Volleyball falls to KP in battle of 1st place teams
By Jay TurnerAfter rolling through the first half of its schedule en route to a perfect 10-0 start, the CHS varsity volleyball team stumbled on the road against King Philip last week, losing a two-set lead and ultimately the match despite another dominant display from its top two offensive stars.
Junior Erin Proctor (Mike Barucci photo)
The week was far from a total loss, however, as Canton also picked up quality wins over both Medway and Mansfield to run its record to 12-1 overall. But head coach Pat Cawley was expecting a lot more out of her team against the Kelley-Rex leading Warriors.
While senior captain Avery Devoe and sophomore Elizabeth Hamilton continued their strong seasons, combining for 39 kills in the match, the Bulldogs struggled as a team and never really had any momentum, according to Cawley.
“We did not play well the entire afternoon,” she said. “We won the first two sets (25-20, 25-18), although it wasn’t pretty. We clawed our way back from deficits many times, but to the girls’ credit, they did it and won the first two.”
The remainder of the match belonged to King Philip as the Warriors took the next three sets to claim their league-leading 11th win of the season.
“We didn’t have it in us today,” lamented Cawley after the girls’ first loss. “There was no fight. We didn’t handle the pressure well.”
Despite the disappointing finish, Canton did have its moments — especially in a back-and-forth set four — while also getting strong individual performances from the likes of Avery Devoe, Hamilton, Erin Proctor (39 assists), and Shay Connolly (3 aces).
Those same four girls also came up big earlier in the week in a 3-1 home win over Medway, a perennial contender out of the Tri-Valley League.
Each of the first three sets were a battle, with Canton winning sets one and three 25-20 and Medway taking set two 25-22. But the Bulldogs took it up a few notches in set four, winning 25-9 behind the aggressive net play of Avery Devoe and Hamilton and the outstanding serving of Connolly and Olivia Devoe.
Avery Devoe, who continues to make a compelling case for league MVP honors, finished the match with 21 kills, three blocks and one ace. Hamilton added 17 kills and an ace, while Proctor tallied 35 assists, three kills and an ace.
The Bulldogs also closed out the week on a high note, beating a talented Mansfield team 3-1 a day after falling to KP.
Canton dropped a close second set 26-24 but otherwise played outstanding volleyball in wins of 25-14, 25-13 and 25-13.
“Everything flowed smoothly,” Cawley said of the other three sets against Mansfield. “[Proctor] did a great job getting the offense moving. Avery Devoe and [Hamilton] played well offensively and defensively. Chidera Nwankwo and Ellie Teague played great at the net, combining for seven much-needed kills. [Connolly] and Danielle Arthur played good defense. Kim Frazier, Sarah Reissfelder and Rye Verille were strong at the net as well. Olivia Devoe provided great defense and serving.”
The Bulldogs now enter the home stretch of the regular season with six matches remaining and a comfortable lead in the Davenport Division standings. They were due to travel to Milford on Tuesday and will host Notre Dame Academy tonight, October 17, beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=22705
Posted by Jay Turner
on Oct 17 2013. Filed under High School, Sports.
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