BEVERLY — Knowing that a victory would officially clinch a playoff berth, some overthinking may have come into play at times for the Beverly High girls volleyball team Monday night against Danvers.
But when it truly mattered, the Panthers stepped up and delivered.
Smart passing and communication were prevalent in the fifth and final set against rival Danvers High, with Beverly taking a satisfying 27-29, 25-12, 25-13, 20-25, 15-7 triumph at the Henry Cabot Lodge Fieldhouse.
Many players had big nights for Beverly — including senior captain Lidia Miedema. The middle blocker recorded the 150th kill of her varsity career, finishing the night with eight to go along with five serving aces and eight blocks (2 solo).
“We came together very well and got a leadership from a lot of different girls,” Beverly’s second-year head coach, Rory Harmon, stated after her team — which had been swept by Danvers last month — improved to 9-5 on the season.
“In the fourth set we got into our own heads a bit, realizing what was at stake,” she added. “We stopped doing the small things like talking to each other, being aggressive and confident. But the fifth set was a different story.”
This was a ‘Morgan’s Message’ game for both teams, which helps to spread awareness and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student athlete community, according to its website. Players and coaches wore blue ribbons, signifying their support and belief in Morgan’s Message.
Tied at 2-2 early in the fifth set, the Panthers ripped off four straight points and seven of nine to take a commanding lead. Thunderous kills by middle blocker Julia Marks (who finished with 5) and fellow junior Vivian Mulumba (6 kills, 4 blocks) help salt away the win.
Danvers (12-4) clinched its own playoff spot several weeks ago, and recently had a 10-match winning streak going. Now they’ve dropped back-to-back matches for the first time all season.
“Our energy was a little bit off and our serves and blocks weren’t where they need to be,” first-year head coach Sarah Griffin said. “But we’ll focus and reset and come back playing the way we know we can.”
Lorelei MacKilligan, another senior captain for Beverly, was another who starred for the home team with her work at setter.
“Lorelei is the most dependable player. Whenever the ball goes to her, it’s like a sigh of relief,” said Harmon. “And Lidia, she’s our voice on the court, always communicating.”
Jane Cosmas, a senior outside hitter, had a double-double for the Orange-and-Black (12 kills, 11 digs). Senior Athena McKenna added a team-high 15 digs, and talented freshman defensive specialist Mary McGrath also earned a double-double with 13 digs and 19 assists. Sophomore Mara Gambale added 10 digs, with senior Vivian Carter finishing with 19 assists.
“We’ve definitely improved since the first time we played Danvers,” said Harmon. “It was all positives tonight.”
Danvers — which came from nine points down to take the first set (“we had a team huddle and talked about energy and getting back to the way we normally play,” said Griffin) — got strong play from junior outside hitter Lauren Garofalo (9 kills, 3 aces, 24 digs), sophomore opposite Brooke Bernard (7 kills, 2 blocks), senior captain and middle blocker Kendall Murphy (4 aces) and senior libero Hadley Brown (17 digs).
Griffin also liked the play of Izzy Maffei, a libero called up from the junior varsity for the match, and junior outside hitter Tess Crowley for her defensive work and strong serving. Junior setter Hannah Tersolo (15 digs, 16 assists), senior captain and outside hitter Gabrielle Lindeman (12 digs), sophomore setter Lila Osborne (9 digs, 10 assists) and junior opposite Gracie Monteiro (9 digs) were other defensive standouts for the Blue-and-White.
“We’ll go back to practice and get back to basics in terms of our coverage and defense, remembering the team that we are and that we can be,” said Griffin.