Fontbonne Academy Volleyball Wins Battle Dramatic at Archbishop Williams

With Taylor Sheppard as their guide, the Fontbonne Academy volleyball team emerged with a dramatic victory.

Sheppard led the way, recording 15 kills, 11 service aces along with 21 defensive digs as the Ducks battled to a 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 15-9) marathon win over Archbishop Williams in Friday afternoon's match-up at a packed Bishop Gymnasium. 

As a result, the Ducks improved to 2-1 overall under first-year coach Andy Mather. Earlier in the season, the Ducks breezed through a 3-0 victory over Our Lady of Nazareth before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Braintree.

"They (Archbishop Williams) gave us a tough battle, and it was a fight to the finish,'' said Mather. "This is a tough place to play for a visiting team, but our girls were able to persevere and pull through. Our girls are great athletes, and we try not to get too hard on ourselves. The girls play with a lot of confidence, and they were able to turn things up when the match was on the line."

Other key catalysts for the Ducks included libero Tori Perez, who added 36 defensive digs followed by Rita Callahan with eight kills along with Brittany Brennan (seven kills) and Rachel Selbert (four kills).

In the opening game, both teams continued to trade points as Sheppard delivered several key kills as the Ducks established a 5-0 run. Despite a strong start in the first match, the Ducks were overcome by a series of unforced errors, which led to a late run by the Bishops. 

Even with a 23-18 lead, the Ducks failed to close out the first game as Christina Chase and Courtney Wilbur created a 7-0 run to grab a 1-0 lead. 

"We have to work out our unforced errors,'' said Mather. "We made too many mistakes out there, and we let them get too many easy points. We had too many service errors, and we can't beat ourselves with mistakes."

In the second game, the Bishops created an early 3-1 lead before the Ducks executed an 8-2 run en route to a 13-6 lead. With Allie Rezendes at serve, the Ducks reeled off five consecutive service points before the Bishops counterattacked with a 9-0 run. Kills by Allie Dean and Christine Chase followed before the Ducks committed five consecutive unforced errors. 

Tied at 15-15, both teams continued to trade points on service errors before Sheppard guided the Ducks on a 6-2 run on a pair of kills and service points.

After the Bishops trimmed the gap to 22-21, Sheppard paved the way for a 3-1 game ending run, delivering a pair of convincing kills. 

In the third game, the Ducks appeared to have the momentum in hand, as Sheppard guided the Ducks to an 8-2 run en route to a 14-6 lead. Battling back, the Bishops capitalized on unforced errors along with kills by Michaela Flanagan, Emma Manning and Chase, transforming a 14-6 deficit onto a 15-14 lead. Throughout the match, both teams continued to trade points before the Bishops delivered a backbreaking 3-0 run to grab the 25-22 win and a 2-1 match lead. 

"We had the game, but then we let it slip away,'' said Mather. "The girls showed a tremendous amount of mental toughness coming back and playing strong."

In the fourth game,, both teams continued to trade points before the Ducks established a 3-0 run on a pair of kills by Rezendes. 

Missed opportunities and service errors continued to plague both teams before the Ducks engineered a key 6-0 run. With the match tied at 17-17, kills by Brennan, Jen Gemma and Rezendes paved the way for a 20-17 edge before the Bishops committed a pair of costly unforced errors. 

A service error handed the Bishops a bit of life as kills by Emma Manning and Dean trimmed the gap to 23-19 before Sheppard secured the match win, delivering a convincing kill as the Ducks tied the match at 2-2. 

In the fifth and deciding match, Sheppard guided the Ducks on an 8-1 surge as kills by Rezendes, Callahan and Sheppard set the tone. Kills by Callahan and Brennan followed as the Ducks established a commanding 11-3 lead. 

With the Bishops holding serve, a 5-0 run ensued, cutting the lead to 11-9 before the Ducks regained momentum, capitalizing on a pair of unforced errors to secure the 3-2 win.

The Ducks will return to action on Tuesday afternoon in a home match against league archrivals Norte Dame of Hingham.