Foxborough Girls Volleyball Drops Match to Oliver Ames

If the match were to be summarized in one word, 'streaky' would be the most appropriate word to use. With both teams going on scoring runs, the match would come down to who could get the most streaks. With a good start and finish in two out of three sets and a strong finish in the third set, the Oliver Ames Tigers held off the Foxboro Warriors to win the match 3-0.

Oliver Ames got the hot start in the opening set with a 4-1 lead, but Foxboro found a way to come back to take a 6-4 lead. After getting a 2-point lead, The Tigers relied heavily on their attack line to quickly rack up points and overwhelm the Foxboro defense

“A little bit more athletic than us and they have a great middle hitter,” said Foxboro coach Dan Damish of the Tigers.

Foxboro slowly rallied back to get to within four at 23-19, but Oliver Ames quickly ended the first set with a 25-20 win.

The Tigers continued to get the better of the Warriors in the second set. Jumping to a 6-1 lead, the Tigers continued to rely on their front line and senior captain Candace Steadman. It was a big day for the middle hitter as Steadman earned 5 kills in the second set and 16 overall.

“Defensively she’s (Candace) good. She’s good at the net. She’s good blocking, so she’s huge for us. We gotta get her the ball and we gotta get her the good sets,” said Oliver Ames coach Corrine McCarthy.

Despite having a 22-12 lead over the Warriors, the Tigers could not put the set away without dramatics. An 11-2 rally by the Warriors made it a 24-23 set in favor of the Tigers with a chance for the Warriors to tie. Unfortunately, a hit slightly out of bounds was the difference between a tie set and a win as Oliver Ames took the second set 25-23.

“We had a great swing and we hit it wide. We could of tied up. I think we would of won that second set,” said Damish.

Using the momentum from the second set, The Warriors jumped out to a 5-1 lead but the Tigers worked their way back to take a 13-12 lead. Once again Steadman was too much as her 7 kills in the final set was enough to give the Tigers a 25-21 win and a 3-0 sweep of the Warriors.

It was a tough loss for a Warrior team that was close so many times but couldn’t finish the job. Despite the loss, there was nothing but compliments from Coach Damish.

“The kids did great. I have nothing but positive things today,” said Damish

Ashley Snyder led the Warriors with 8 kills including 6 in the opening set.

“She (Ashley) played great especially in the first set. She was moving around, doing well,” said Damish.

Ally Perry was 9/9 serving for the Warriors with 3 aces. Kassidy Quadrozzi also had a good game with 5 dumps over the net. Overall, the Warriors showed improvement in their team play.

“They’re starting to learn how to play together as a team. I see the enthusiasm and the intensity,” said Damish.

In addition to Steadman’s play for the Tigers, earned 12 kills to cap off a strong performance for the attack line.

“We were strong at the net. Getting that first ball to the center has been a struggle and I think they did well today,” said McCarthy.

With the win the Tigers are now 6-3 overall and 5-2 inside the Hockomock League. The Warriors fall to 3-4 with every game being league play.

Next up for the Warriors will be their first out of league game of the season. Foxboro will host the Norton Lancers on Wednesday Sept. 28 at 4:45pm. The Tigers will also be home on the 28th when they host the Attleboro Blue Bombardiers. Game time is set for 4:45pm.