Mounties Complete Perfect League Season

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Mount Greylock volleyball team has more work to do this fall, but it checked two things off its to-do list with a 3-0 win over Lenox on Tuesday.

 

“The undefeated league season, we worked really hard,” Mounties junior captain Olivia Perez said, referring to one of the team’s goals. “All the work we put in goes unseen, and I feel like that was the goal we had in pre-season: We want to win all the games in our league.

 

“And we worked every day at that. Everyone came in ready to go, and I think we worked hard for it. So I’m super proud of everybody.”

 

And the other goal? That one came in two parts as Mount Greylock swept the home-and-home series with the Millionaires a year after Lenox went 2-1 against the Mounties.

 

“Since last year, our goal was to beat Lenox this year, and I think that going into this game, we know they’re a good team and we have to work for every point,” Perez said. “We won last time. This time we forgot about that, and we just came into it with the same mindset, same energy.

 

“We did not take the last one for granted.”

 

After running away with a 10-point win in the third set at Lenox in Round 1, Mount Greylock had to battle for every point on Tuesday before coming out ahead, 25-20, 25-21, 25-23.

 

The Millionaires led most of the way in the third set and were up as late as 19-17, but a four-point run on Perez’ serve turned the tide and sent her team on the way to a sweep.

 

Perez put down 10 kills and served eight aces while passing out eight assists in the win. Kaleigh Jaros had a team-high 18 assists, and Tyanna Lepicier pulled up 14 digs while putting down six kills.

 

Lenox got eight kills and 10 digs from Evelyn Julieano. Isabella Baltazar had 12 digs and eight assists, and Sara Isby recorded a team-high 15 digs.

 

The Millionaires were up early in the first set before Jaros went to the service line with her team trailing, 14-11. She got a kill from Perez to start a five-point run that gave the Mounties a lead they did not relinquish.

 

Again in the second, Lenox led early. Baltazar served a couple of aces in a four-point run that gave her team a 13-9 lead.

 

But, after a side out, Perez served six straight points – three on serves that Lenox could not return – to make it 16-13, Mount Greylock.

 

The Mounties later stretched that advantage on a three-point run by Lepicier, who got the lead to 21-16.

 

Lenox hung tough, getting kills from Julieano and Isby down the stretch to pull within a point at 22-21.

 

“I think we were swinging well,” Lenox coach Karalynn Hopkins said. “I think when we were out of our system, we weren’t being smart with where it was going, which is kind of what beat us. … When we were swinging, it was throwing them out of system. And I was telling them, ‘You guys need to generate more offense. Be smarter with your offense. Even if a set’s off, just do something with it other than just give them a free ball.’

 

“But I think that was some of the best volleyball I’ve seen all season out of my girls and Greylock as well. That was a great game.”

 

Neither team led by more than three points in the third set.

 

At one point, Lenox and Mount Greylock traded 13 straight side outs, a run that ended with an ace by the Mounties’ Anna Garnish to tie the set, 15-15.

 

Lenox then won three straight, ending with a kill by Brookly Rodriguez to make it 18-15.

 

A Perez kill gave Mount Greylock a side out down by two. And two side outs later, Perez served four straight points as the Mounties went ahead, 21-19.

 

Lenox won two points in a row, though, to tie the set and give the team some hope.

 

“Our talk when it was 21-21 was very focused on communication,” Perez said. “Strong communication gets you through tough situations like that. Keeping it simple. As long as we could pass well, get the ball over the net, make them play the ball, that’s all we could really do in that situation. Talk to each other on serve receive and defense and then send it back over.

 

“So that’s kind of what we did.”

 

A Lepicier kill gave Mount Greylock match point at 24-22, but Lenox got a side out to stay alive before Kimora Melanson ended things with an assist from Jaros.

 

Mount Greylock finishes the regular season with a record of 13-2.

 

Lenox (12-2) hosts Monument Mountain on Wednesday.

 

Photos from this match to come.