CHS volleyball unbeaten in division with 2 to go

The CHS varsity volleyball team had a busy yet productive stretch of games last week, improving to 6-0 in the Davenport Division with wins against Oliver Ames and Stoughton while coming up just short at home in a five-set loss to non-league Quincy on Friday.

In what has been a season-long trend, the Bulldogs looked nearly unbeatable in their two divisional games, beginning with a shutout win at OA last Tuesday in which seven Canton players registered kills, led by sisters Olivia and Julia Murphy and senior Paige Chaifetz.

Olivia, a junior, had eight kills in the win, and Julia, a sophomore, had a team-high 11. Both also finished with 19 digs while Julia added four blocks. The team’s two setters, Shannon Brady and Kaitlin Philips, also played well, combining for 32 assists.

Canton then continued its divisional dominance on Thursday with a 3-1 home win over the Black Knights of Stoughton — described by head coach Pat Cawley as “one of the scrappiest defensive teams around.”

The Knights actually outplayed the Bulldogs for much of the early part of the match, winning set one by a score of 25-18. However, the remainder of the match belonged to the home team as Canton reeled off three straight wins (25-15, 25-20, 25-14) on the strength of its four big hitters — Chaifetz, Julia and Olivia Murphy, and Alison McHugh.

Julia Murphy led the way with 10 kills, 21 digs, and four blocks while Chaifetz tallied 10 kills, 13 digs, and one ace. Cawley also credited the Bulldogs’ defensive performance, anchored by Mellyn Costello, who finished with a team-high 25 digs.

While pleased with the back-to-back victories, Cawley saw Friday’s showdown with a 10-2 Quincy team as Canton’s chance to determine “where [they] stood in the big world of volleyball outside the Hock.”

The results were mixed, however, with the Bulldogs once again proving that they had the talent to compete against the top teams yet ultimately falling short when the match was within reach.

Canton’s best stretch of volleyball came in the second and third sets, when, after dropping set one 25-17, the team stormed back with consecutive wins (25-16, 25-10) to take control of the match.

“We came on strong in sets two and three and looked like a confident, experienced team,” Cawley said. “We served well, set well, and hit well. Our defense was clicking and we were communicating. It looked like this match was ours.”

Unfortunately, the visitors had other plans. First, Quincy held on to take a close fourth set 25-23, then survived a valiant Bulldog comeback in the final set to clinch the victory.

Canton suffered the loss despite a “great day offensively” from McHugh, who finished with 14 kills, and Julia Murphy, who had 14 kills, 25 digs, and three blocks. Brady also had a strong outing, finishing with 39 assists.

“It was a great match and hopefully the experience will do us good when we enter the tournament,” Cawley said afterwards.

The Bulldogs remain unbeaten in divisional play with two games remaining, but are now just 1-3 against teams outside of their division, with their lone win coming against King Philip on October 6.

The team had three more games scheduled this week: at Attleboro Monday, home versus Sharon yesterday, and at North Attleboro tomorrow at 4:45.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=2231

Posted by Jay Turner on Oct 21 2010. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.