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11/14/2020 11:00 PMThe Guilford girls’ volleyball team was dominant from the start of the 2020 season and continued that trend all the way until its conclusion. On Nov. 13, Guilford capped off a perfect year with a record of 14-0 after earning a 3-0 win versus East Haven in the final of the Southern Connecticut Conference Division C Tournament.
“It’s been a fantastic season during really challenging times,” Head Coach Laura Anastasio said. “We were really happy to be able to get our season in, and it was even better to be as successful as we were.”
Guilford was the No. 1 seed in the SCC Division C Tournament and earned a bye through the first round. On Nov. 11, Guilford kicked off postseason play by claiming a 3-0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-18) home victory against No. 5 seed Branford in a semifinal contest.
Senior captain Emma Appleman had a team-high 16 kills, while sophomore Halle Krause led the team in aces with five in Guilford’s semifinal triumph. Senior captain Juliet Young and fellow senior Carson Halbower and each tallied nine digs and combined for 18 of the team’s 44 total digs in the match. Senior Olivia Ciocca had 19 of Guilford’s 23 assists.
Two days later, Guilford squared off against East Haven with the tourney title on the line and swept the Yellowjackets by a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-15) score in the Division C final. This marks the second-straight season in which Guilford has won an SCC postseason tournament.
Appleman recorded 22 kills, while Young posted 18 digs for Guilford in the title bout. Ciocca dished out 31 assists in the victory. Krause served up a team-high seven aces, including six in the second set alone.
Appleman was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. She finished her season with 217 kills and totaled 1,140 kills for her career.
Young finished twith a team-high total of 158 digs. The senior captain was glad to cap off her high school volleyball career via another championship with a special collection of teammates.
“It’s a really positive feeling, knowing that we went as far as we could this season, and that we ended on a high note,” Young said. “My favorite part of the season was the girls on the team. So, even though it was awesome to win SCCs and end my high school career with that success, I’m going to remember playing with them and having fun with them the most.”
Guilford only lost two sets the entire season on its way to going 14-0. In the end, Coach Anastasio’s squad outscored its opponents by a 42-2 margin for the year.
“The girls on the team came ready to play every day and knew how lucky they were to be able to play,” Anastasio said. “I think everyone really just played for the love of the game this year and really enjoyed it.”
Guilford’s roster featured senior captains Emma Appleman and Juliet Young; fellow seniors Carson Halbower, Emily Brouder, Megan McNamara, Zoe McClure, and Olivia Ciocca; juniors Talia Turcio, Daisy Pope, and Katie Vail; sophomores Halle Krause, Emily Lin, Gabby Paris, Riley Mullett, and Corrine Puchalski; and freshmen Emma Getrost and Emmi Piironen.