Mounties Outlast Lenox, Head Back to Western Mass Final

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Three sets into Wednesday’s Western Massachusetts Class C semi-final against rival Lenox, Mount Greylock’s run of five straight regional finals was in serious jeopardy.

 

Lenox had a 2-1 lead in the match, and while the Mounties were up, 14-9, early in the third set, an officials call gave Lenox a side out and had the home team a little rattled.

 

The Millionaires’ Sara Isby put down a kill to get her team within three points at 14-11.

 

But on the next point, Mount Greylock’s Olivia Perez recorded one of her five blocks.

 

The Mounties never gave up the lead, took the set and went on to a five-set victory, 17-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 15-10.

 

“For me, personally, the best way to get past a bad call is to just play even harder, make it even harder for them to get the point,” Perez said. I think once I had that block, we really settled back into the flow of the game.

 

“That call messed us up, but [the block] really helped us get back into the flow.”

 

Perez recorded 13 kills and six digs to go along with the five blocks. Tyanna Lepicier recorded a double-double with a team-high 14 kills and 20 digs. And Kaleigh Jaros passed out 32 assists as second-seeded Mount Greylock advanced to the title round against the winner of Thursday’s match between top-seeded Pioneer Valley Christian and Franklin Tech.

 

No. 3 Lenox started strong and went toe-to-toe with its rivals all night in a match that had fans on the edges of their seats or – in the case of the Mounties’ raucous student section – on their feet.

Evelyn Julieano had a double-double for the visitors with 12 kills and 10 digs. Isabella Baltazar also pulled up 10 digs while putting down seven kills. And Olivia Ackerman directed Lenox’s offense with 28 assists.

 

Lenox (14-3) came out strong with a five-point run on Isby’s serve to take a 6-0 lead in the first set and never looked back, going on top, 1-0. Later in the set, Isby served a couple of more points, getting a Hadley Light kill to make it 20-11, and a couple of side outs later, a tip by Julieano got Lenox within two points of the set at 23-12.

 

Mount Greylock made a little run, but a service error ended the set with Lenox up by eight.

 

In the second, Mount Greylock took control with a three-point run on Jaros’ serve. A Caroline Callahan (nine kills) kill, a tip by Kimora Melanson and Jaros’ ace made it 10-5, and the Mounties maintained that margin the rest of the way.

 

Mount Greylock went up early in the third set, taking an 8-3 advantage on a kill by Lepicier.

 

But got a side out and responded with five straight points on Ackerman’s serve, a run that included a couple of kills by Julieano to help take a 9-8 lead.

 

A couple of points on Baltazar’s serve opened up a 15-11 advantage for Lenox, and Amaya Alger eventually put away the set by serving four straight points, ending things on a kill by Isby, who reached the 100-kill milestone on Wednesday.

 

Down, 2-1, in the match, Mount Greylock regrouped.

 

“The message was just: ‘We know volleyball. We can play volleyball,’ ” Mounties coach Faith Wehner said. It’s as simple as that, and just keep it down to the basics.”

 

Mount Greylock got the early advantage in the fourth when Jaros served three points to get to 10-5. But Julieano answered for Lenox with a couple of points on her serve to keep it close.

 

That set the stage for the call that could have tripped up Mount Greylock before Perez re-established momentum. In her second turn serving in the set, Callahan and Lepiecier each had a kill to make it 19-13, and Lenox never got closer than three points the rest of the way, sending the match to the first-to-15 fifth set.

 

Haydn Derby gave Mount Greylock a lift with a three-point run on her serve that started with a Perez kill and ended with the hosts up, 7-6, after a side out.

 

A kill by Cecilia Keogh gave Mount Greylock an 8-6 lead as the teams switched sides. And Mount Greylock took control of the set for good with a kill by Lepicier that opened up a 13-7 advantage.

 

From there, the teams traded side outs until a Lenox attack went into the net on Mount Greylock’s third match point.

 

Despite losing to their league rivals a third time this fall – Lenox’s only three losses – the Millionaires came out of the defeat with a little more confidence going into next week’s Division 5 State Tournament.

 

“Honestly, from a coach’s perspective, it doesn’t even feel like we lost,” Lenox coach Karalynn Hopkins said. “I think we played really well. It really just came down to those last couple of points, and we looked really tired. That’s actually the first time we’ve gone to a five-set match all season. So they’re tired.

 

“But I think it was a good game. I could not be more proud of them. They played their hearts out.”

 

Mount Greylock (15-2) meanwhile, heads into its Halloween Western Mass final not needing to fear anyone – partly because of how it was tested all season by last year’s Western Mass champs.

 

“Seeing a really good team, like Lenox, and seeing them three times really helps us get better,” Wehner said. “We play ourselves at practice, and that’s some of the best competition we have. So to be able to play another team and get some different looks and some different things going on, it’s awesome.”

 

Photos from this match to come.