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11/13/2021 11:00 PMGirls’ Volleyball
The North Haven girls’ volleyball team won its first three matches in the Class L State Tournament last week to advance into the semifinal round of the bracket. North Haven earned wins versus Bethel and Fitch in the first two rounds of the tourney and then claimed a five-set quarterfinal victory against E.O. Smith to make the semis and improve to 20-5 on the year.
No. 5 seed North Haven opened up the Class L State Tournament by earning a 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-17) home win over No. 28 Bethel in first-round action on Nov. 8. Senior Hannah Auddino had 21 assists with two aces for North Haven. Fellow senior Caroline Toni posted nine kills with five digs and four aces in the victory. Junior Sophie Vauiso chipped in with five kills and two blocks.
On Nov. 11, North Haven hosted No. 12 seed Fitch in the second round of states and defeated the Falcons by a 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-16, 25-21) score. Auddino handed out 28 assists and also had eight digs and three aces in the win. Junior Kayla Balisiciano turned in a big performance by recording 15 digs to go with eight kills, three blocks, and two aces. Freshman Alyssa Ferriouolo had 10 digs and four aces, while junior Maren Hill seven kills and five blocks for North Haven.
Two days later, North Haven traveled to Storrs to take on No. 4 seed E.O. Smith in the quarterfinals of the Class L tourney. North Haven edged out the Panthers by a 3-2 score in the contest, winning the match by the final tally of 25-22, 20-25, 17-25, 25-15, 16-14. Auddino had 29 assists with seven digs and two aces for North Haven. Hill had 14 kills and two blocks, while senior Lexy Signor punched 11 digs to help North Haven get the win and move on to the semifinals.
North Haven played top-seeded RHAM in the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament on Nov. 17 (after press time). If North Haven won that match, it will face the winner of No. 10 seed Bristol Eastern and No. 11 Simsbury in the Class L final at East Haven High School on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Football
The North Haven football team played a road game against SCC opponent Hillhouse at Bowen Field in New Haven on Nov. 12. North Haven claimed a 27-12 victory versus the Academics to improve to 4-5 in the 2021 season. North Haven, which has won four of its last five, has one game remaining on the year.
North Haven will finish its season by hosting Amity for the teams’ annual Thanksgiving game on Thursday, Nov. 25. The game kicks off at 10 a.m. at Vanacore Field.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
The North Haven girls’ swimming and diving team was represented by three athletes at the Class M Diving State Championship last week. The meet took place at Sheehan High School on Nov. 11.
Senior El-Lana Coleman finished in ninth place for North Haven in the Class M diving competition. Coleman posted a score of 307.00 points to take ninth place for her 11-dive performance.
Sophomore Meghan DeRubeis scored 287.95 points to finish in 11th place at the meet. Senior Chandler Ceste-Martinez finished in 14th place with a score of 270.35 points for North Haven.
North Haven’s divers scored points that will count toward the team’s total when its swimmers compete at the Class M State Championship this week. After that, the State Open will take place with the Diving Championship at Middletown High School on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Swimming Championship at Cornerstone Aquatic Center in West Hartford on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m.