The Bishop Fenwick volleyball team defeated the O’Bryant Tigers on Wednesday evening at Fenwick High, 3-0, in the division III preliminary round.
Led by sophomore Gwen Shroeder’s scoring touch, and freshman Caitlin Boyle’s net-front presence, the Crusaders withstood O’Bryant runs to advance to the round of 32 against Newburyport.
In the first set, Boyle provided early momentum with a pair of strong spikes to give Fenwick the early 2-0 lead. O’Bryant’s players weren’t moving much, or communicating. After some failed Tiger serves and a beautiful spike from Shroeder that painted the backline, it was Fenwick in control.
The Crusaders allowed the Tigers to claw their way back, however, as four of O’Bryant’s first five points came off fault serves from Fenwick. Despite the O’Bryant run to go up 11-10, Fenwick didn’t panic. Boyle showed strong poise in front of the net – going for the ball if there was a play to be made, but not advancing to make forced errors.
Shroeder started to find her sweet spot in front of the net and to the left. Her hitting touch, along with a beautiful Calli Symond hit that just grazed the net before hitting the opposite hardwood, Fenwick was in reach of the set victory. Abigail Spooner’s serve was too strong for O’Bryant to gather, and the return hit was sent out of bounds to give Fenwick the 25-18 set win.
In set two, the Tigers came out fearless, delivering powerful hits to go up 3-0 – along with some loud celebrations in enemy territory. Then, the Crusaders found their rhythm and went on a 15-0 run. Whether it was Boyle’s length by the net, well-sent serves, or O’Bryant mishitting balls out of bounds, there was no stopping Fenwick.
Shroeder’s serving was one of the key factors during the run.
“I was trying to mix it up to go short and deep because I found that they kept moving their defense around to try and hit the serves, so I tried to change it up to kind of surprise them,” Shroeder said.
Junior Helene Phelan made the play of the set, diving for a loose ball dig that eventually led to a Fenwick point later in the possession (23-6). The set ended with Fenwick junior Olivia Garron going cross-corner on a hit that was out of reach for any Tigers. The Crusaders won the set, 25-7.
After a Fenwick victory in Salem two weeks ago, the Crusaders’ Head Coach Samantha Kelly said serving is the key. In the second set, her players listened.
“We missed six serves in the first set,” Kelly said. “It’s huge because it keeps you high, and it’s all about momentum.”
With one set to go, and a game against Newburyport on the line, Fenwick picked up where it left off in the second set. Boyle used her length to shield a Tiger’s volley that resulted in a mishit, then sent a bombastic hit straight down and over the net for a point to go up 3-0.
O’Bryant had trouble on the right side of its court – Tigers were often out of position and not communicating with one another.
The Crusaders’ Kylie Murphy caught eyes with an impressive return hit to put Fenwick up 9-4 – timing her jump better than her opponent and coming away with the point. Lots of O’Bryant mishits later – including one to end the set – the Crusaders advanced to the round of 32.
Fenwick will travel to take on Newburyport this Friday at 5 p.m. The Crusaders lost to Newburyport twice this season, but with Wednesday being a night of momentum for the Crusaders, Shroeder feels sustaining that energy is the key.
“I think we’re the best when we work together and really get excited – when we’re enthusiastic, that’s when we play the best together,” Shroeder said.
