Warriors Nipped by Wolfpack

A strong attack and mental errors were just too much for the Wayland High girls’ volleyball team to overcome.

Courtney Hoban recorded 12 kills and six blocks and Chloe Lane added 10 kills as Boston Latin handed the Warriors a tough 3-0 defeat in Friday’s Dual County League match-up at Wayland High School.

Coupled with 3-0 losses to Norton, Concord-Carlisle and Newton South, the Warriors remain winless at 0-4 overall while Boston Latin improves to 3-1.

For first-year coach Kristine Norrman, the road to victory has been a challenging one during the first month of the season.

“We are a very young team, and we just made too many mental mistakes out there,’’ said Norrman. “It’s a learning experience for the girls, and we will get better as the season progresses. We played well at times, but (Boston Latin) had some really strong hitters and that threw us off a bit.”

In the first match, the Warriors battled to a 25-18 defeat before suffering losses of 25-12 and 25-13 in the second and third matches.

“We played well in spurts and there were times when we had the momentum on our side,’’ said Norrman. “But they [Boston Latin] would regroup, come back and get on a run and then take control of the game.”

In the first game, the Wolfpack stormed out to a 20-8 lead. Led by key kills by Hoban, Faney Zhu along with several assists by setter Lauren Sullivan, the Warriors struggled to a slow start.

Kills by junior co-captain Olivia Shaw and Kruti Vora closed the gap to 21-13 before a pair of Wolfpack unforced errors placed the Warriors within six (21-15). Following a time out, the Wolfpack regrouped as a kill by Faney Zhu combined with a pair of unforced errors extended the lead to 24-15. Despite a late surge by the Warriors, the match ended on a service error as the Wolfpack secured the 25-18 win.

“We just committed too many mental mistakes out there,’’ said Norrman. “Service errors and unforced errors really set us back a bit, and it’s something we have to work on. We’re a very young team with only one senior and two [junior] captains, and the great thing about that is that we will have everyone back next year.”

In the second match, the Wolfpack stormed out to a commanding 6-0 lead before an unforced error closed the gap to 6-1. Thanks to the combination of mental errors, along with the aggressive attack of Hoban, Zhu and Lane, the Wolfpack engineered a commanding 8-0 run en route to a 14-1 edge.

A Norrman time out combined with three unforced errors by the Wolfpack propelled a 3-0 Warrior run, closing the gap to 17-6 before the Wolfpack extended the lead to 20-6. With Madi Brown serving, the Warriors established a furious surge as kills by Zoe Richards, Alex van Rooyen and Shaw created an impressive 6-0 run, cutting the lead to 20-12.

“The girls never gave up, and there were times when we looked great,’’ said Norrman. “The talent is there, but we just have to put it together. It’s still early in the season, and there is still plenty of time to improve.

A time out by the Wolfpack proved to be the calming difference as several unforced errors led a game closing 4-0 run en route to a 25-12 win.

In the third match, unforced errors by the Wolfpack led the Warriors within striking distance, trailing just 5-3.

Another key service error by the Warriors paved the way for a 7-2 run as kills by Hoban, Margaret Mulligan and an ace by Sullivan handed the Wolfpack a 15-5 lead.

Unforced errors allowed, combined with kills by Shaw and van Rooyen closed the gap to 18-12.

After another costly service error, the Wolfpack regained momentum, creating a match ending 7-1 run to seal the win.

The Warriors will return to the court on Monday where they’ll host Norton in a non-league match.