Overcomes 1-0 deficit, prevails 3-1 over Lexington

MEMBERS OF the girls’ volleyball team celebrate during yesterday’s match against Lexington. The Warriors defeated Lexington by a 3-1 score at the Charbonneau Field House.

MEMBERS OF the girls’ volleyball team celebrate during yesterday’s match against Lexington. The Warriors defeated Lexington by a 3-1 score at the Charbonneau Field House.

Published in the September 8, 2016 edition.

By DAN BYRNE

WAKEFIELD — The varsity girls’ volleyball season began on Wednesday with Wakefield Memorial High School taking on Lexington at the Charbonneau Field House.

Head Coach Nicole Trudeau came in riding a wave of confidence following a promising preseason. She felt going into this game that her team could and should come out on top.

In a very impressive opening match, her team did not disappoint and won the match, 3-1.

Lexington won the first set in a heated battle 25-21. Wakefield held the edge early on but the momentum switched and the Minutewomen took the first set.

Wakefield rebounded and claimed the next three sets 25-19, 25-22 and 25-16 to take home the victory.

“In the first set we came out strong but then we started making some mistakes and we were concentrating on the mistakes instead of playing together,” Trudeau said of the first set, after the match.

“For the second, third and fourth sets I said listen we need to strike back,” Trudeau said, and her team responded by working together the next three sets.

You could pick anyone on the floor to highlight as a key player for the Warriors on Wednesday.

Coach Trudeau shared some of what she saw saying, “Nicole Roberto had an amazingly solid day all around. Her passing was particularly great. Nothing flashy, just the consistent solid volleyball that we needed. Sam Salamone, the libero, was unbelievable with her passing out there. Abbie Badgett had some great blocks was doing well. Emma Butler is always solid, we can always count on her.”

Butler came up big late in the game with some clutch kills.

Though it may have been the ideal start to the season, it wasn’t a perfect game and Coach Trudeau saw some points of improvement along with all the positives that were on display.

“We’re going to work on our blocking,” she said. “Our serve receive and our blocking are really the only things that aren’t working.

“That wasn’t an easy team to beat at all. When you walk in and see a girl that can reach 10’ 4’’, it’s hard, but you know,” added Trudeau. We aren’t going to see anybody less than them the rest of the season,” noting the difficulty of the upcoming schedule.

This win is certainly a big check mark in the list of goals the team has for themselves but Coach Trudeau knows the season only gets tougher from here, as the Warriors take on defending Middlesex League Liberty champs Reading on Friday.

“They believe in themselves as being very good but I think we’re believing in ourselves that we’re just as good,” said Nadeau.

The crossover match will be tomorrow at 5:15 p.m. at the Charbonneau Field House.