CHS volleyball impresses in season-opening win

In their first action of the 2018 regular season, the Canton High varsity volleyball team showed a good mix of poise and promise en route to a convincing road win last week over Attleboro.

Fighting through some season-opening jitters, the lady Bulldogs fell into an early 8-1 hole before clawing their way back to win the first set 25-18. Having seized the momentum, the Canton girls went on to dominate the next two sets, winning 25-13 and 25-10 to secure their first win of the fall campaign.

For head coach Pat Cawley, it was a total-team effort and an encouraging start to the new season. “Everyone played and contributed,” said Cawley, who begins her 12th season at the helm.

Canton’s top performer in the match was senior Erin Devine, who paced the team with 12 kills while hitting .800 and adding one block. Other standouts included Taylor Harris (6 kills with no errors), Julia Minichiello (7 aces and great defense), and senior captain Nicole Brown (16 assists, 4 kills, 2 aces).

A perennial Hockomock powerhouse and state tournament fixture throughout Cawley’s coaching tenure, the lady Bulldogs will be looking to rebound this season after a rare down year that saw the team miss the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Cawley attributed some of the team’s struggles to a lack of varsity experience, and the girls should be much improved in that department with several key contributors returning.

With their first win now under their belt, the Bulldogs will look to extend their strong start with a pair of home matches this week against Foxboro and Franklin. The team then hosts Stoughton on Monday before heading out to Wrentham next Thursday to take on King Philip Regional.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 14 2018. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.