DERRY — It takes a special team to beat Coe-Brown. Few volleyball programs can match the Bears’ energy, depth, versatility and confidence.
The only team that managed to beat Coe-Brown all season – the No. 1 Oyster River Bobcats – was the same team that handed the No. 2 Bears a loss in the Division II championship, coming back from a set down to force a five-set 25-15, 23-25, 17-25, 25-21, 15-9 victory on Saturday at Pinkerton Academy.
Both teams entered Saturday’s final with 17-1 records, splitting the regular-season series to hand each other their only blemishes on otherwise perfect records.
Coe-Brown won the first meeting, 3-2, on its home gym in Northwood on Sept. 16, while Oyster River won the most recent meeting in Durham, 3-1, on Oct. 14.
The teams traded points in the first half of the first set, but with the score tied at 12-12, Bobcat sophomore Kylin Ayotte went on a six-point service run and Oyster River outscored the Bears 13-3 to close out the first set.
“(Oyster River) came out strong,” fifth-year head coach Renee Zobel said “We’re both super aggressive serving teams. They started serving us really tough and we weren’t answering back. We were hitting really tentative, we weren’t hitting with pace. We know we’ve got to attack the ball, and we know where we need to attack the ball. From the serving line, we serving the balls over the net, but we weren’t serving with a purpose, the way we typically do, which we started doing in the second set.”
Coe-Brown trailed 22-18 in the second set, but won five straight points to help secure a 25-23 win and senior Jordan Gilbert helped fuel a 7-0 run at the service line to close out a 25-17 middle set and give the Bears a 2-1 lead.
“We had to make some changes. Changes that we’ve not necessarily made before,” Zobel said. “I don’t know if there’s another team in our division that can come out in the championship and roll with different lineups from what they’ve used throughout the course of the season.”
Seniors Gilbert (21 assists, eight kills, five digs, ace), Noelle Sartin (10 kills, six digs) and Julie Anderson (17 assists), junior Annika Gunderson (13 kills, two blocks, ace) and sophomore Haile Comeau (17 digs) were some of Coe-Brown’s top performers.
Oyster River’s Emma Hampton and Annabelle Svenson had some big hits at the net late in the third set to force a deciding fifth set.
The Bears opened the fifth with a 4-2 lead, but Bobcat freshman Gracy Spirito led a 5-0 run from the service line to give Oyster River a 7-4 lead that the Bobcats would hold onto to claim the title.
“We played to the best of our ability as a team this season,” captain Gilbert said. “We had our highs and lows, but we came together.”
The conclusion of the season means the conclusion of the high school careers for nine Coe-Brown seniors – Gilbert, Sartin, Anderson, Lily Silvester (three digs), Josie Malloy (five kills, two digs, assist), Alexis Cowan (three kills), Emma Broadstone (four kills), Maya Barthel and Madeleine Grenier.
Zobel referred to this as an “exceptional” group, who have been instrumental in raising the Bears’ level of competitiveness in D-II.
“Part of that is a testament to the work they do everyday and part of that is a testament to how versatile they are and how hard they fight in practice,” Zobel said. “We have extremely competitive practices.”
Prior to this senior class entering the program in 2019 (Zobel started coaching in 2018), Coe-Brown was typically a preliminary-round boot. Now, the Bears have played in the championship game in three out of the last four years, including a 3-0 win over Milford to win the crown last season, and are a combined 34-4 over the last two seasons.
“They have the greatest mentality,” said Gilbert, who played for Coe-Brown for the last two seasons after transferring from Dover. “And that mentality is play your hardest, play to have fun, and play to win. That’s what we thrive on.”
“It’s been absolutely amazing,” Sartin added. “I couldn’t have asked for better teammates, a better team. It’s been incredible being on the team the past few years.” We have an amazing energy. Our coach is amazing. Everyone puts everything out onto the court, always. It’s incredible what we have.”