Volleyball slays 2 giants en route to 1st D2 crown

CHS volleyball players and coaches pose with the state championship trophy and banner. (Cynthia Rosina photo)

During an electrifying run through the gauntlet of Division 2 state powers, the Canton High volleyball team — one of the region’s most storied and well-respected varsity programs — repeatedly rose to the occasion as they clawed their way to the throne, earning the right at long last to be called Massachusetts state champions.

Led by a Hall of Fame coach in Pat Cawley, an established star in senior outside hitter Taylor Harris and an emerging one in junior middle blocker Liz Bickett, the Bulldogs realized every ounce of their potential as they knocked off two unbeaten sectional champions, Minnechaug Regional (21-0) and Danvers (25-0), over a four-day span last week to secure their first ever MIAA state title.

Along the way, the Canton girls proved they were a resilient and mentally tough bunch, overcoming the inevitable momentum swings and back-and-forth nature of high-level volleyball and ultimately rallying together to survive a grueling, five-set nail-biter against an equally hungry and title-starved Danvers team in Saturday’s D2 state final at Worcester State University.

In the end, it was their top-notch talent — combined with exceptional team chemistry — that carried them to the victory. “The players truly care about each other, support each other and work well together,” noted Cawley. “Many were new to varsity and really wanted to learn and improve. The dedication to being the best they could be led to a state championship.”

While their nerves showed at times throughout Saturday’s state final, every Canton player on the court stepped up in key moments — from the clutch serving of senior reserve Katie Lynch to the blocking of junior Angie Elias to the powerhouse kills of Harris. “This was an entire team effort,” noted Cawley. “It took everything everyone had to pull this match out and win the championship.”

All five sets were a battle, with the two teams trading points and runs throughout. The Bulldogs made a strong early statement with a hard-fought win in set one (25-22), but the Falcons started fast in each of the ensuing three sets, led by their star outside hitter, Carly Goodhue. Arguably the key to the Canton victory, aside from the set-five magic, was the resilience the team displayed in set three as they battled back from deficits of 9-4 and 21-17 to win by two and stem the Falcon tide. Several players stepped up during that crucial third set, including Steph Trendell, Shannon Malloy, Elias and Bickett, who made countless game-changing plays.

The deciding fifth set proved to be the Taylor Harris show as she outdueled Goodhue with several huge kills, culminating with an emphatic spike between multiple Danvers defenders. Harris finished the match with a monster stat line of 29 kills, 19 digs and four aces, but she was hardly alone in that respect. Bickett also delivered a performance to remember, finishing with 18 kills, 12 digs and two aces, while senior Claire Quinn (8 kills, 19 digs) made several big plays of her own. Junior setter Jackie Morrissey also delivered on the big stage with 49 assists and 12 digs; Elias and Malloy were both aggressive at the net and stepped up when it counted; and Nikki Desjardins and Trendell played outstanding defense.

Canton players exult in the championship victory. (Cynthia Rosina photo)

It was much the same story in the Bulldogs’ semifinal win against Minnechaug a few days prior, as all of the starters came up big in key spots to power a four-set win, led by Harris (24 kills, 14 digs) and Bickett (13 kills, 7 blocks, 15 digs, 2 aces).

And it was like that in each of the three sectional tournament victories as well, with different players stepping up at different points throughout the postseason. The non-starters also played a significant role in helping the team get ready for every opponent that came their way.

“We took each round of the tournament match by match,” noted Cawley. “We scouted potential opponents when possible, but practices focused only on the next opponent. Without our non-starters acting as the scout team at each practice, we would not have performed as we did.”

While it is the goal of the CHS volleyball program to field a championship-caliber team every season, Cawley said it was far from a sure-thing as the season got underway. “Each season brings new challenges to fill holes caused by graduation,” she said. “This year was particularly challenging due to two season-ending injuries. There were many lineup changes for the first half of the season.”

Even securing the Hockomock Davenport Division crown proved to be an uphill battle after the Bulldogs dropped both of their regular season meetings with rival North Attleboro. But they bounced back nicely with a key road win over Milford, then followed it up with another against a one-loss Quincy team in the regular season finale.

“It was after that last victory of the season versus Quincy, a top 10 Boston Globe team, that we realized that we could go deep in the tournament,” recalled Cawley. “We were peaking at the right time.”

While not the most highly touted of her long list of contending Bulldog teams, the 2019 squad proved to be Cawley’s most resilient and, ultimately, the very best of the bunch — forever cementing their status as CHS legends.

“This year’s group is indeed special,” said Cawley. “They are a team of hardworking players who came to the gym every day wanting to improve — and improve they did! The star players performed well under pressure, all the time realizing that without the entire team doing their job, success would not be within reach. They were flexible and willing to accept change. They appreciated each other and helped each other. They picked each other up when they were down and kept each other grounded when they were up. They believed they belonged!”

See this week’s Citizen for more photos from the state championship match at Worcester State.

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