Fitchburg avenges loss to Monty Tech
Fitchburg gets revenge in five sets
The Red Raiders won 3-2 at Monty Tech Wednesday after losing Monday.
FITCHBURG » The Fitchburg High girls volleyball team got the revenge it was looking for on Wednesday night.
After falling to Monty Tech on Monday at home, the Red Raiders returned the favor to the host Bulldogs at Bulldog Gym, as Fitchburg picked up a hard-fought 3-2 win to spoil Monty Tech’s Senior Night.
“This one feels good, absolutely. It was a match between two evenly matched teams,” said Fitchburg head coach Laura Bolick, whose team improved to 2-8 on the season. “My girls were communicating a lot better than the last time we faced Monty Tech on Monday. I was hoping we could finish this in four but you had a feeling it was going to go five sets.”
The Red Raiders wrap up their campaign on Thursday with a road match against Groton-Dunstable.
As for the Bulldogs, they finish their season with a 3-9 overall record in head coach Sandy Duong’s first year at the helm.
“It’s a tough way to finish up the season but I’m really proud of my girls and the way they played,” said Duong, a Fitchburg High alum. “I thought we took a step forward this year in my first season and I like the direction we’re headed. This is a great group of girls to work with and I’m excited about next year.”
The Bulldogs honored five seniors prior to Wednesday’s match — Samantha Cardosi, Rachel Gray, Mallory Judkins, Skyler LaFrennie and Tania Torres.
“It was nice to be able to beat them on their Senior Night because that’s what they did to us on our Senior Night Monday,” said Bolick. “That’s one of the best Monty Tech teams we played against in the past 10-15 years and it’s coaching. Sandy does a great job over there.”
As for the match itself, the Red Raiders came out and grabbed the upper hand early with a narrow 25-23 victory in the first set. The Red Raiders showed some strong service to catapult themselves to victory. Anastasia Yang, Emily Yang and Keishla Hance-Luna led the Red
Raiders in the opening set.
The Bulldogs fought back in the second set to tie the match thanks to a 25-20 victory. Things remained close throughout until the Bulldogs used a 10-3 run to end the set and lock up the win. Monty Tech’s Mackenzie Pupecki and Madison Houle played well for the Bulldogs in the frame.
The crucial third frame went Fitchburg’s way as it picked up a 2519 triumph. The Red Raiders were sparked by a 13-2 run midway through as they overcame an early deficit to pick up the win. Keishla Troche, Emily Yang and Anastasia Yang were forces around the net and from the back row line for victorious Fitchburg.
“Our serving was very strong,” said Bolick. “It gave Monty Tech a lot of trouble today.”
Refusing to give up, the Bulldogs answered with a 25-17 win in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth and final set. Monty Tech’s Olivia Harrison and Jillian Clark carried the hosts during the set. Clark was a force around the net for the Bulldogs, while Harrison showed off her strong serve.
In the final set, the Red Raiders opened a quick 4-2 lead, highlighted by a pair of aces from Troche.
The Bulldogs barked back, tying things at 6- 6 after an ace by Houle.
With the score deadlocked at six, Fitchburg scored five of the next six points to grab an 11-7 lead before Monty Tech answered with four straight to tie things at 11-11.
In this set of runs, it was the visiting team’s turn, as Fitchburg responded with four straight points, including a kill from Jacky-Mora Isa to put the set to bed and secure the match victory.