Westwood Volleyball Falls to Norton

After dropping the first game, the  girls’ volleyball team stormed back to win three of the next four games to earn its second victory of the season, 3-2, in a Tri-Valley League match against Westwood on Tuesday night at the Lawrence Larocque Gymnasium.

The Wolverines won the opening game, 25-14, before the Lancers rebounded to capture the second game, 25-19. Westwood earned a very hard-fought 28-26 decision in game three. But Norton responded once again, winning the fourth game 25-18 and gaining its second victory of the season with a 15-12 verdict in the fifth and deciding game.

“It seems to take us one game to get warmed up,” said Norton coach Diane Marzelli-Newell. “But after that first game, the girls served much better and communicated better. They also did a better job picking up the loose balls. They played like they know how to play after that first game. The girls have the ability to make adjustments on the fly. They continue to get better with their defense, passing and communication.”

The win improved the Lancers to 2-6 overall. It was also their first league victory as they are now 1-5 in the TVL. Westwood dropped to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the league.

In the first game, a pair of 5-0 runs gave Westwood a 17-5 lead. The Wolverines later scored three straight points to make it 23-9. Norton used four consecutive points to close the gap to 23-14, but the visitors notched the final two points to get the win, 25-14.

Westwood continued that momentum into the second game, building an early 7-4 advantage with a 3-0 surge. But Norton responded with a 6-2 run to take its first lead of the match 10-9, culminating with an ace from Maggie Morris.

With Amanda Sullivan serving four points, the Lancers went on a run of five consecutive points to take a 16-12 lead. But a 6-2 surge by the Wolverines tied the game at 18-18. With the game tied at 19-19, Norton scored the final six points to take it, 25-19. Morris served the final five points of the game, which tied the match at 1-1.

The Wolverines built a 10-2 advantage in the third game. But behind the serving of Stephanie Belcher, who notched five points with three aces, the hosts went on a run of six consecutive points to close the gap to 10-8. Norton later used a 3-0 run to extend the run to 11-3 and tie it at 13-13, capped by a kill by Sullivan and an ace by Abby Anderson. The Wolverines responded with five straight points to open up an 18-13 lead.

But a 4-0 surge closed the gap to 18-17 for the Lancers, which included three service points and an ace by Jackie Dunne. A kill by Olivia Karcis and three straight aces by Caisey Calabro was part of a 5-0 surge that gave Norton a 22-19 advantage.

Westwood scored five of the next seven points to deadlock the game at 24-24. After Norton had retaken the lead at 25-24, the Wolverines scored four of the final five points of the game to take it 28-26 and hold a 2-1 advantage in the match.

Needing a win in game four to keep its hopes alive for a second victory, Norton had control throughout the game. Belcher served five points, including an ace, to help the Lancers score six straight points and take a 12-4 lead. The hosts later scored four straight to extend the surge to 10-2, including three service points and an ace by Karcis.

Westwood made its best run of the game with a 5-1 surge to close the gap to 17-11, but Abby Anderson notched three consecutive points as part of a 4-0 run to make it 21-11. The Wolverines scored seven of the next eight to cut the deficit to 22-18, but the Lancers got the final three points, including two on serves by Calabro, to get a 25-18 win.

Norton took a 7-3 lead in the fifth game, but Westwood went on an 8-4 surge to tie it at 11-11. With the game tied at 12-12, the Lancers scored the final three points, including a kill by Karcis and two service points by Belcher, to take the game and the match, 15-12.

“Both teams played a good game,” said first-year Westwood head coach Kevin Whitaker. “They just did a better job keeping their poise and were able to finish at the end. Our serving errors ended up being too much for us to overcome.”

The match on Tuesday began a busy stretch for the Lancers in which they will play three times in four days. Norton will travel to Foxborough for a non-league match on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. before the team hosts Bellingham in a TVL contest on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Westwood will host Norwood in a non-league match on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m.

The Norton junior varsity team continued its successful season with a 2-1 win over the Wolverine junior varsity squad on Tuesday. The Wolverines won the first game, 25-16 before the Lancers stormed back to win the second, 25-19, and the third, 25-20.

“We had a lot of girls contribute in this match,” said Norton coach Eric Grasso, whose team improved to 5-3 with the win. “Everyone has worked hard in practice and we didn’t make a lot of unforced errors today. All the girls worked on not making mistakes near the net and they all served better today.”

It was a reversal of fortune for the Lancers on Tuesday after they suffered a tough 2-1 setback to Holliston last Friday night in the Larocque Gym. Norton won the first game against the Panthers, 25-7, but then dropped the next two to take the loss.

“We didn’t want a repeat of that match,” said Grasso.