There are few circumstances in sports where a loss can be a good thing. At times, a defeat can work in a team’s favor when it comes to playoff positioning, and other times, a loss can simply be used as a reality check for teams soaring too high.
The John Stark Regional High School volleyball team experienced the latter during a 3-0 loss to Milford last week as the Generals watched their nine-match win streak come to a close, but head coach Jeff McClellan believes his team emerged stronger and more focused from it on the other end.
“I still feel like we’re a top five team,” McClellan said. “I think the loss to Milford was good. The girls felt like they were a good team and that loss brought us back down to earth.”
The bounce back game against Fall Mountain on Wednesday proved that the Generals won’t stay down long as John Stark cruised to a 25-6 win in the first set before clamping down for a three-set sweep over the Wildcats in Weare.
The Generals took control of the match in the first set and went on to win sets two and three 25-17 and 25-18, respectively, to improve to 10-2 in Division II.
“They didn’t worry about mistakes, they just went out and played,” McClellan said of the effort. “We still had positional errors and things like that, but they didn’t worry about anything.”
Stark, which is still playing without standout outside hitter Hannah Chartier, received strong performances from Cassidy Bechtle (5 kills, 5 digs, ace) and Jillian Douzanis, who picked up four kills and two aces while serving at a 100-percent clip. Haley Philibotte and Sarah Wagner also delivered solid games as Philibotte recorded four kills and three aces and Wagner notched five kills with a block.
The victory sets the Generals up nicely for perhaps the toughest stretch of their schedule. Stark visits Gilford (10-2) on Friday before trips to Hanover and Windham (12-0) on Oct. 17 and Oct. 19
“This team has come together and we’ll see what happens,” McClellan said. “We’ve got four games that are gonna be a good measuring stick with some top teams.”
Franklin 3, Stevens 0
Key players: Franklin – Courtney Schuster (6 aces), Brianna Judkins (6 aces), Lexy Lynch (3 kills)
Highlights/key moments: The Golden Tornadoes put together a total team effort in snapping a five-game losing streak.
Coach’s quote: “We were much more consistent int his game with moving the ball around and our seving.” – Franklin’s Stephanie Shepard
Records: Franklin 2-10; Stevens 0-12
Windham 3, Coe-Brown 2
Key players: Coe-Brown – Amaya Newport (9 kills, 3 blocks), Shannon Riley (22 assists, 12 digs), Molly Swansberg (20 digs)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears gave Windham all they could handle, forcing the Jaguars into a fifth set for the second time all season. Coe-Brown won set two, 25-22, and set four, 25-19.
Coach’s quote: “I was very impressed. They certainly had more height than we did … But just to stay with them I told the girls that was one heck of a match.” – Coe-Brown’s Rick Veno
Records: Coe-Brown 7-5; Windham 12-0
Manchester Memorial 2, Concord 0
Key players: Concord – Liam Devanny (4 saves), Chea Chebo (forward), Ngongo Mungeta (midfield)
Highlights/key moments: Memorial scored one goal in each half to snap Concord’s modest two-game winning streak.
Coach’s quote: “We struggled to find our form tonight and got beat by a strong team.” – Concord’s Scott Dunlop
Records: Concord 9-3-1; Memorial 8-4-1
Hopkinton 8, Newport 0
Key players: Hopkinton – Jacob Rockwood (goal, 2 assists), Max Rossignol (goal), Azarius Meister (goal), Gerry Donahue (2 goals, assist), Allan Faulkner (goal, assist)), Aidan Kennett (goal), Seamus Quinn (assist)
Highlights/key moments: The Hawks scored six times in the first half and Faulkner and Kennett both recorded their first varsity goals in the second half.
Coach’s quote: “The Hawks worked on positional play all afternoon and saw a number of young players both earn valuable varsity playing minutes and take full advantage of the opportunity.” – Hopkinton’s Scott Zipke
Records: Hopkinton 11-2; Newport 0-14
Pittsfield 1, Wilton-Lyndeborough 1
Key players: Pittsfield – Jesse MacGlashing (goal)
Highlights/key moments: Matt St. George beat the Wilton goalkeeper to a 50-50 ball in the 66th minute and MacGlashing was there to put it home for the equalizer.
Coach’s quote: “We had 34 shots this afternoon, we hit the crossbar three times and missed a penalty kick. Wilton’s goalkeeper deserves a lot of credit for his performance. We simple have to finish our scoring opportunities.” – Pittsfield’s Derek Hamilton
Records: Pittsfield 7-5-2; Wilton-Lyndeborough 4-10-1
Coe-Brown 3, Lebanon 1
Key players: Coe-Brown – Kiley St. Francis (goal, assist), Samantha Troy (goal), Jaden Boulanger (goal), Kate Clinch (assist)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears allowed five shots on goal all game and scored three unanswered goals to snap a six-game skid.
Coach’s quote: “We are beginning to find our groove and have played some strong soccer without the win lately so it was nice to get a win tonight.” – Coe-Brown’s Josh Hils
Records: Coe-Brown 4-10; Lebanon 3-10
Goffstown 4, Merrimack Valley 0
Key players: MV – Ashley Daniels, Brooke Walton, Sara Osborne, Kylie Marquis, Asia Hazeltine
Highlights/key moments: MV allowed four first-half goals before blanking Goffstown in the second half.
Coach’s quote: “A strong second half will give us something to build off of moving forward. Two must-win games ahead to have a shot at the playoffs. We’ll lick our wounds and move on to next week.” – MV’s Jeff Richard
Records: MV 3-10-1; Goffstown 9-4
Monadnock 7, John Stark 0
Key players: Stark – Melina Jackson (41 saves), Elizabeth Aubin (midfield), Olivia Fatcheric (midfield)
Highlights/key moments: Stark was dominated from start to finish by the undefeated Huskies.
Coach’s quote: “Proud of how every player in our program improved over the season. The future of the Generals field hockey program is very bright.” – Stark’s Dennis Pelletier
Records: Stark 2-12; Monadnock 11-0-2
Hopkinton 3, Bow 2, OT
Key players: Hopkinton – Emmy Campbell (4 saves), Isabel Tobin (defense), Lilly Hoffman (goal), Amelia Thomas (goal), Lyndon Flanagan (goal); Bow – Dom Biron (2 assists), Sonya Delorie (goal), Shannon Ford (goal), Kirsten Weisner (forward)
Highlights/key moments: With three minutes left in the overtime period, Flanagan netted the game-winning goal.
Coach’s quote: “Every girl on this team is working incredibly hard. We have played into overtime our last three games and we have pulled off a win for each.” – Hopkinton’s Kate Hohenberger
“Bow played a great game but fell flat in overtime. It was really a tough game to lose.” – Bow’s Tracy Berube
Records: Hopkinton 8-5; Bow 6-7
Pelham 5, Franklin 0
Key players: Franklin – Felicity Defosse (defense), Lauren Marsh (offense)
Highlights/key moments: The Golden Tornadoes trailed 3-0 at the half before letting in two more second-half goals.
Coach’s quote: “We had our opportunities to score but just didn’t put the ball in the net. It was a very fast-paced, physical game. The team played strong right up until the final whistle.” – Franklin’s Deborah Georgevits
Records: Franklin 8-5; Pelham 12-1
Mascenic 4, Pembroke 0
Key players: Pembroke – Ciera Clark (defense), Kelly Wagner (midfield), Ali Corriveau (midfield/offense)
Coach’s quote: “We started the game really flat and Mascenic scored two goals within the first four minutes. Once we settled and got used to their field, we played much better but it was too late.” – Pembroke’s Aimee Monterio
Records: Pembroke 1-11-1; Mascenic 8-4-1