Girls’ volleyball defeated Haverhill, 3-0, Tuesday, Nov. 16, in Billerica to advance to the MIAA state finals.

“Coming into this season none of us really expected to get this far,” said junior Abigail Wright. “As the tournament has gone on we have kept proving to ourselves that we are meant to be here and that we deserve to be here.” 

In the first set, the team struggled, falling behind early. Down 24-19, sophomore Camila Menozzi led the Tigers back and the team scored seven straight points to win the set 26-24. 

“We built that momentum back up and we never gave up on it,” said Wright. “That is the thing with volleyball—anything is possible.”

The comeback win in the first set electrified the North student section, who showed up in full force for the semifinal game. According to senior Riley Raker, a captain with seniors Ava Bottino, Megan Carey, Molly Delahunty, Carlotta Menozzi, Giuliana Sardi Rogines, and Ioanna Tembelopoulos, “We love and appreciate the tiger pride from our student section.” 

Wright added, “The fans always help us a lot. We always bring our own energy but having people there in the stands coming to watch us really helps, and makes us feel like we are being supported.”

In the second set, North battled with Haverhill with both teams leading at different points, but North’s momentum was too strong and the Tigers won 25-21. 

According to Wright, “After we won that first set we just took it and ran with it. We kept going and digging in. I think that the momentum built after that and the motivation kept driving us to end up winning”

North was in total control during the third and dominated the Hillies, coasting to an easy 25-12 victory. 

According to Wright, throughout the playoffs, the team has played with a chip on their shoulder. She said, “There are a lot of people that look at our team and don’t think that we are going to win all these games. In all these games we have proved that we wanted it more” 

North, 14-2, will compete for the state championship against Needham Saturday, Nov. 20 at Wellesley High School.

With her eyes on a title, Raker said, “I’m looking forward to a great close to the season. Knowing it’s your last game win or lose and playing your hardest. Not feeling like there’s anything left, or you missed out on anything.”