Buccaneers End Win Streak for Warrior Girls' Volleyball

Even after suffering a tough defeat, first year Wayland High girls’ volleyball coach Kristine Norrman still drew a smile across her face.

Olivia Shaw led the way, recording 12 kills and eight blocks, and Zoe Richards added eight kills and three blocks, but the Warriors suffered a 3-1 defeat to Bedford High School in Friday night’s Dual County League match-up at Wayland. Also contributing was libero Madi Brown, who recorded six digs while playing solid defense in the back row.

The Warriors fell to 2-5 on the season, but managed to finish out the week at 2-1 after wins over Norton and Waltham on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

In the loss, the Warriors suffered a tough 25-23 defeat in the first game, before recovering to tie the contest with a 25-23 win in the second. After falling behind 25-16 in the third contest, the Warriors nearly pushed the Buccaneers to a fifth and deciding game, but fell short in a 25-22 defeat.

“The girls are playing so much better, and they’re playing with more and more confidence with every match,’’ said Norrman. “They’ve come a long way over the past couple of weeks, and they’re playing with less and less mental errors. I told the girls that I’m very proud of the progress they’ve made, and that they’re going to continue to improve.”

In the first game, both teams continued to trade points throughout the match as the Warriors established a 10-7 lead. Plagued by unforced errors, the Warriors surrendered the brief edge as the Buccaneers regained momentum and grabbed a 15-12 lead.

As both teams continued to trade points by virtue of service and unforced errors, the Buccaneers pulled away with a pair of decisive kills by Kiana McPomeroy to secure the win.

In the second game, the teams traded points before the Warriors engineered a 3-0 run to grab a 7-4 lead. Unforced errors combined with three service aces propelled the Buccaneers to a 7-0 run en route to a 14-10 lead. Unforced errors by the Warriors paved the way for an 18-13 Buccaneer lead before Richards led a decisive 6-0 charge. After a kill and a pair of aces by Richards, the Buccaneers committed three consecutive unforced errors as the Warriors grabbed a 19-18 lead.

Two unforced Buccaneer errors combined with consecutive kills by Shaw sealed the 25-23 Warrior win.

“Olivia [Shaw] was just all over the place, and she was making some great blocks and putting some great rallies together,’’ said Norrman. “The girls are really stepping up and playing well as a team. The middle and back rows did a tremendous job saving a lot of balls and playing some solid defense.”

Tied at 1-1, the teams traded points in the early going before the Buccaneers established an 8-1 scoring run. Four unforced errors combined with a missed hit up front transformed a 10-7 lead into a 16-11 deficit. A Karen O’Donnell kill momentarily halted the Buccaneers’ momentum, but unforced errors by the Warriors, combined with a pair of service points by Ann Greene, extended the Bucs lead to 23-14. After a Richards’ kill, the Bucs grabbed the 2-1 match lead on a 2-0 run.

“We matched up pretty well with Bedford, and the games could’ve gone either way,’’ said Norrman. “We still have to work on our unforced and mental errors and clean up our game.”

Led by Shaw and Richards, the Warriors stormed out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth match before the Buccaneers established a rally. Unforced errors combined with kills up front by McPomeroy paved the way to an 8-3 run, tying the game at 8-8.

Service and unforced errors continued to plague both teams as they  were mired in a 13-13 tie before a pair of service aces propelled a 16-13 Bucs lead.

Three consecutive unforced errors by the Warriors led to a 23-19 Buccaneers lead, but a pair of Richards’ blocks kept the Warriors’ within striking distance before a kill by Greene sealed the match.