No. 2 Coe-Brown dominated from the first serve.
The Bears (17-1) opened up a 10-0 lead in the first set and won it 25-5. In set two, they won almost as easily, 25-6. And although No. 3 John Stark (14-4) gave them more of a push in set three, the Bears still prevailed 25-20 to sweep the Division II semifinal, 3-0, and advance to their second consecutive championship game.
Annie Jerome led the way for the Bears with seven kills, Jordan Gilbert had 11 assists and Haile Comeau had 18 digs in the Bears’ rout.
“They were ready to play,” Coe-Brown head coach Renee Zobel said. “We had a game plan, which they started executing right out of the gate with some of those roll shots. We had played John Stark earlier, and they’re pretty strong defensively, so we scouted them, we got a good look at film, and we knew what we needed to do to get ourselves some nice points and make them move around a little bit.”
The first two sets were never quite competitive. The Bears assuredly looked the better team, but the Generals also continually had service errors and other self-inflicted mistakes that allowed the Coe-Brown lead to balloon rather quickly.
This was the second meeting between these two teams, after Coe-Brown also won 3-0 in the matchup on Sept. 23.
“We just struggled to get going,” John Stark head coach Alisha Flanagan said. “(The Bears) hustle after everything, they are a great team, they work well together, which makes them really hard to beat. They do not let up, ever.”
Even still, it was a highly successful first season as coach for Flanagan, who admitted no one really knew what to expect heading into the season.
“Just incredible,” she said, thinking back on the season as a whole. “I’m so happy with the group of girls that I got. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. I’m just very grateful for the first season that I’ve had, and what an incredible journey we’ve been on.”
The Bears will face off against No. 1 Oyster River (17-1) in the championship game on Saturday. The two teams played each other twice during the regular season, with Coe-Brown winning the first game, 3-1, and Oyster River taking the second, 3-2.
Precise focus from the start – like what the Bears displayed on Thursday night – will be paramount to taking home a second-straight title.
The team surely won’t be lacking experience, though. Of the 14 players on the roster, 12 were on last season’s championship team. And while Zobel said the road this year has surely been rockier than it was last year, they’ve been able to dig down deep when it’s mattered.
She mentioned Comeau, her sophomore libero, as well as Gilbert and Noelle Sartin as her most notable contributors this season. But Coe-Brown also prides itself on the versatility of its entire roster.
“I can mix these kids up in any order and throw them out on the court, and they’d probably still look pretty decent,” Zobel said.
On Saturday, when it matters most with a championship on the line, she’ll be relying on that versatility one more time.
“It’s special to come back here a second time, to come to the championship,” she said. “It’s 100 percent a testament to these girls. I’m just there to sit back, watch and help try to set them up for success. … I’m extremely proud of them for working hard and going to a championship back to back.”