Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Methuen | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 3 |
Andover | 26 | 21 | 12 | 25 | 1 |
ANDOVER — Two of the top squads in Eastern Mass. squared off with No. 16 Methuen pulling the 3-1 upset (24-26, 25-21, 25-12, 27-25) of previously unbeaten No. 3 Andover.
Methuen is now 15-1 and Andover is 13-1. Rangers coach Matt Twomey said he believed this was his program's first win over Andover since 2008, which he thought was 17 straight matches.
"This is definitely one of the highlights of my coaching career," said the 13th-year Ranger coach. "It's one of the highlights of their playing careers. Andover is great every year."
Indeed, Andover has made the Division 1 North finals eight straight years.
The Rangers, as per usual, got a huge effort from UNH recruit Abby Sullivan. The 6-footer had 28 kills, 6 blocks and 4 aces.
"She was dominant in the front row again," said Twomey. "She had the big kills when we needed them."
To beat Andover, a lot of players have to perform, though.
Also up front, Julia McCoy (15 kills, 5 blocks) proved to be a perfect complement to Sullivan.
The Methuen defense was immense, led by Taylor Cassidy (10 digs) and Nyah Mazzone (9 digs).
The Methuen bandwagon is getting full.
"We had a lot of fans tonight. The crowd was probably 50-50. We have a great group of parents. We appreciate every bit of energy they bring to us."
Andover coach Jane Bergin said, "We didn't play well, I'm going to be honest. We had a ton of unforced errors. It was 25-24 (n Game 4) and we served the ball out and we had momentum. That's high school volleyball. You have to give all the credit to Methuen."
Alexis Mancha led the Golden Warriors with nine kills, 19 assists and 14 digs.
Kills: M — Abby Sullivan 28, Julia McCoy 15; A — Alexis Mancha 9
Blocks: M — Sullivan 6, McCoy 5; A — Hailey Halverson 5, Sarah Shattuck 5
Assists: M — Laura Staugler 34; A — Mancha 19
Service points: M — McCoy 15; A — Meredith Hunt 18
Aces: M — Sullivan 4; A — Shattuck 3
Digs: M — Taylor Cassidy 10, Nyah Mazzone 9; A — Mancha 14
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