PERA Invites Blue Nation to Cheer for the Volleyball Team at Annual “Earn the W” Day
Get ready, Blue Nation! With just one week left in the regular season, the Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics (PERA) will be hosting its annual Earn the W Day when the Blue volleyball team takes on Babson College, our crosstown and New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) rival, on the evening of Tuesday, October 23.
What is Earn the W Day? It’s your chance to play games, cheer on the Blue volleyball team, and win some free Wellesley gear, including tumblers, winter hats, and T-shirts (while supplies last).
The event begins at 6 pm on the tennis courts inside Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse, where Wellesley’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is sponsoring indoor lawn games. SAAC has partnered with Severance House Council to sell snacks, and SAAC will also be selling Wellesley Athletics stickers. Games will continue until the start of the volleyball match at 7 pm.
"The Student Athlete Advisory Committee is excited for Earn the W day because we can't wait to cheer on the Blue and give out some swag along the way!" said SAAC Co-President Zojajha Ayub.
The Wellesley volleyball team has a perfect 10-0 record on Gracia Mangano Martore ’73 Court, and the team is looking to make a run to its second consecutive and 13th all-time NCAA tournament. The team is currently ranked No. 7 in New England with a record of 17-5 overall, while Babson is ranked No. 4 in the region.
The last time the teams met was the 2017 NEWMAC semifinals, where Wellesley earned a dramatic 3-2 victory to advance to the championship game. Tuesday’s match promises to be just as exciting, with both teams looking to secure a place in this year’s conference tournament.
This has already been a historic season for the Blue, with three members of the senior class reaching major milestones. Yasmine Reece ’19 became the 10th student-athlete in Wellesley’s history to reach 1,000 career kills, while Samantha Hoang ’19 joined a list of nine past Wellesley student-athletes with her 1,000th career dig in the same September 7 win over Suffolk. Reece and Hoang were both named NEWMAC Athletes of the Week last week.
"Our team really feeds off the energy of the fans," said Reece. "Having a big crowd on Tuesday would really help us against our conference rivals form Babson."
Earlier this month, Michelle Li ’19 recorded her 3,000th career assist to help Wellesley to a 3-0 win over Clark. Li is now fewer than 500 assists from the school record of 3,714, held by Katie Antypas ’99, who was just inducted into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame. That win was also the 600th career victory for Blue Head Coach Dorothy Webb. Webb, head coach of the Blue since 1993, is among the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA Division III history.
If you are unable to attend Tuesday’s match, you can still watch live at 7 pm at www.wellesleyblue.com.
