This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/28/2018 12:00 AMThe Guilford volleyball team featured several fresh faces in new places coming into the 2018 campaign. However, instead of having a rebuilding year, the Indians recently completed another great regular season and are in a good groove as they begin the playoffs.
Guilford graduated a large cast of seniors from its 2017 team that earned 22 wins, reached the SCC Tournament final, and then advanced to the Class L State Tournament semifinals. With a different look, the Indians jelled throughout the regular season and finished it with a record of 16-4 after earning 3-0 victories versus Harding and Branford last week. Guilford then opened up the SCC Tournament as the No. 4 seed and posted a 3-0 shutout against No. 13 seed Hand in a first-round match on Oct. 26.
“In the beginning of the year, I thought it would be more of a rebuilding year with about only two girls returning. We also had a tough schedule with playing teams like Cheshire, Amity, and Hand twice, but it was different than what happened,” Head Coach Laura Meyer said. “The league was a bit down this year, but the girls meshed really well together. They focused and worked hard. All of that has brought us to where we are now.”
Guilford started off last week by earning a 3-0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-9) win over Harding in a non-conference match on Oct. 24. Senior middle hitter Hunter Halbower had 10 kills and one block, while sophomore outside hitter Emma Appleman contributed 12 kills in the win. Junior middle hitter Sabrina Zuniga added eight kills for the Indians.
The following day, Guilford defeated Branford by a 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-15) score in its regular-season finale. Appleman had 17 kills, 10 digs, and four aces; Halbower threw down nine kills, and junior setter Eva Ott Hill handed out 23 assists to go with seven digs.
The day after that, Guilford claimed a 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-23) victory versus Hand in the first round of the SCC Tournament. Appleman had 21 kills with 10 digs, Ott Hill dished out 27 assists to go with five digs, and sophomore libero Juliet Young notched 13 digs and four aces for Guilford.
Coach Meyer said the Indians are concerning themselves with elements that they can control on the court, rather than worry too much about what the opposition is throwing at them.
“We’ve just been focusing on what we can do on our side of the court. We focus on playing clean volleyball,” Meyer said. “Emma Appleman is much improved from last year and is a strong force in front. She’s our go-to hitter and had 27 kills in a five-set loss to Amity. Juliet Young makes plays and gets passes that people think are impossible.”
Meyer added that Guilford has been playing with great synergy all around the court this season. She pointed out the poise and leadership of her senior captains Leah Kornguth and Sarah Gieger, who are both back-row players, along with fellow senior Halbower. Meyer said that her senior veterans have helped the Indians bring together a team that features strong camaraderie and always plays with positivity.
“Everyone has fit into their role and is positive,” said Meyer. “It starts with the captains. Leah and Sarah had big responsibilities with helping the younger girls get used to the program. I’ve seen a competitive nature come out of them. Hunter has been nothing but positive in welcoming the girls. They’ve worked hard on how to be better teammates. They all want to be skilled players, but also good teammates.”
The Indians, who are 17-4 overall, will face No. 5 seed North Haven (15-4) in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals at Guilford High School on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. The winner moves on to the semifinals to face the winner of top-seeded Cheshire and No. 8 Lyman Hall on Thursday, Nov. 1. The final takes place at East Haven High School on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. After SCCs, the Indians will compete in the Class L State Tournament.
“I’m pleasantly surprised where we are in Class L. We’re in a good spot...You never know what you’ll get in states and it’s exciting,” said Meyer. “Because of our lack of experience, we don’t want to look too far ahead, but we’ll most likely see teams we are familiar with in SCCs. We will just take it all one game at a time.”
From the Sidelines
The Indians won the SCC Oronoque Division title this year by posting a perfect divisional mark of 8-0 against East Haven, Foran, North Haven, and Hillhouse.
Prior to last week, Guilford’s regular-season wins came against Hand (3-0 twice), Hamden (3-0 twice), North Haven (3-0 twice), Hillhouse (3-0 twice), Branford (3-0), Foran (3-0 twice), Amity (3-1), and East Haven (3-0 and 3-1). The Indians also took losses versus Cheshire (3-0 twice), Amity (3-2), and East Lyme (3-1).
The Class L State Tournament opens with first-round play on Monday, Nov. 5. The second round will take place on Thursday, Nov. 8; the quarterfinals are on Saturday, Nov. 10; the semifinals are on Wednesday, Nov. 14; and the final takes place on Saturday, Nov. 17 at East Haven High School.