BRIDGEWATER – For a shot at being remembered, sometimes it’s worth trying something new.
Joseph Case High School’s volleyball squad decided to make the leap to Div. 3, and it’s paying dividends.
Senior outside hitter Madilyn Botelho (16 kills, 14 digs, three aces) and freshman Kayla Dowdell (10 kills, three blocks) led a complete team effort Wednesday, as the third-seeded Cardinals punched their first ticket to a title match since 2022 with a memorable 3-1 victory over reigning state champion and No. 2 Medfield, 3-1.
Faced with a perennial juggernaut, the Cardinals showed no fear to start, opening with a 7-0 run to kick off the match. They would stave off a rally, as freshman Willow Andree finished things with an ace to win the set, 25-11, and provide Case a 1-0 lead.
The second frame began with both schools trading points to start. Then the young stars stepped up again for Case, as the school rattled off four straight to seize a 9-4 lead in the stanza. The advantage only grew from there.
Looking to provide her team a convincing edge in the match, freshman Kayla Dowdell finished off a kill in commanding fashion to clinch the set, 25-10. Suddenly, the Cardinals had the state champions up against the proverbial wall, leading 2-0.
“I was definitely not expecting that at all,” said Dowdell with a laugh. “I was nervous coming in but I also was very excited. I never thought we would be that far ahead … I didn’t know we were going to go that hard, but we did.”
However, the Warriors (19-5) did not quit. Led by key players Kendall Larkin and Ava Pender, Medfield was able to win the third set with authority, 25-14. Suddenly, it felt like momentum was beginning to swing.
“We didn’t have a lot of attempted spikes in the third,” said Case coach Brendan Kelly. “I turned to my assistant, and said, ‘How many kills or attempts?’ We got really soft on a lot of that stuff, so (the key) was getting back to that.”
In a pivotal fourth set, the schools traded punches. Dowdell finished off a kill, as Case jumped ahead, 5-4. The Cardinals went on a 10-5 run, pushing their lead to 14-9 in the frame.
But then Medfield answered, embarking on a 6-0 run of its own to jump ahead, 15-14.
With the match hanging in the balance, Kelly’s team responded with a haymaker. Dowdell took things over late and spiked home another kill to give Case a 20-15 lead.
Looking for the dagger, Dowdell lifted a volley over the net. As the Warriors attempted to return, the whistle sounded for a violation call, and the Cardinals began to celebrate. Once again, they were bound for the state title match.
“We went to the (Div. 4) Final Four last year, and ran into that Ipswich squad,” said Kelly. “We knew Div. 4 like the back of our hands, so we moved up to Div. 3, (had) to navigate a whole new group of teams, including these guys as the defending champs. So yeah, (this is great).”
Case will now attempt to win its first state title since 2016. Botelho was a member of the last Cardinals team to reach a championship match back in 2022. Ironically, she and her teammates will now look to get over the hurdle against another school that opted to make the leap to Div. 3. That would be top-seeded Bellingham.
“I think it’s going to be a cool storyline,” Botelho said. “I knew coming from Div. 4, it was going to be a lot different. Div. 4 definitely lost some power, losing Case and Bellingham. But I think all the remaining teams in Div. 3 are going to be a little surprised that the two teams in the state championship are from Div. 4. There’s going to be a little bit of anger about that. But I think it’s going to be a cool story, in that it’s different. It doesn’t happen that often.”
