Girls Volleyball Team Finishes Strong in Victory

It may not have come as easily as the first two victories, but the Lincoln-Sudbury girls volleyball team still came away with the all important win in its third match of the year.

The Warriors dominated the last two sets of the match, defeating Westford Academy 3-1 in sets in front of a capacity-filled gymnasium at Lincoln-Sudbury High School.

Lincoln-Sudbury (3-0) split the first two sets with Westford Academy (1-2), winning 25-21, then losing 25-23. The team rebounded in a big way in the final two sets winning the third 25-14, and closing out Westford 25-12 in the fourth.

In the fourth set, the Warriors had their biggest lead of the afternoon, a 19-6 advantage.  Senior Meaghan Simons rattled of eight straight points on her serve leading the L-S attack.  Sophomore Mandy Sifferlen and senior Emily Rudder were exceptionally strong, resulting in several kills throughout the set.

In the third set, Rudder, fellow senior Kayla Ngan and sophomore Alex Braverman took over.  Ngan constantly set up her teammates as they continued to see their spikes hit the Westford Academy side of the floor.

"Kayla runs the court with confidence," said head coach Judy Katalina. "She makes the girls very comfortable, she knows exactly what she is doing and she makes good decisions."

Rudder and Braverman also drew high praises from Katalina for their play in the match.

"They [Rudder, Braverman] were aggressive at the net," she said. "They were strong today."

The second set of the match was a back-and-forth affair. The score was tied five times in the set, and the Warrior led by seven at one point. But Westford Academy did not quit, finishing with a narrow victory.

The first set was much of the same, except it was a Lincoln-Sudbury comeback win. L-S trailed 20-15 at one point before Katalina called a time out. After the quick pep talk, the Warriors came back with a 10-1 run, winning the set behind strong play from Lindsey Jones, Rudder, Braverman and Ngan.

"We had a lack of confidence [early], we stopped being aggressive, our passing broke down, and we weren't playing as well as a team," Katalina said.

Katalina stressed that a match like this is a learning experience of the team going forward.

"Anybody can beat anyone at any given time," she said.

Up next for the Warriors is their first road game of the year. They travel to Newton South High School for a match on Wednesday.