RallyNorth.net

Hillies rally for victory

Thursday, April, 07 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

LAWRENCE — It's not how you start, but how you finish that makes all the difference as the Haverhill volleyball team proved last night.

In an early-season showdown of two of the Merrimack Valley Conference teams expected to vie for the league crown, the Hillies (2-0) battled back from a 2-0 deficit by winning the final three games to hand Lawrence (3-1) its first loss of the season.

The win may have made a statement for the Hillies — at least to themselves.

"It's a big win emotionally for us," said Haverhill coach Bill Kaste. "This team (Lawrence) and this gym have been a stumbling block for us, so this could give us some confidence."

It didn't look like a reverse of fortune early, however, as Lawrence won the first two games, 25-23 and 26-24, winning six of the final eight points in the second game.

"I didn't think it was as bad as it looked because we weren't playing up to our expectations, but we were still in the game," said Kaste.

Haverhill got the message at the start of the third game, clicking off the first five points on its way to a 25-20 victory. Setter Zach Sindoni showed his developing skills at the start with two kills and a block in the first four points.

He finished with an impressive 10 kills on the night to accompany his 49 assists.

But it was the powerful Brett Pettis (23 kills, 4 blocks) and James Murray (14 kills) who really gave Lawrence fits in the final three games, and six straight service points by Murray proved decisive in the 25-21 fourth-game win.

Pettis was particularly immense in the decisive fifth game and his pair of kills and block in the final four points helped Haverhill put the icing on a seven-point surge that provided a 15-9 knockout punch.

Down the stretch, and after the final point, Pettis underlined the importance of the victory with some loud emotional yells.

"It's because they're such a good team and it's always good to beat a friend," said Pettis. "We play with them and against them in the offseason and we really respect them."

As for Lawrence, the Lancers had their moments and were certainly within reach of staying undefeated. But unforced errors and several poor serves were too much to overcome.

"Our passing was a little off, and that hurt us, but right now they're the better team," said Lawrence coach Tony Hajjar.