Bigham a cut above as Canton’s setter
When Erin Bigham stepped onto the court in August 2022 to try out for the Canton girls’ volleyball team, her experience limited to attending a few clinics, she thought she was “going to get cut for sure.”
A few weeks later she was the Bulldogs starting varsity setter and just over a year later, she’s a key component of a 7-0 start, and a
No. 8 ranking in this week’s Globe Top 20.
“She came back this year with a lot more confidence, and she’s just playing great,” Canton coach Pat Cawley said of the sophomore. “We’re still trying to build her up, still trying to add to her game, but she’s doing a great job. Her hands are very clean and she knows where she should be.”
As of last week’s 3-0 sweep over Hockomock rival Milford (25-7, 25-13, 25-13), Bigham has tallied 140 assists, 44 digs, 19 kills and 14 aces in one-plus seasons.
Bigham initially attended a volleyball clinic as a fifth grader, following the interest of her older sister, Kaitlin, then a seventh grader.
Even then, Erin caught Cawley’s eye.
“We recognized her as an athlete, and we encouraged her,” Cawley recalled. Cawley’s excitement at Bigham’s ability wasn’t unfounded — in her 23-year tenure, the duration of the program, she only has had two players come out for the team with any significant experience.
But at the time, Bigham was focused on soccer, and she didn’t return to another volleyball clinic for two years. But Cawley always reminded her she was welcome in the gym. After her second clinic, Bigham signed up for a small club league in Canton, but the season was canceled because of COVID19.
But before her freshman year, she decided to shift from soccer to volleyball.
“She had enough of a feel for the game from the few clinics she was at, she had watched her sister play, so she was familiar with the game even though she hadn’t played,” said Cawley.
Her arrival was perfect timing. The varsity setter had graduated, and there was not a clear successor.
“There was something about Erin that just really stood out to me, as well as the rest of the coaches. She just has natural instincts,” Cawley said.
On the court, that is evident. In the second game of the season, a 3-0 sweep of No. 15 North Quincy, Bigham recorded 27 assists, 12 digs, 3 kills, and 2 aces. Kaitlin, a middle blocker as a senior captain, posted six kills and two blocks. And the Bulldogs have continued that momentum, including Wednesday’s 25-17, 15-25, 25-16, 25-18 win at No. 10 Oliver Ames.
“I think we’ve already hit last year’s peak,” said Erin Bigham. “We hit last year’s peak in our [second] game. We came out of that and we were like, ‘Oh, we’ve got this, this is going to be a new season.’ This is a new team.
“We’ve got big things ahead, and I think that North Quincy game was our turning point.”
The past two seasons have been special for the Bigham sisters, who never even considered that they’d play together because of Erin’s inexperience.
“It’s really such a great experience for us,” said Kaitlin Bigham. “It’s drawn us closer, not only as sisters but as friends, because now we’ve got the teammate aspect of it. Having her on the team my senior year is like a dream come true.”
Freshman libero Soley Rodriguez Martinez and senior captain Jess Wright have also been key contributors to Canton’s success. Rodriguez Martinez, just Cawley’s second player to come through the program with playing experience, has tallied 47 digs and 24 aces across six matches, while Wright has been the coach’s “go-to” on the outside as a six-position player and eclipsed 500 kills during her junior season.
On Friday, the Bulldogs travel to second-ranked Franklin (8-0), before hosting King Philip (4-4) on Thursday.
Set points
R “Dig Pink” is a common initiative for volleyball teams in October, in which they raise money for research during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since 2017, Barnstable has been playing their “Dig Yellow” game annually, yellow symbolizing childhood cancer, in honor of 2015 graduate and two-time state champion Olivia Brodt, who died in 2017.
This year’s game was held Monday, in a 3-0 win over Falmouth. Dennis-Yarmouth, where Brodt’s father, Craig, is a teacher, honored her as well, during Monday’s 3-2 win over visiting Danvers.
“Going through something like that, the courage and what it took was amazing,” Barnstable coach Tom Turco said of Brodt. “She was a unique player, a unique person, a top student, into the arts, she was as dedicated to dance as she was to volleyball. And she excelled at all of those things.”
Proceeds from the game go to Tommy’s Place, a nonprofit which connects children battling cancer and their families to free vacations on the Cape.
● Tri-County senior Ivy Young started a different awareness campaign, her team supporting suicide prevention in September. The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, as well as the cross-country team joined the effort.
“I thought it would be good to help [people] know that we’re all here for them,” Young said. “Our team sat down, and we all shared our personal experiences, and it helped us realize everyone has someone in their life, and it’s all connected to everyone. It’s really important that people are aware that this happens, and other people are there for them.”
Young started planning the fund-raising in August, which included T-shirts, bracelets, and concessions, as well as one game in September dedicated to the cause, raising over $1,000.
“We’re coming off the COVID year and I think this is a great way to bring awareness in general,” said Tri-County coach Stephanie Caffrey, who is also a health teacher.
The team has been alternating their warm-up shirts between suicide prevention and others that honor Tri-County student Malia Jusczyk, an incoming freshman who died of cancer in June.
● Oliver Ames coach Chelsea Cunningham ccllected her 100th victory in a 3-0 win over Notre Dame Academy-Hingham.
“I couldn’t do it without the kids, they always put the work in, made my job a lot easier,” Cunningham said.