Volleyball’s season has come to an end after a tough loss against New Bedford. Although this was a heartbreaking loss, the team has much to be proud of. The last time the team made it to the third round of tournament was in 2006, and in the time that head coach Lisa Cyr has been coaching, they have never had a bye for the first round until this year. Cyr said, “I am proud of this team for making it this far in tournament. Having the bye was the first step. That was a reward for finishing strong in the regular season. Then the match against Dartmouth was the most amazing match I think I have ever coached. We had a shot against New Bedfordand I am proud of all that getting to that level represents.”
The Rebels started out strong in their game against New Bedford, working up the score to 24-16. The Rebel spirit was high, but they became overconfident with only one point to go to win the first set, and New Bedford came back. Walpole fought for it, but they just could not get the last point they needed to stop New Bedford’s rising momentum and gain their confidence back, so they ended up losing that set 26-24.
After having such a big lead in the game, the Rebel’s spirit shot way down in both the second and third sets compared to the beginning. This was evident in their performance, as they lost both of these games, 25-22 and 25-19. The girls lacked in communication along with confidence. This showed as the players threw out their arms hoping they could get the ball, where as in the past they would make the pass confidently, knowing it was going exactly where they wanted it to go. They also had a hard time working together on the court, which hurt them because with six people on the court, they must work together if they want to have a chance at winning. The Rebels never did gain the lead back but they did not lose hope until the last point was lost and the game was over.
This Walpole team ranked higher in the state and in Division I than any previous team. They finished 15 in Massachusetts and 8 in Division I. They also ended the season higher then last year, being tied for third in Bay State League and second in the Herget League. In comparison to past teams, Cyr said, “This team was obviously motivated to win. They didn’t need to be convinced to win. They wanted it. This year the leadership was exceptional. Captains Lauren and Steph kept this team unified and led by example on the court.”
This year’s team suffered a huge loss of seniors from the previous year who were key players on the court, so it was expected that this year might not end as well as last year did, which was the second round of tournament. However, the Rebels proved that losing these seniors did not mean they would have a losing season. Senior Captain Lauren Bodin said, “I feel this season we definitely stepped it up. We lost key players from last year’s team and had some tough shoes to fill, but in the end we lived up to and surpassed our expectations.”
This year’s team was a different team than in past years and they also achieved more than they have in that past. Just earning the bye in the first round proved this. Beating Dartmouth and making it to the third round of tournament was not expected, but this team did it by working together, being confident, and working as hard as they could. Just like last year, the team will be losing some important seniors, so time will tell whether they will let this effect them in a positive or negative way next year.
