in 27 games. Additionally, the team lost nine out of ten conference matches. Their bleak season left much to be desired for.

“I’ve tried to get it out of my head, put it all behind me, start a fresh, clean year,” Hawks said.

“Our team dynamic is different,” Gann said. The team lost three players over the summer, one to graduation and two to injuries; therefore, they had to bring in a large first-year class. With so many new players, the challenge is to improve communication and teamwork.

“We all get along great, we have great communication,” first-year Taylor Phillips said. “Sometimes the upper and lower-classmen have a rift but there’s none of that this year.”

During preseason, the team has been working hard to prepare for the year, focusing particularly on making their offense faster. “Our strength is defense,” Gann said. “A good offense is a good defense. If you can’t play defense, then you have a lesser chance of winning.”

After last year’s disappointing performance, the players are hopeful about this year’s prospects and eager to prove themselves. “We want to better the team’s record, to totally improve from the last year’s,” Phillips said.

“We have more heart, we have more hustle,” Hawks said. “The newcomers love the sport; you can tell from the way they play.” Hawks expects an improved record and an Old Dominican Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament appearance.

The first step to making the tournament begins with the game against Peace at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, in Ragan-Brown Field House.

“I expect that we will win,” Gann confidently said. “It will be a competitive match but Guilford will come out on top in the end.