The plan was for this to be a rebuilding year. But that was before Mike Livernois saw his squad in action.
The Winnisquam girls’ volleyball team has looked ready for the present as the season has gotten under way, a notion that continued Wednesday with a commanding 3-0 victory over neighboring rival Franklin.
The Bears were dominant, sweeping their way to the win with 25-6, 25-3 and 25-15 set scores. The victory pushed Winnisquam to 3-0, and Livernois had to admit that the progress has come along more quickly than expected.
“I think that this team is starting to surprise some people, myself included,” he said. “They’re growing a lot more than I thought they would, maturing faster than I thought they would.
“They’re a dedicated group. They’re starting to figure things out really quickly.”
The Bears are still young. Sophomores Shannon Goodwin, Talia DeBlasie, Aubrey St. Onge and Rebekah Persson play key roles in each match, and a freshman, Meghan Harmon, is in the rotation as a weak outside hitter and blocker.
The surprise has been that the underclassmen have met the pace of the varsity game – if not found themselves ahead of it.
“We’re fast, and the girls track down balls I’m not sure last year’s team would have gotten to,” said Livernois, whose team last year made the Division III final. “I’m very pleased with that. I think they’re going to be exciting to watch as they gain more experience.”
They gave Franklin more than it could handle Wednesday. Goodwin led the way, totaling 18 kills, five digs and six aces.
“She’s lighting it up,” Livernois said. “She’s putting the ball down with authority.”
DeBlasie had 26 assists and three aces, Nicole Matcheski had eight aces and two kills and Olivia Doubleday had four kills for the Bears. And as has been the case all season, St. Onge thrived in her role of setting the ball and Person was an asset as a serving and defensive specialist.
The result was an operation that has been clicking so far this season – thanks in large part to coming up with a program acclimated to winning.
“They gained valuable experience last year,” Livernois said. “Even though they weren’t major contributors, they learned.”
The rebuilding phase is one that Winnisquam’s opponent has been enduring as well. The loss dropped Franklin to 0-5, and Livernois saw in the Golden Tornadoes a team trying to learn to win.
“They’re rebuilding, in a sense, like we are,” he said. “I think they’re searching to find the girl that’s going to take over the floor. They’re doing the same thing we are, trying to put all the pieces together and make it work.”
From coaches’ reports
Concord 3, Merrimack 0
Key players: Concord – Maria Wimpey (12 kills), Lauren Hatch (15 kills, 9 digs), Caitlyn Shea (30 assists, 6 digs)
Highlights/key moments: Concord rolled to the sweep, winning the sets by scores of 25-20, 25-16 and 25-18.
Coach’s quote: “Merrimack is a strong volleyball program with a tradition of success. This Concord team was unfazed by this history and simply executed the game plan. Our focus is not on winning or losing. We are focused on building on our strengths and continual improvement.” – Concord’s Jonathan Flower
Records: Concord 4-0; Merrimack 3-2
Coe-Brown 3, Somersworth 2
Key players: C-B – Emma DuBois (13 kills), Kerry Rowley (9 kills, 22-for-22 serving, 2 aces), Shannon Riley (4 aces, 29 assists), Molly Swansburg and Drew Ceppetelli (39 combined digs)
Highlights/key moments: Down 2-0, Coe-Brown went to work. The Bears won the third set, 25-20, and the fourth, 25-17, to set up the decisive fifth set. The momentum continued there, as the Bears earned a 15-11 win to clinch the comeback and the match against a Hilltoppers team they hadn’t beaten in three years.
Coach’s quote: “It was an awesome defensive game for us. After we were down 2-0, I told them to take a deep breath and play like it’s a practice. … They came out stronger than ever. I’m really proud of these girls. They have a heart and a will to win. That’s important in this sport.” – Coe-Brown’s Rick Veno
Records: Coe-Brown 3-1; Somersworth 3-2
Belmont 3, Inter-Lakes 2
Key players: Belmont – Shannon Davies (7 kills, 2 aces), Jordyn Lavallee (6 kills, 2 aces), Rebecca Camire (7 digs), Emily Laflam (14 assists).
Highlights/key moments:Belmont made key substitutions late in its match to clinch its first win over Inter-Lakes in four years. Freshman Emily Laflam was a big reason why, finishing with 14 assists to help the Red Raiders snap a two-game skid.
Records: Belmont 2-2; Inter-Lakes 2-1
John Stark 3, Milford 1
Key players: John Stark – Cassidy Gilman (14 kills), Hannah Chartier (9 aces, 8 kills, 10 digs), Nicole Yelle (25 assists, 2 aces), Piper Maclean, Sara Medvetz and Haley Philibotte (defense).
Highlights/key moments: John Stark won the match in 4 sets, winning the first set, 25-18, losing the second, 25-16, then winning the final two, 25-22 and 25-19. The third set switched the flow of the game, as Milford led 22-16 before Stark’s Hannah Chartier served four aces in a row to spark the rally.
Coach’s quote: “We showed a lot of heart and perseverance tonight. The girls should be very proud on that.” – Stark Jeff McClellan
Records: John Stark 3-1; Milford 3-1
Hillsboro-Deering 3, Mascoma 2
Key players: H-D – Kristina Stevens (7 aces, 4 kills), Nicole Mooney (8 aces), Catherine Montanez (5 aces), Eva Evans (8 assists)
Highlights/key moments: The Hillcats edged the Royals for their first victory, taking the decisive fifth set, 15-6. H-D won the first and third sets, 25-17 and 25-16, and Mascoma won the second and fourth, 25-19 and 30-28.
Coach’s quote: “We showed a lot of heart and perseverance tonight. The girls should be very proud on that.” – Stark Jeff McClellan
Records: H-D 1-3; Mascoma 1-2
John Stark 1, Souhegan 0
Key players: John Stark – Griffin Caswell (winning goal), Jake Reynolds (assist), Isaiah Lovering, Tim Currier, Tyler Restuccia, Kayden Easter, Ryan Nelson (good overall games)
Highlights/key moments: Reynolds served a corner kick that deflected off a defender and right to Caswell who settled the ball and buried it to give John Stark the lead 25 minutes into the first half. Souhegan started pressing and almost got the equalizer with about eight minutes to go, but Chase Patterson came up with two saves to keep the Sabers off the board and preserve the team’s fifth straight shutout.
Coach’s quote: “Today was a battle between two strong teams. Both defenses gave up many opportunities. We just finished one of ours. It was (not) a pretty win but it’s a win and we’ll take it.” – Stark’s Jeff Vogt
Records: Stark 5-1; Souhegan 4-2
Belmont 5, Somersworth 0
Key players: Belmont – Logan Wilder (goal, 2 assists), Colby Brown (goal, assist), Doug Price (goal), Ryan Gelinas (goal), Zach Ennis (goal), Jonny LeClair four saves)
Highlights/key moments:The Red Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 first half lead and never looked back, benefiting on goals from five different sources. As usual, LeClair was solid in goal, helping his team to its third shutout of the year.
Coach’s quote: “Our focus has been on trying to push the pace, keep the ball moving and force our opponents into making bad decisions. That worked for us today.” – Belmont’s Michael Foley
Records: Belmont 5-1; Souhegan 2-4
Concord 5, Nashua South 0
Key players: Concord – Becca Proulx (2 goals), Jessie Reed (2 goals), Olivia Branch (goal)
Highlights/key moments: Concord scored three goals on penalty corners, burying the Purple Panthers early.
Coach’s quote: “I was very pleased with the intensity of the game and our ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.” – Concord’s Bonnie Proulx
Records: Concord 4-2; NS 1-4
Franklin 2, Bishop Brady 1, OT
Key players:Franklin – Haley Haskin (2 goals), Felicity Defosse (defense), Jess Cilley (7 saves); Bishop Brady – Bridgette Doherty (goal), Ciara Labbe (assist), Emma Windsor (7 saves)
Highlights/key moments:Doherty gave the Green Giants a 1-0 lead late in the first half but Franklin buckled down from there, netting the tying tally midway through the second period to force overtime. Once in the extra period, it took Haskin less than two minutes to net the golden goal to clinch her team’s second win of the season.
Coach’s quote: “The game was really exciting with a lot of adrenaline on the field. The team rallied in the second half by supporting each other with second efforts, communication and good teamwork.” – Franklin’s Deborah Georgevits
Records: Franklin 2-3; Bishop Brady 1-4.
Pelham 4, Pembroke 0
Key players: Pembroke – Haley Brown, Alysse Cleasby
Highlights/key moments: The Spartans’ defense limited the powerful Pythons to one first-half goal, but couldn’t keep up the pace in the second half.
Coach’s quote: “These girls played hard today. We generated some great offense. They continue to improve their play each game. Our record does not show that.” – Pembroke’s Aimee Monterio
Records: Pembroke 0-4-1; Pelham 5-0
Kearsarge 3, Newport 0
Key players: Kearsarge – Vica Henskens, Eleni Souliotis, Jordan Pollard (goal apiece), Katlyn Kleckner (midfield), Marissa Pickman (shutout in net)
Highlights/key moments: Henskens led the way with a goal in the first 10 minutes of the game, and Pickman made a pair of big saves early to keep the momentum.
Coach’s quote: “We have worked really hard to correct our weaknesses and build upon our strengths and today really showed that.” – Kearsarge’s Dianne Chadwick
Records: Kearsarge 2-3; Newport 1-4
Winnisquam 4, White Mountains 0
Key players: Winnisquam – Erin Atherton (2 goals), Makenzie Snow (goal, assist), Meghan Cote (goal, assist), Emily Decormier (assist)
Highlights/key moments: Atherton’s two goals led the way as the Bears prevailed on the road.
Records: Winnisquam 3-2; WM 1-5
Bow first
Key players: Bow – Doug Champagne (medalist, 38), Ronan Lucey (39), Jack Olsen (40), Jason Howe (42).
Highlights/key moments: Despite the rain, Champagne helped the Falcons top Prospect Mountain (188), Sanborn (190) and Conant (198). Bow’s team score was 159.
Coach’s quote: Because of the rain “we got about halfway through the first hole and had to stop for about a half hour. We were able to get (the match) in but there were puddles everywhere on the course when we got back out there. It’s okay, though. We needed a little rain.” – Bow’s Mike Seraikas
Kearsarge first
Key players: Kearsarge – Jake Bears (medalist, 42), Sean Higgins (43), Will Chadwick (45), Solomon Neuwirt (48); Belmont – Trevor Hunt (51), Wyatt Paquin (52), Will Robarge (54), Michael Marrone (57)
Highlights/key moments: Kearsarge (178) placed the top four scorers to roll to victory at the par-36 Country Club of New Hampshire over Belmont (214) and Fall Mountain (334).
Records: Kearsarge 7-3; Belmont 4-6; Fall Mountain 1-7