BELCHERTOWN – At the start of her team’s first set against Easthampton on Tuesday night, Belchertown volleyball coach Melissa Gramuglia was wearing a bright orange hoodie while directing her team from the sidelines.
By the middle of that first set, the hoodie was on the team’s bench as the intensity ratcheted up between the Orioles and the Eagles. The two teams fought tooth and nail during a four-set match, which visiting Easthampton ultimately won 25-23, 23-25, 25-16, 25-18.
“I think we were both equally matched. I tried to prepare my girls for that, knowing that we were both on the same level. It’s always exciting to get two teams that are on a similar level,” Gramuglia said.
It wasn’t just Gramuglia who was feeling hot under the collar as the match wore on. Despite winning the first set, the Eagles struggled to piece their offense together in the opening two frames, and Belchertown’s tenacity allowed the home team to tie the match up with a second-set victory, swinging the momentum in the Orioles’ favor.
“I was absolutely livid after the second set,” Easthampton middle blocker Kaelin Damon. “But we pulled it together…when we figured out how they played, we adjusted and got the win.”
Easthampton went on an 8-0 run in the first set to take a commanding 11-4 lead. They increased that advantage to 19-8 because of a number of Belchertown unforced errors. But even though the Eagles won the first set, the Orioles outscored them 15-6 the remainder of the way, including a dominating 13-1 run that saw them take a 21-20 lead and send the Eagles scrambling.
That momentum carried over into the second set, which Belchertown led for nearly the entirety of the frame. It was a much closer back-and-forth battle, but the Orioles managed to stay two or three points ahead, capitalizing on Easthampton’s mistakes and relying on outside hitters Gianna Picardi and Paige Magner, who were the heart of the team’s offense all night long. Picardi and Magner finished the match with five kills apiece.
“If you look up competitor in the dictionary, it’s like ‘See Gianna Picardi and Paige Magner.’ They’re just ruthless and they want to win and be successful. They’re just gritty, gritty women,” Gramuglia said. “I really enjoy seeing them play on the court and be successful.”
While the cornerstone of Belchertown’s offense got going in the second set, Easthampton head coach Molly Jacobsen was left wondering where her team’s offensive firepower went from the sidelines. As soon as the second set was over, she knew she needed to say something to get her team going.
“We had no offense going. I looked at the stats and we had, I think three kills at that point. My middles should both be having at least five kills by the end of two sets. So I pulled my setter and my two middles aside, I’m like ‘Listen, we’ve got to make something happen offensively,’” Jacobsen said. “And (give) credit to Kaelin Damon, she really turned it around and came out big in the third set, got kills. Actually both she and Maggie (Barr) got like six kills in the third set.”
The middles made the difference for Easthampton, which came out firing in the third set and never looked back from there. Barr finished the night with a team-leading 10 kills while fellow middle blocker Damon finished with eight. Outside hitter Emily Kostek was dominant at the service line, hitting a team-high seven aces, and setter Erin Teague tossed up 14 assists. On defense, Kayley Downie was a rock for the Eagles, getting 22 digs; she was the only player to break double digits in the defensive stat.
It’s clear even early on that Easthampton and Belchertown are playing at a similar level. As the teams progress and iron out some of the mistakes that are bound to happen during the beginning portion of the season, both coaches said they’re looking forward to how the squads will match up later down the road.
“It was an exciting match… I knew Belchertown was going to come out to play and that we certainly weren’t going to win three straight,” Jacobson said. “It was fun – look forward to playing them again.”