Sports
Lincoln-Sudbury Girls Volleyball Team Advances to Sectional Final
Strong serving, passing, and defense help Warriors beat Algonquin.
The Lincoln-Sudbury girls volleyball team found itself down 20-16 in the first set of their Division 1 West-Central semifinal matchup with Algonquin on Thursday night.
But the Warriors fought back, winning seven straight points and nine of the last 11 and never looked back in defeating the Tomahawks, 3-0 in sets (25-22, 25-20, and 25-16).
The crowd was loud and boisterous for both sides during this back-and-forth match. Strong serving from junior Alex Braverman, strong defense and pinpoint passes by sophomore Jen Ayer, and sensational sets by senior Whitney LaRow led the Warriors comeback in the first set to win 25-22. Braverman and junior Mandy Sifferlen brought the crowd to its feet with thunderous kills in the second set. Fans chanted “You can’t stop her” after each kill.
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The second set featured another see-saw battle with Lincoln-Sudbury racing out to a 19-12 lead. Algonquin coach Janice Henningson called timeout, and the Tomahawks fought back with five straight points to close the deficit to 19-17. Lincoln-Sudbury coach Judy Katalina responded with a rare timeout to settle down her team. The Warriors hung on to win the set 25-20 behind important kills from senior Kelley White and Alex Braverman, and strong serves from Mandy Sifferlen.
The Warriors wore down the Tomahawks behind eight straight points on serve from Braverman to start the third set. Jen Ayer covered the court beautifully and saved several points with superb digs to frustrate Algonquin’s offense. Kelley White and Sifferlen executed strong kills off of accurate passes from Whitney LaRow and junior Jessie Bursma. White finished the set and the match with a kill to secure the Warriors place in the sectional final on Saturday. They will play league rival Acton-Boxborough, who upset top seed Franklin in the other semifinal, at 5 p.m. at Hudson High School.
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“Our passing was the reason we won tonight,” Katalina said. “Jen Ayer was the catalyst, and Alex played a strong game with 11 kills.”
Katalina also looked forward to the challenge of Saturday’s matchup.
“We know what Acton-Boxborough can do because they play in our league,” Katalina said. “We need to bring same effort and intensity we brought tonight.”
