The early stages of conference play have proven to be tough for the Seahawks as they dropped their first two matches against JMU and Delaware last week. Friday night was no different, as UNC Wilmington lost its third consecutive conference match to the Tribe (5-9). The Seahawks (10-6) still have a large part of the season remaining, however, they will need to pick up the pace if they want to remain in championship contention. 

UNCW fell short in a very intense 3-2 match against William & Mary (15-25, 25-14, 25-21, 21-25, 13-15). The Seahawks were led by senior middle blocker Kendall Bender, who boasted 17 kills and a .696 hit percentage. Bender was followed by Madison Peters and Jaime Thomas who both had 10 kills. 

“We have to come out of the gate with a stronger mentality,” said UNCW coach Amy Bambenek. “There have been some miscommunications that have led to inconsistencies.”  

Coach also seemed demanding when asked about the team’s physical play, “Our serving and passing has to get a lot better.” 

Although the Seahawks walked out of Hanover Hall on Friday with a loss, they were not alone in their bout. Numerous fans and students packed the gym to cheer on the home team. There were various moments when it was difficult to hear yourself speak because of the rowdiness displayed by the crowd. 

“There were definitely some close moments in the game when the cheering and momentum from the crowd helped us and gave us the upper hand,” said Peters. “I feel like Hanover is a really difficult place for visiting teams to play because we have such amazing fans; we are really lucky.” 

UNCW hopes to put this losing streak to bed when the Seahawks face off against Elon (7-8) on Sunday, while William & Mary will head further south to take on College of Charleston (3-12).