Girls volleyball: Smith Voc to play for Div. 5 state title after downing PVCA

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The seventh-seeded Smith Vocational girls volleyball team took home a huge, 3-1 victory in its MIAA Division 5 state tournament final four matchup against Pioneer Valley Christian on Wednesday night.

Wednesday was Smith Voc’s first ever state semifinal appearance, with the program’s deepest run prior to this year being a trip to the Round of 16.

After dropping the first set, the Vikings knew a mindset change was necessary. The team came out flat, with the magnitude of the matchup seeming to play a factor.

“[I just reminded] them that they can do this, that they have a bunch of things, a bunch of tools, a bunch of skills that they can use, they just needed to shake the nerves off,” Smith Voc head coach Ashley Clark said.

The second set of the match paved the way for how the rest of the night played out. The Vikings took their first lead of the contest with the score reading, 4-3

Stringing together multiple points in a row helped to fully take the momentum for Smith Voc. With their fans behind them, every point the Vikings won created an eruption around the building that fueled the team with energy.

No moment showcased the momentum’s effect on the game more than a string of 10 points in the third set. With an 11-9 lead in the set, Smith Voc. forced the Eagles to call a timeout.

Coming out of the stoppage, Roma Bentrewicz was serving for the Vikings, rallying for 10 consecutive points to get out to a substantial lead and eventually take a 2-1 lead in the match.

“[It was important to fall] into their groove and then [get] into the heads of the other team, like finding the weak spots and really taking advantage of them,” Clark said.

Bentrewicz is a captain and one of three seniors for Smith Voc, showcasing her leadership on Wednesday with an impactful performance. She finished with a team-high 30 assists as the squad’s main setter, adding six digs and two aces.

Heidymar Diaz-Lopez proved why she deserves to share the captaincy, leading the team with 16 kills on the night. The senior also had a team-high five aces, along with 11 digs and one block. 

With a team full of young players, the Vikings relied on their experienced players to lead by example.

“The hard work of all of these players, especially the seniors, is clearly showing in this season,” Clark said.

Behind the success of their leaders, the rest of the Smith Voc roster followed suit. As a team that makes limited substitutions, the Vikings put a lot of trust in their main group.

Libero Hecmarie Diaz-Lopez finished her night with a team-high 36 digs. The sophomore added two aces, one assist and one kill.

Hecmarie Diaz-Lopez suffered a small injury on Wednesday, coming up after diving for a ball and wincing in pain. She stayed in the game, finishing strong and playing a big role down the stretch.

“I just breathed through it,” Hecmarie Diaz-Lopez said. “I just went over and said, ‘I can’t let my team down.'”

Leah Franklin shined for Smith Voc too, totaling 12 kills, as well as three aces, three blocks and three digs. Irelyn Marcoux had 25 digs on her night, alongside six kills, one ace and one assist.

Rylie Rose had 14 digs and two aces, while Ednaliz Cruz had four kills and one block.

With the entire team working as a unit, the confidence level within the team for the Vikings never wavered.

“Anything is possible as long as you have your teammates’ support, good energy and a confident mindset,” Hecmarie Diaz-Lopez said.

Coming into the match, Smith Voc was the lower seed as the Eagles possessed the third seed.

The team used it as motivation, feeling like they had something to prove against PVCA.

“We get underrated,” Clark said. “We actually are a more difficult team than people want to believe.”

With the victory, the Vikings move on to the state title match against No. 1 Hopedale that has not been scheduled as of Wednesday evening.