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11/22/2018 11:00 PMEntering the 2018 season, the Guilford volleyball squad had its fair share of question marks after graduating several key athletes from its team that reached the SCC final and the state semifinals last year. However, the Indians answered those questions by fielding a club that displayed great maturity and close-knit camaraderie, resulting in a 20-win campaign for Head Coach Laura Meyer’s squad.
Guilford finished the regular season with an impressive record of 16-4. The Indians also defended their SCC Oronoque Division title by posting a perfect record of 8-0 in divisional play for the second year in a row. As the No. 4 seed in the SCC Tournament, Guilford notched 3-0 sweeps versus No. 13 seed Hand and No. 5 North Haven to reach the semifinal round, where the Indians took a 3-1 loss to eventual champion Cheshire. Then in the Class L State Tournament, the 10th-seeded Indians earned a 3-0 sweep over No. 23 seed Lyman Hall and prevailed 3-1 at 7th-seeded Stratford, before seeing their season come to a close with a 3-0 loss against No. 2 Barlow in the quarterfinal round.
Coach Meyer said that Guilford stepped up its intensity when the stakes were at their highest this season.
“I think a lot of us were unsure of how the year would go coming into this season. Halfway through the year, we saw we were winning, but the SCC wasn’t as strong as usual,” said Meyer, whose team finished with an overall record of 20-6. “But once the postseason came, you could see the girls getting more confident and excited in games and practices.”
The young Indians were led by a tremendous trio of seniors throughout the 2018 campaign. Back-row players Sarah Gieger and Leah Kornguth served as Guilford’s co-captains, while middle hitter Hunter Halbower also provided veteran leadership, in addition to plenty of power on offense. Gieger finished the year with 119 digs and 13 aces, Kornguth totaled 145 digs, and Halbower had 155 kills to go with 63 blocks for Guilford on the year.
Meyer said that all three seniors were exemplary leaders who showed poise when it came time for their moment in the spotlight.
“These three girls were part of some successful years here, but they didn’t play much as juniors. Yet they knew their roles as juniors in order to set themselves up for this year,” Meyer said. “It takes a big person to still stick with it and then earn that starting role.”
Sophomore libero Juliet Young tallied 335 digs and 57 assists for the Indians this year, while fellow sophomore Emma Appleman finished with 349 kills and 232 digs at the outside hitter position. Both athletes garnered All-SCC First Team recognition for their performances.
While the SCC might not have been as strong a conference as it was in past seasons, Coach Meyer felt that Guilford’s win versus perennial powerhouse Amity proved a statement victory for her team. Meyer was also pleased that the Indians took a set against Cheshire when the two teams met in the SCC’s Final Four.
“Our win against Amity on the road was big. It was a huge win for us and our name, because people then knew we were strong,” Meyer said. “In SCCs, taking a set from Cheshire in their gym was great. It’s OK to lose to a team like Cheshire, but we wanted to definitely take a set. We have a young group, so to also go on the road in states and defeat Stratford was huge for us.”
Unlike this year, Guilford will be returning a great deal of experienced players when the team takes the floor in 2019. In closing the book on the 2018 season, Coach Meyer feels proud that the Indians continued their run of success, while their athletes bonded as a family.
“We are returning several starters and key roles in the lineup. We lose an improved middle hitter in Hunter, plus Sarah and Leah were solid in the back row, but we have a strong freshman and sophomore class, along with three returning juniors, so we hope to keep the success rolling,” Meyer said. “We’ve been able to build up a successful program here, and it helps that the girls as freshmen grab more experience, because they know we plan on winning. The girls became friends and had fun at practice, which is what you want to see happen.”
From the Sidelines
The Guilford volleyball team’s Class L State Tournament roster featured senior captains Leah Kornguth and Sara Gieger; fellow senior Hunter Halbower; juniors Eva Ott Hill, Olivia Lawlor, and Sabrina Zuniga; and sophomores Juliet Young, Devyn Kalama, Olivia Ciocca, Megan McNamara, Carson Halbower, Emma Appleman, and Emily Brouder.
This was Laura Meyer’s fifth season as head coach of the Guilford volleyball squad. The Indians’ assistant coaches were JV and varsity assistant Jeff DeMaio, who is also the head coach of the Guilford boys’ basketball team; and freshman coach Alyssa Dunn.
During the regular season, Guilford earned a pair of 3-0 victories against Hand, Hamden, North Haven, Hillhouse, Branford, and Foran. The Indians also defeated Amity (3-1), East Haven (3-0 and 3-1), and Harding (3-0). Guilford’s losses came against East Lyme (3-1), Amity (3-2), and Cheshire (3-0 and 3-0).