North Adams’ Aulbrea Meade (20) goes up strong at the net for a kill attempt in the Lady Devils’ three-set tournament win over Portsmouth on October 16. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
After a dazzling 20-2 regular season and an undefeated season in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference, the next mission quest for Coach Katie Ragan and her North Adams Lady Devils volleyball squad began on October 16. The Lady Devils opened postseason play in Division V, hosting the Portsmouth Lady Trojans in a district quarterfinal match up.
North Adams was heavily favored going into the match and they certainly lived up to that as they routed the visiting Lady Trojans in straight sets, 25-5, 25-15, 25-4 in one of the most lopsided matches of the first round.
“We played a good first set and a good third set,” said Coach Ragan in her postgame radio spot. “In the second set we were standing around a lot but all in all it was a good match. Portsmouth is a young team and they will have better seasons coming. Our younger players have gotten better as the season has gone along and that’s a good thing.”
Things got real ugly real fast for the visitors as the Lady Devils exploded out of the gate and took a commanding 11-0 lead in the first set, six of those points coming on service aces from senior Aulbrea Meade. After Portsmouth managed one side out and one point, North Adams took the next four with Elizabeth Raines serving to go up 15-1. The Lady Trojans did string three points together but nothing near a major comeback as the Lady Devils continued to pour it on, getting kills from senior hitter Katelynn Boerger to lead 19-4.
After the Lady Trojans squeezed out one more point, the first set ended with Boerger serving the final five points and the Lady Devils winning handily 25-5.
Perhaps the first set drubbing was a wake up call for the visitors, as Portsmouth performed much better in the second set, to a point. North Adams took an early 7-3 lead, again with Boerger serving but a Portsmouth flurry tied the set at 8 apiece. With the Lady Devils up 11-10, the home side rattled off with Morgan Wheeler at the serve and throwing down a pair of aces.
North Adams maintained that comfortable advantage through the remainder of the set, getting kills from Boerger, Paige Evans and Emma Pistole on their way to the 25-15 triumph.
The third set of this quarterfinal match turned into a complete route and included a very impressive performance by North Adams junior Natalie Ragan, who served 15 consecutive points as the Lady Devils took an insurmountable 20-1 lead. The Lady Trojans did manage the next three points, but the home team slammed the door as kills by Evans and Pistole again ended the set and the match, with North Adams taking the third set 25-4 and the match in three straight.
Boerger led the winners with 15 kills with Evans adding 10. As setter, Ragan passed out 32 assists, while Raines led the squad with 10 digs. Meade chipped in six service aces.
With the victory, the Lady Devils advance to the Division V district semifinals, where they will travel to Waverly High School on October 23 to face the Zane Trace Lady Pioneers. That contest is the second match of the night and will likely begin between 7:30 – 8 p.m. with the winner moving into the district championship.
“Zane Trace plays a tougher schedule in a tougher league so we will have to play well in order to win,” said Coach Ragan. “They are a very good blocking team and our net play will be very important, especially to dig balls out that they do block. They are a good, fundamentally sound team so we will need to be ready to play.”
