MIAA girls volleyball: South Shore Tech shocks South Hadley in Div. 4 Round of 32

SOUTH HADLEY — Head Coach Madelynne Kelleher took her team into the hallway to make one final plea to the South Hadley volleyball.

“Those two sets cannot be how your season ends,” she said.

The No. 12 Tigers were on the brink of elimination after dropping back-to-back sets to No. 21 South Shore Tech in the Round of 32 of the MIAA Division 4 girls volleyball state tournament.

South Hadley responded with a narrow victory in the third set and came out strong in the fourth set. Ultimately, the Tigers couldn’t find their timing and the visiting Vikings pulled off the upset on Thursday, winning 3-1.

“I think a lot people were eager to hit the ball, which is something that has been a problem throughout the season,” Kelleher said. “I think maybe they were a little bit anxious tonight and couldn’t make that connection out on the court.”

Facing an unfamiliar team in South Shore Tech, located in Hanover, who did not face any of the same teams as the Tigers, Keller told her team to throw away the seeds and records ahead of the match.

South Hadley took an early 5-1 advantage in the first set before the Vikings rattled off six straight points to grab their first lead of the night.

From there, South Shore slowly expanded to an eight-point lead as late as 23-15. Hitting errors and miscommunication plague South Hadley throughout the night.

The Tigers sparked four straight points to force a Viking timeout at 23-19. The teams traded the final four points to give the Vikings the 25-21 win to take control of the match.

“I think our heads weren’t in it tonight,” senior Vivian Marion said. “I think from that fear of not playing together, we let that feat almost consume us.”

In the second set, it was the Vikings who ran out to a 7-1 lead before a kill by Tierney Matyszewski started an 7-0 run for the Tigers.

Later in the set, senior Maya Thielen landed a spike to make the score 24-21 in favor of South Shore and give the serve back to South Hadley. She landed four kills and had an assist on the night.

The final point came on a drive from the Vikings that just hit the back line to stay in bounds. The play was emblematic of the night for South Hadley.

After one of the more successful seasons in recent history for the program, Kelleher knew the two sets did not represent who the Tigers were. She wanted her team to finish strong and walk away proud of how they fought back.

“They couldn’t carry that energy into the third set and allow that to be how the season ends. I think they took that to heart,” Kelleher said.

While the Tigers still tried to find a rhythm, they started get more hits over the net and put the pressure the Vikings to make mistakes.

The set came down to the wire once again. South Shore scored to tie the game 20-20 and South Hadley called a timeout.

Marion hit the following point for South Hadley and then carried the ball to the back line to serve. In a moment when her adrenaline was at a high, she took an extra second to breathe and relax. The next serve could change the outcome of the set.

“I just wanted to move so fast and be everyone on the court,” Marion said. “So I was like, ‘Take a breath. You’re serving. Focus on getting it over.'”

The senior stepped up and landed three straight aces. The Tigers pulled ahead 24-20. Despite a quick three point run from the Vikings, South Hadley pulled out set three 25-23.

Marion tallied six kills and 10 digs on the night.

“I know that brought them a lot of pride and joy,” Kelleher said. “It gave them encouragement to move forward and work hard into the next set.”

Suddenly equipped with their mojo, the Tigers gathered in a circle on the floor before the fourth set. This time it was the players who gave themselves their own pep talk.

That energy carried into the fourth set as they led 10-3 from the jump.

The Vikings though would not be denied the upset win though. A timeout reset South Shore and quickly tied the game at 13-13. The teams traded points and mini-runs until the end. The Tigers fought until the end, but came up just short to extend their season, 25-23.

“I know leaning on each other, trusting each other and trusting themselves brings the best outcome,” Kelleher said. “I’m super proud of this team and everything that they’ve accomplished this season.”

After losing zero seniors from last season, South Hadley brought back its entire roster this fall. Led by a strong group of six seniors, the Tigers won 12 games and earned its highest seed under the current playoff format.

“They are all amazing well-rounded athletes. Amazing girls, players and teammates overall,” Kelleher said. “There have been times that I’ve asked so much of them, for them to play different positions. And they’re more than willing to do that. Just do what they can to support the team.”

Tali Quinn led South Hadley with 14 assists and five aces. Grace Matyszewski had five kills and was everywhere on defense with a team-high 20 digs. Peyton Leclair had three kills and a dig in her final match.

“I’ve grown so much as a person being with them, just as team,” Marion said of her fellow seniors. “I’m so grateful for this team and how far we’ve come as people and teammates.”

Woburn 3, Amherst 1 — The No. 25 Hurricanes forced a fourth set, but could not overtake the Tanners in the Div. 2 Round of 32.

Amherst closed out the season 16-5.

Field hockey

Belchertown 4, North Middlesex 1 — Two points each from Gianna Zenon and Kina Roy lifted the No. 31 Orioles to a preliminary-round win in the Div. 3 state tournament.

Zenon scored twice while Jocelyn McMahon and Julia Rainaud found the back of the net.

Belchertown advances to the Round of 32 for a meeting with second-seeded Uxbridge on Friday.

Monomoy 7, Smith Academy 2 — Falcons goalie Chloe Avery’s 37 saves (career high) wasn’t enough in its Round of 32 loss.

Smith Academy, the 29th seed, received goals from Sophia Jagodzinski and Bella Gavron.

The Falcons’ final record came out to 6-6-3.

Football

Div. 7 state tournament

Rockland 41, South Hadley 0

Wednesday results

Girls volleyball

Easthampton 3, Saint Paul Diocesan 0 — Four different Eagles accumulated at least five kills in their Div. 4 preliminary round win at home.

Camilla Corsello and Kaylin Dumas tied for the team lead with seven kills, while Brooke Skowron snagged 17 digs.

Set scores read 25-13, 25-17, 25-17.

Easthampton, No. 28, will travel to No. 5 Mount Greylock in the Round of 32 next.