Volleyball: Belmont falls to undefeated Inter-Lakes in four sets

Coach Bry Kelly emphasizes to her players that they should always have a plan.

Planning to take on undefeated, two-time defending champion Inter-Lakes is one thing; putting it into practice is another. The Red Raiders did both.

The No. 4 Belmont volleyball team (14-4) won the opening set, the first one that the No. 1 Lakers (18-0) lost all season, and had a big lead in the third set, but Inter-Lakes ultimately punched its ticket to its fourth consecutive Division III title game with a 23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-22 victory over the Raiders in the NHIAA Division III semifinals at Pinkerton Academy on Wednesday night.

The Lakers haven’t lost a match since Sept. 25, 2023, and they hadn’t lost a set since last year’s D-III final, a 3-1 victory over Concord Christian.

“We’re very proud of that. We’ve worked really hard the last two weeks,” Kelly said. “We’ve been looking forward to this game. The girls worked their tails off, with a lot of heart and a lot of grit. They really came and they fought, and they were prepared. We had a lot of fun. Not the way that we wanted it to end, but the fact that we took a set is a win for us. In my book, we’re champions.”

Playing with nothing to lose in front of a raucous crowd, Belmont took a 7-3 lead early, but things tightened up after that, with no team leading by more than three points the rest of the way. There were seven lead changes and 10 ties over the course of that first set, including a tie at 23-23. 

Senior setter Madi MacDonald set up fellow senior Hayden Blanchard with a nice pass in the middle of the court that Blanchard slammed towards the sideline. The Lakers couldn’t return the hit, sending Belmont’s supporters in a thunderous reaction that would rival many championship-winning points. 

Even the players and fans who remained from the first semifinal (No. 2 Farmington defeated No. 3 Trinity, 3-1) stood and applauded the upstart Raiders for what they had achieved.

“Everybody’s energy was good,” Blanchard said. “We were being smart, we weren’t just going for it. That was our mindset. We had been watching footage,  we were studying and we were on top of it. We knew we could do something. It feels really good. Even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted to.”

With a set in hand and nothing to lose, Belmont continued to play well, but seniors Lillian Lybrand and Kiera Moynihan (15 kills, 15 service points, 16 digs) had some big hits to give the Lakers an early lead, although no team led by more than three points until late in the set. Inter-Lakes led 15-14, but a four-point service run from Moynihan helped open the Lakers’ lead to 24-17.

Belmont fought off three set points, but Inter-Lakes eventually closed out the set, 25-20, to the match at one set each.

“We struggled to execute in the beginning,” Inter-Lakes head coach Randy Mattson said. “Even though we’ve been here, nerves really showed in the beginning. We’re playing a team that’s very motivated with a huge crowd. That was a factor. It helped to motivate their players and it helped to unnerve us a little bit. We just talked about trusting the process and trusting our training, and realizing that we needed to do what we are capable of doing.”

The Lakers needed to have faith late in the third set when they were on the wrong end of a 19-11 scoreline, Belmont’s biggest lead of the match. Senior Liv Chandonnait took over the match for a stretch, getting several kills in quick succession, and Blanchard had a couple huge blocks and an ace to help the Raiders build that lead.

Strong service from junior Alyssa Snow (18 digs, 12 service points, four aces) led Inter-Lakes back on top, 25-24. 

MacDonald made a highlight-worthy dive to keep the rally alive on set point, but Inter-Lakes junior Gracie Stephens sent it right back with authority to give the Lakers a 26-24 win and a 2-1 lead. 

The fourth set played out similarly, with Chandonnait and Blanchard leading the attack to help Belmont build a 21-14 lead, but Moynihan took over with her team trailing 22-16 and led them on a nine-point service run to close out the match.

“That just shows the resilience of my team,” Mattson said. “They knew they weren’t executing, they just had to figure it out. It was uncharted territory for us, we hadn’t lost a set all year. I wasn’t sure how we’d react to it, but they responded and they performed in the end.”

For the Raiders, Chandonnait and Blanchard led the offense, while MacDonald led the team in assists.

“She’s a little spitfire,” Kelly said. “She’ll go for any ball and will do anything to get the offense going.”

Kelly also credited junior libero Molly O’Connell and sophomore Rowan Sottak, a late season JV call up, for leading the defense.

While the Laker seniors have finished all four of their seasons in a championship game, the Belmont seniors have had a very different experience.

Raider seniors Chandonnait, Blanchard, MacDonald, Sami O’Connor and Meg Soucie didn’t even make the playoffs as freshmen, and were eliminated in the quarterfinals in the last two seasons. They helped elevate Belmont volleyball to a level the program hasn’t reached in over 20 years. Belmont last appeared in the final four when they were the Class M (now D-III) runner-up in 2002.

They were also key in Kelly’s transition from volunteer assistant to head coach over the past year.

“It was a really great season with these girls. I’ve had a lot of fun,” Kelly said. “This year, I had a plan to surprise everybody, and I think we achieved that. I love every single one of these girls. They left their hearts on the court tonight.”