Published in the March 23, 2021 edition.
By RYAN MARSH
WAKEFIELD — The match was coming down to its final few points. The Warriors had been on top throughout most of it, but Wilmington had made a push in the third set to keep it close. As the ball of red, white, and blue flashed back and forth over the net, Wakefield and Wilmington players were diving left and right.
Eventually, the play made its way to the Wakefield side. The team set the ball up on a tee for junior Mia Desruisseaux who sent the ball zooming straight down at the feet of two Wilmington players to put themselves one point away from the sweep.
The Wakefield Warriors volleyball team took on the Wilmington Wildcats on Saturday. The Warriors entered the game on a two-game win streak after two wins against Watertown. Wilmington entered differently as they were on a two-game losing skid after opening the season against Burlington.
“Wakefield is a force to be reckoned with,” said head coach Kayla Wyland. “Each and every person on this team has so much talent and potential.”
The first set started slow for the Warriors. Senior captain Clara Butler started with a point on her first serve. After exchanging a few points, the score was tied at two. The Warriors started on the floor with junior Talia Thompson, Butler, junior Kelsey Manchester, junior Maddy Seabury, Mia Desruisseaux and junior Claire Donahue at the libero.
The Warriors were still in a tight game a couple of points later as Wilmington took a 6-4 lead. This lead shifted completely when junior Hannah Kelley began her serve. Kelley served eight consecutive serves for points for the Warriors. In this span, Butler and Manchester both had a kill, and the team showed excellent teamwork and communication. By the time the streak had finished, the team was up 12-7.
The Warriors continued to push forward as Manchester and Desruisseaux both had kills to put the score at 16-8. The team was strong in the front which was eminent as coach Wyland said, “We have so many strong attackers on this team. Kelsey Manchester, Maddy Seabury, Talia Thomson and (Mia) Desruisseaux combined for 26 kills in only three sets total.”
Wakefield’s lead only grew as the score increased to 18-10 and Thompson and Seabury picked up a kill each, increasing the score to 23-13. Eventually, the Warriors sealed the deal as they won the first set 25-13.
Wakefield started strong in the second set, a difference from the first one. Desruisseaux got the set rolling with a kill, followed by a combined stuff block at the net from Manchester and Seabury. The team was cruising as they set the pace, up 4-1. The Warriors continued to dominate, flexing high levels of team communication and executing their gameplan. The score increased, from 8-2, and then 13-2. The Warriors’ hot streak finally ended at 16-3, putting Wakefield in the lead by a mile.
Wilmington got back on their feet, getting two points, but an 18-5 score was too tough to overcome. Manchester ensured this by getting another kill to make the score 20-5. The final few points of the set were hard-fought as Donahue saved many shots from hitting her side of the court. Facing late adversity, the Warriors eventually won the set 25-8 and put themselves a game away from sweeping the match.
The third set was the closest of the three. The Warriors started quickly with Butler hammering two serves to start 2-0, followed by Thompson pushing the ball over a Wildcat player to take a 4-1 lead.
Wilmington started to come back, point by point until they tied the set at 5. The Warriors gained a grove as Manchester got some points on the board with her serves, making the game 9-6. Wakefield pushed on, increasing the score to 12-10 following a kill by senior captain Hailey Burke.
The Warriors’ momentum soon started to shift as Wilmington rallied back to tie the game at 13. Seabury stuffed a Wilmington spiker right at the net to take back the lead. Wakefield soon started to pull ahead as the lead grew to three points and then five points.
Wilmington started to make a comeback run, now down 19-16, but Wakefield shut the door following a serve by Kelley which ended in a Manchester kill. Wakefield and Wilmington volleyed fiercely, but this wasn’t enough to stop the Warriors. Wakefield eventually outlasted Wilmington 25-18, sweeping the match.
As the Warriors, now on a three-game win streak, look to continue winning, Coach Wyland applauds her team.
“The level of play during this game was extremely high,” said Wyland. “The team used exactly what we had been going over in practice and on our Zoom calls and translated it into the game seamlessly. This shows their level of commitment and maturity as players.”
The Warriors and Wildcats will have a rematch this Saturday, noon in Wilmington.
