Volleyball team blanks Milton to reach quarterfinals

Update: The Bulldogs defeated Groton-Dunstable 3-0 Tuesday night at home to reach the Division 2 sectional semifinals. The girls will square off against No. 2 Hopkinton Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Hopkinton.

Fresh off a big nonleague road win over a talented Quincy team, the CHS varsity volleyball team hosted neighboring Milton last week in the opening round of the Division 2 central sectional tournament and cruised to a straight-set victory (25-17, 25-11, 25-23).

Julia Murphy and Alison McHugh (Mike Barucci photo)

Although the win was largely expected — the Bulldogs were seeded third and the Wildcats were seeded 14th — it was nonetheless well deserved as the Canton girls dominated offensively behind junior Julia Murphy’s 17-kill, eight-block performance.

The opening set was well played from start to finish, with the Bulldogs grabbing an early lead that they never relinquished. Senior setter Shannon Brady controlled the offense, while Julia Murphy and her sister, senior Olivia Murphy, battered the Wildcats with a steady diet of blocks.

Canton then continued its strong play in set two, led by the Murphy sisters and Avery Devoe. The third set was closer, but the Bulldogs kept their composure and held on down the stretch for the two-point win.

It was a total team effort, according to head coach Pat Cawley, who praised the effort of several players, including seniors Alison McHugh (7 kills, 10 digs) and Sarah Bartlett (3 kills). Other top performers included Mellyn Costello and Kaitlin Phillips on defense and Brady on offense, who finished with 29 assists and three kills.

The victory propelled the Bulldogs into the sectional quarterfinals against No. 6 Groton-Dunstable, with the winner moving on to face No. 2 Hopkinton (15-2) in the semis either tonight or tomorrow (date and time TBA).

Fortunately, Canton has had plenty of practice this season against some of the area’s top teams, including a 16-4 Quincy team that the Bulldogs handled in four sets in last week’s regular season finale.

In that game, the girls showed a lot of fight as they bounced back from a tough opening-set loss on the road to win the next three (25-20, 25-21, 25-16).

Leading the way for Canton were the Murphy sisters, who combined for 26 kills, 29 digs and three blocks, as well as junior Jackie Bornemann, who added 11 kills of her own. Bornemann also tallied 14 service points, including seven in a row to close out set three.

The victory wrapped up an impressive regular season for Canton, which saw the Bulldogs finish 15-3 and capture the Hockomock title — their eighth in the past nine years.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Nov 9 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.