Windham varsity volleyball stays ahead of Noble

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham High varsity volleyball increased their record to 2-1 after a game against Noble at Windham on Friday, Sept. 13. The Lady Eagles came out strong and quickly won the first two sets. Although Noble won the third set, Windham finished the match by taking the fourth set to win, 3-1.

Windham junior captain and libero Lauren Neal, middle,
sets the ball up for a teammate during a prep volleyball
match against Noble on Sept. 13 at Windham High School.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“Once you get the two (wins) under your belt teams will sometimes take the foot off the gas a little bit,” said Windham varsity volleyball coach Chris Cloutier. “That caught us a little bit when we had people who don’t typically play together a whole lot. They ended up coming in the end of that third set and scoring a few points and led to them (realizing) they need to put their foot back on the gas to win that fourth set. I think there was more communication on the floor in the fourth set, they were aggressive but smart with the ball in the way that they played. They realized it’s the little stuff that matters and they had to really pay attention to what they were doing instead of going through the motions. They worked on being smart with the ball, finding the zones where people weren’t, but still trying to keep the ball in.”

Windham scored early in the first set. Junior Kendra Eubanks had a block and junior Oakley McLeod sent the ball over the net and Windham led 6-0.

Noble picked up a little steam but had a long way to go. A spike from Eubanks allowed Windham to keep its edge. Windham took the first set 25-16.

“We had to bring up the energy,” said Eubanks. “We’re good at hanging our heads when it’s hard; we pushed ourselves to the max that we could. Everybody is supportive; got really frustrated (in the third set) but picked it up in the fourth set. Our hitting went really well, we definitely got good at being simple, because it takes simple over power, especially when it comes to winning, and getting the points. We could definitely work on our talking.”

In the second set, Windham’s intensity did not dip. They were playing smart as a team. Junior Paige Atherton had a solid block. The game was tied at 13. The Lady Eagles stayed out in front; there were very strong volleys and serves. Junior captain and libero Lauren Neal had several good dives. Windham got by with a 25-22 win.

In set three, Noble took the lead early and stayed there until they won. Windham still gave 110 percent but was far behind and it lost 25-11.

The final set was a close one with each team going neck and neck. Junior Kiara Lee’s serving earned Windham a few points. Windham pulled ahead, but the game was tight. Windham then had a significant lead; they won the set 25-13.

“I think as a whole we’ve grown a lot as a team since last year,” said Neal. “We are able to trust each other and that really helps with the whole dynamic on the court. I think it’s really thanks to Coach Chris. I think what might need some work is communication and energy on the court. Something we really did well was trusting each other ... you need to work as a team. We were able to put aside everything that happened in the third set ... going into the fourth set we had a new mindset that we weren’t going to let any of those balls get past our defense and it was just amazing watching it play out.” <