CLAREMONT- Stevens volleyball looked impressive in the opening set against Hillsboro-Deering, coming out of the gates hot and winning 25-23 for their first set-win of the year. They fell in the next three sets, and are still searching for their first win after losing 3-1 on Tuesday night.
In the opening set, Stevens found themselves in a hole down 20-18, but then scrapped their way to a 6-1 run to go up 24-21. Hillsboro then called a timeout. After the timeout, the visitors scored a quick two points to pressure the Cardinals and get to within a point, 24-23. After a Hillsboro serve and a back-and-forth battle, Stevens’ Madeline Ferland had the set-clinching block that sent the home crowd at Frederick W. Carr Gymnasium into an uproar.
The first set win was a sense of relief for a team that has seen its share of struggle, including their coach resigning following a loss at Fall Mountain on September 19. The Cardinals’ new head coach, Kathryn Plouffe, already has plans to try to change the program around and she thought that Tuesday night was a step in the right direction.
“That’s the best that I’ve seen them play,” coach Plouffe said. “To win a set at home means a lot to them. The fans were really into it. We came out strong, it’s just the finishing part. I wish we could finish a little bit more.”
In the second set, Stevens jumped out to a 7-2 advantage behind the serving of Natalie Goss and Emma Anderson. Hillsboro quickly got right back into it, and was able to tie the game at 13 apiece. Late in the set, coach Plouffe called a timeout with the Cardinals down 21-19. Steven notched a point to get within one, but Hillsboro was able to rally to win the second set 25-20. They started to gain momentum after that late rally in the second, and used that to win the next two sets, 25-16, and 25-9, respectively,
“The girls have worked really hard and it’s baby steps but I want this program to grow and get better,” said coach Plouffe after the game. Ferland chimed in, saying, “I want to win really bad.”
Plouffe already has plans to get Stevens on the right track, including scheduling offseason scrimmages against Fall Mountain and Sunapee starting next summer. “Big schools have year-round volleyball training,” said Ferland after the gym cleared, “…It’d be nice to have things like that so we can get better.”
Even though the Cardinals drop to 0-10 on the season, the team was all smiles after the game for a special reason.
The entire Cardinals team lined up and signed a game ball for a lucky young girl, Dalyla Abby, who is Stevens’ biggest fan after seeing her first Cardinals volleyball game on Tuesday night and now wants to play after loving what she saw out on the court.
“I pointed out to the girls that they are now role models and they just won over Dalyla’s heart,” said Plouffe.
Plouffe played soccer for Dalyla’s father, Todd Abby, growing up in Claremont, and was appreciative of her coming to enjoy the game. Another hometown connection is that Madison Aldrich (senior captain for Stevens) is Dalyla’s babysitter.
Stevens will travel to Mascoma on Wednesday night before getting a well-deserved week off after having four games in the last five days.
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