EAST BRIDGEWATER– In a battle of two Division 4 heavyweight volleyball programs, East Bridgewater (15-1) swept Rockland (13-3) in three sets (25-21, 25-14, 25-19) on Tuesday evening.
Coming into the match, East Bridgewater was No. 2 in the Div. 4 while Rockland was No. 4. Rockland was on a 10-game winning streak, while East Bridgewater was winners of six straight after their only loss against Silver Lake Sept. 25.
“It’s hard to be consistent in any high school sport, and so far this season,” East Bridgewater head coach Andrew McDonald said. “I think they’ve done a really good job of that. So consistency is key with these girls.”
Rockland held a lead for most of the opening set but lost after a big run by the Vikings in the first set, and then the Vikings never gave up their leads in the second and third sets to get their fifth straight sweep and their seventh straight victory.
Rockland took the first point of the opening set and then led until East Bridgewater was able to tie it at eight, and then, after a timeout, took a 9-8 lead. However, the Bulldogs were able to jump to a 6-1 run, making it a 14-10 lead.
From then on, the Bulldogs had a lead until the Vikings ended the set on an 8-1 run to win a comeback victory 25-21 in the first set. Freshman Elizabeth Willis delivered the final point of the set for the Vikings on a block.
In the second set, the Vikings went on a five-point streak after being tied at two apiece. They would cruise from there to a 25-14 set victory.
In the third set, Rockland got the first point of the set off an attack error; however, East Bridgewater carried play from there via strong blocking and their stout offense, completing the sweep with a 25-19 victory.
“It’s just the mindset of intensity that our girls shot up with every day,” McDonald said. “I think they were ready to go, they’re competitors and they get really excited for games like this. Because Rockland is a really good program, and they played tough and they positioned well.”
Olivia McManus led the Vikings in kills with 10, with Willis not far behind with nine. Ayla Kingman led with 13 assists, along with 10 digs, three kills and an ace. Abrams led with 13 digs, while Egan had 12.
The win came on senior night for libero Bella Abrams and middle hitter Riley Egan. Abrams said the win helped make the night feel even more special.
“It feels really refreshing to play together and get a good win, see everyone smiling and happy,” Abrams said.
