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| Windham varsity volleyball junior Victoria Lin returns a volley from Greely during a match on Oct. 8 at Greely. Windham fought hard, but Greely won the match 3-0. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA |
The Windham varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams continue to improve and show they are getting stronger.
The varsity team lost 3-0 to Greely on Friday, Oct. 8 at Greely and JV lost 2-0, but both coaches and players are seeing an increase in Windham’s abilities as we near the end of the regular season.
Both teams really fought, as they showed the Rangers that they were worthy competition.
Varsity
In Game One of this best of five matches, Windham got on the scoreboard right away. They kept up their energy and effort. Windham had excellent serves and volleys.
A block by the Lady Eagles denied the Rangers and gave Windham the opportunity to serve. Windham stayed aggressive for the entire game. Windham junior Victoria Lin scored several points. Greely pulled ahead and while Windham fought, Greely got the win, 25-13.
Greely took the lead in Game Two, but Windham put themselves on the scoreboard a short time after. Greely had a significant lead, and Windham slowly gained on the Rangers.
Windham junior Odessa Files scored multiple points. Greely had a big lead, but Windham came back from behind and really closed the gap. Greely took this one 25-15.
In Game Three, Greely jumped out in front right away, but a stellar return by Windham tied the game up early. Windham took the lead with strong volleys. The Lady Eagles were not about to give up.
A block from Windham senior Samantha Murphy kept Windham in the game. After Windham stuck with it and battled, Greely got the win 25-12.
The Rangers won the match three games to none.
“I think the effort was pretty good, the energy was definitely up,” said Windham varsity volleyball coach Chuck Fleck. “We fought them … pretty hard, we just need to end up on top next time.”
Fleck saw a lot of trust and teamwork on the court. That hasn’t always been present and is a big plus.
Everybody makes the playoffs and Fleck is hoping to surprise a few first rounds; if Windham wants it, they can do it.
“I think we did really well today … I don’t think I’ve ever seen us push that hard before,” said Lin. “We played smarter. We were really good at not getting ourselves in a rut.”
Lin said she saw teamwork and trust, which makes for a better team.
Junior Varsity
In Game One of this best of three matches, Windham sophomore Kailyn Webster got things going with a strong serve.
Greely took the lead, but not before Windham freshman Kaitlyn Webber put a few points on the scoreboard. The game was tied at seven.
Greely pulled away again, but Windham was not going to give up. Windham sophomore Lilly McLean scored several points for the Lady Eagles. Windham was aggressive and did not quit, but Greely got the 25-14 win.
In Game Two, Windham scored immediately and pulled ahead. Soon the game was tied at five.
Windham’s serves were backed with a lot of force. Game Two was tied at 10.
With Greely up, Windham began to make a comeback. The game was close, but Greely got by in the end, 25-20.
This gave the Rangers the 2-0 games to none match win.
Webber said she’s seen a lot of improvement over the season. Many players can get their serves over and can get passes straight to each other. Webber said the team wasn’t in the game 100 percent, which contributed to the loss.
“They definitely have improved over the season,” said Windham JV coach Megan Fleck. “Their serves have been amazing, it’s impressive to see from JV players. Our team is working on getting a bump, set and a hit and I think we really got that going in the game even though it might not win points, it’s something I want them to work on.” <
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