One-hundred and twenty-five fans filled Ragan Brown Field House on Sept. 30, to watch Guilford’s volleyball team play their first home Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) match against the Sweet Briar Vixens.

With a 5-8 record coming into the match, the Quakers looked to take a step closer to matching their win total from last year’s 7-23 campaign. “We’ve been working really hard and it’s finally starting to pay off,” said junior outside hitter Courtney Kozar.

The Quakers conquered the court with back-to-back-to-back wins against the Vixens on Wednesday, which pronounced the Quakers 1-3 in their conference.

Starting off the match, Sweet Briar swiftly served the ball and set up for a kill, which earned them the first point of the match. However, Guilford immediately recovered, as sophomore Laura Kopald returned a kill on the very next point.

The level of energy and communication on the court gave Guilford an advantage over Sweet Briar. Their movements appeared predetermined like a choreographed dance, as they consistently reconfigured and returned shots.

“We’re still learning each other’s abilities and to trust each other on the court,” said senior captain Bethany Hawks. “We improve every practice – every game.”

After scoring five points, the Quakers gave up five, and head coach Emily Gann strategically called a time-out.

With words of wisdom from Gann and a kill from first-year Brittany Freeman, the Quakers put an end to the Vixens’ scoring streak. Guilford began their own streak soon after, and scored nine consecutive points off of Kopald’s serving. But the game remained neck-and-neck.

Tied 17 to 17 with Hawks serving, the Quakers began to surge ahead of Sweet Briar, as they scored six consecutive points.

“Quakes,” Guilford yelled in unison before returning to the court after a Sweet Briar timeout. The Quakers won the close game at 25-21.

In the wake of their first win, Guilford shakily began their second game, losing possession through an attack error, and winning back possession through the Vixen’s service errors. Gann crouched low with a slightly furrowed brow, unwilling to proclaim victory until the game was safely in Guilford’s hands.

At 5-5, a kill by sophomore Emma Gunn, assisted by sophomore Taylor Philips marked the first of seven consecutive points, which were served by Freeman.

Sophomores Mary Moody, Philips, and Gunn led Guilford in kills and assisted kills in the second game.

At 15-8, Freeman literally picked up her senior teammate Hawks, lovingly by the jersey, after she laid out for a ball.

“We’re all really different, but we’re all here for volleyball, and we click,” said Hawks. “We have a great group dynamic.”

With a high level of intensity and teamwork, Guilford never gave up more than two consecutive points in the second game, a game that ended in a 25-13 victory.

For the first 16 points of the third game, both teams battled back and forth for possession and points.

At 8-8, Guilford scored eight more consecutive points, which gave them a lead for the rest of the game. The crowd stamped their feet fast in a drum roll for the last point of the match, which was won off of sophomore Kate Dailey’s assist to Gunn’s kill.

The final score was 25-17, which marked Guilford’s three-game sweep over the Vixens.

“Being such a young team makes it difficult to mesh and to know each other’s next moves,” said Gann after the win. “It’s really exciting to not even be halfway through the schedule and to see that we’re starting to grow and come together at the right time.