MARBLEHEAD— It was a heartbreaking end to the season for Marblehead on Thursday night at Marblehead High School as the 15th-seeded Magicians fell to the 18th-seeded Nashoba Regional Chieftains in the first round of the MIAA Division II tournament. Marblehead lost in set scores of 25-14, 25-22, 23-25, 20-25, and 8-15.
Sweetnam led all Magicians in kills with 17, with Wabno adding eight. Defensively, Parkman was a star and contributed a whopping 33 digs. Julia Potvin and Tamya Johnson racked up 27 assists and 20 assists, respectively. Freshman Greta Sachs blocked four balls and Lucy Sabin added another seven kills for the Magicians.
It was an electric atmosphere inside of Marblehead’s gymnasium and the Magicians fed off of the home crowd’s energy early on. Marblehead immediately gained control of the first set, forcing Nashoba to call a timeout down 18-11. Quality serving has been a staple of this year’s Marblehead team – showing in the first few sets. Seniors Isabel Wabno, Caitlin Parkman, and Kiera Sweetnam each had a number of serves that helped their team jump out to an early lead.
The senior-lead effort gave Marblehead a 25-14 win in the first set, though Nashoba didn’t make it easy. The Chieftains forced the Magicians to earn every point with long volleys and timely digs.
Nashoba jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the second set. Marblehead answered with five straight points to take a 10-9 lead, prompting another Nashoba timeout. As was the case in the first set, the Chieftains weren’t giving any easy outs for the Magicians. Multiple, excruciatingly long volleys resulted in bodies diving all over the court as players battled in the win-or-go-home match.
Tied at 15, it was Sweetnam’s turn to serve, and she caused issues for Nashoba. She gave Marblehead some breathing room, but the Chieftains clawed back to within striking distance. The Magicians kept Nashoba at bay and avoided a win-by-two scenario, winning the second set, 25-22.
Marblehead could start to taste victory, but like a light switch, Nashoba flipped the script on the match. It started right at the beginning of the third set. The Chieftains quickly got out to a 10-5 lead, forcing a timeout by Marblehead Head Coach Killeen Miller. Marblehead kept it close, but Nashoba stole the third set, 25-23, and the Chieftains were alive and kicking heading into the fourth.
After the match, Miller talked about how the team may have gotten a little complacent after going up 2-0, but also credited Nashoba with improving its game as the match went on.
“They just kept getting better and better,” she said. “I think our players just got a little passive. We couldn’t put the ball away and, at the end of the day, you’ve got to score points.”
Nashoba dominated most of the fourth set. Communication errors on Marblehead’s end, mixed with a Chieftains team that was beginning to warm up, resulted in a 25-20 set win that forced a fifth and final set.
Nashoba immediately got out to a 6-2 lead and Miller called a stop-in-the-action in an attempt to keep her team composed. Desperation set in for Marblehead – and defensive efforts were superb for the Magician’s in the last set – but Nashoba had too much momentum and completed the comeback.
It was an especially emotional night for the team’s eight seniors who played their final game at Marblehead. Despite the loss, Wabno celebrated her team’s success this season and said that her final season was one to remember.
“We had an incredible season. It was so much fun,” Wabno said. “This is a community that will never leave my heart. These memories will last a lifetime. It’s an unfortunate way to go out, but we went out together.”
Marblehead had an incredible regular season run, highlighted by a season sweep of a 17-3 Tanners team, and a win against No. 1 seed Ipswich (Division 4) in the regular season finale.
