Patriots stay hot in sweep of Leominster
North Middlesex wins fourth straight
» The North Middlesex Regional girls volleyball team continues to impress.
On Monday evening, the Patriots kept the good times rolling against visiting Leominster as the hosts notched their fourth straight win, defeating the Blue Devils 3- 0, with set scores of 25-9, 25-14 and 25-17.
North Middlesex improves to 6-2 on the season and will face the Blue Devils (1-7) in Leominster on Wednesday.
“The team is playing well. I think overall the team has really improved their level of play. I can really see the development in everyone on the team,” said NM head coach Mark Roy. “It’s not just a few kids that are improving, it’s everyone. I was able to get everybody into the match and they’ve been able to keep this great pace going that we are on.”
Leominster has lost six straight since picking up its only win of the season on March 17 against Monty Tech.
“North Middlesex is a good team, give them a lot of credit but I think with us it’s a lack of consistency,” said Leominster head coach John Antonetti. “We will play well at times but then drop off. The chemistry is there, they’re a close group on and off the court and they work hard. We’re just going to have to keep plugging away and try to get better.”
The hosts jumped ahead early in all three sets, opening leads of 15-5 in the first set, 11-3 in the second set and 10-3 in the third set.
Leominster had no answer for dominant net play of the Patriots as Madi LaCreta, Angela Kopec, Emma Chase and Lia Hollenbeck controlled the front line while Katie McNair, Alex Caliri and Tess McDevitt were strong behind the line with some great service.
“Our serving has been strong. I thought we had some moments today where our serving wasn’t as strong as it’s been for the most part we’ve really been serving well. It really helps set the tempo,” said Roy. “Also, I think our setters are fantastic. Emma and Tess do a really nice job distributing the ball and they see the court really well.”
In the first set, North Middlesex opened a double-digit lead and broke things open with six straight service points from McNair to make it 15-5. Leominster’s Shayla Nguyen, Michelle Valencia- Cardona and Isabella Nevard did their best to try and keep the guests in the set but the Patriots were just too strong as they picked up the 25-9 victory.
In the second set, North Middlesex scored nine of the first 10 points, highlighted by a trio of kills LaCreta.
The Blue Devils closed to within six points a couple of times during the set, with strong
serving from Nguyen keeping Leominster within striking distance.
With North Middlesex up 17-11, the Patriots went on a quick 7-1 run before the set away and taking a
2- 0 lead in the match.
In the final set of the match, the home squad once again came out hot. The Patriots put Leominster’s back against the wall and refused to let their guests squirm free, opening with a 10-3 run.
Leominster’s Hannah Collier, Angelina Broomfield and Randee Wood
kept it close as Leominster trailed 11- 6, but the Patriots answered with five straight thanks to an ace Chase and a kill from Kopec to make it 16- 6.
With the score 24-17 and the hosts sitting on match point, Chase finished the match with a kill to secure the Patriots victory.