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- Hosting Somerville: Junior Deanna Cortina serves for the Tigers in their first-round match Tuesday, Nov. 8.
by Gloria Li
Volleyball, 17-1 in the regular season, played with a winning in mind as they made it to the Sectional Finals of the MIAA State Tournament, according to coach Richard Barton.
In the Sectional Finals, Thursday, Nov. 10, the Tigers beat Quincy 3-0 at home.
The Tigers’ stint in the postseason ended Saturday, Nov. 12 with a 3-2 loss to Brookline at Babson College.
Prior to the Brookline match, senior Meredith Abrams, a captain with the rest of the seniors, said, “they have been our most intense rival this season.”
Abrams expected “a very aggressive match with both teams wanting badly to become Section Champion.” Brookline was the only team that the Tigers had lost to during the regular season, falling by a 3-2 score Friday, Oct. 21.
In the Sectional Finals match, the Tigers played five sets with the “hitters on fire, scoring many kills,” according to senior Laurie Kamenetsky.
“Overall, it was a strong match,” Kamenetsky said.
According to senior Kristine Cheng, “It was back and forth between North and Brookline, but towards the end, we lost it.”
Brookline has a capable setter and many players who can hit fiercely, according to Brookline junior Alison Brailey.
“We’re two pretty evenly matched teams, so the game really could have gone either way,” she said.
Junior Jackie Ly, a scorekeeper, said, “We played well, and at many points during the game, the Tigers came extremely close to catching up. Brookline was in the lead, 14-11, at game point though.”
Ly said that towards the end, the Tigers were too nervous and that was the primary factor leading to their close loss.
Kamenetsky said the Tigers and Warriors are strong teams that will proceed to play higher level volleyball in future years. She said she hopes that next year, the team will be able to make it further into the postseason.
Cheng said, “The team is like a family, we are still supportive even through losses, and we did well this season.”