HAMPSHIRE -- Ask anyone on the Hampshire roster what the best part about its 25-15, 25-22 win over Harvard on Tuesday night was, and they'll all say the same thing: revenge.
The Whip-Purs not only improved their record to 25-2 and 6-2 in Big Northern Conference East Division play, but they also got back at the Hornets, who handed the Whips their first loss of the year on Sept. 25.
"I once heard this coach talk about revenge and how sweet it is and she couldn't be more right," Hampshire coach Karen Whitehouse said. "That was a nice win for us."
The difference this time around was aggressive serving and limiting unforced errors.
Hampshire, and particularly junior standout Kara Wehrs, came out on fire in Game 1. The Kansas recruit recorded 10 straight service points, including four aces, to give her team an early 10-0 lead, and the Whips never looked back.
"This is the first game I actually jump-served and I've been working on it a lot in practice," said Wehrs, who ended her night with 10 assists, six kills and six aces. "I found a way to be consistent with it so I was really excited to come out and show them I could do it."
The closest Harvard (18-8, 6-3) came to making a comeback was when it cut the lead to 12-5. But a tip-kill by Wehrs and an ace from sister Amy Wehrs quickly put the Hornets back into a big hole.
Amy had two of her five kills in Game 1.
The Whips displayed a balanced team effort in Game 2. With Harvard focusing on the Wehrs sisters, others had to step up, and middle blocker Cassie Dumoulin was up to the challenge. With the Whips up 23-22, the junior tallied the final two points of the game via the kill to give the Whips the win.
"It keeps the offense off guard because they're always after Amy and Kara and I would be too with how hard they hit," Dumoulin said. "I've got to credit everyone though."
Added Whitehouse: "Second time around in conference, teams are going to key in on our outside. They know it's going to go to Amy or Kara so our middle did a great job today when they got the ball, finding a way to score. Now teams have to respect them and it opens up the outside again."
The Game 2 win didn't come easy though. The Hornets battled the Whips and tied the game at 15, but were never able to take a lead.
"Revenge, it was pretty nice," Dumoulin said. "From the start we thought this should be our game and this is how it should be."
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