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The undefeated Essex Hornets, who handed the Eagles a four-set loss Monday in the MVCS gym (25-9, 22-25, 25-10, 25-21), is another.
The Vermont Principals Association sanctioned volleyball as a varsity sport for the first time this season, lumping all teams into a single division. Up until this fall, high school volleyball in the state maintained club status.
“It’s a huge deal,” said MVCS coach Erin Renninger after her team fell to 3-8 on Monday.
Essex coach Jen Liguori, who saw her team improve to 10-0, also shared her two cents regarding the development:
“I’m excited about where (volleyball) is heading,” Liguori said. “We got sanctioned for boys and girls. The boys will stay sanctioned if they get two more teams in the next two years. They need to go from six to eight, or they will go back to club.”
Liguori, in her fourth year as the Essex girls coach, is also an assistant on the Hornets’ boys squad, which competes in the spring. She said gaining varsity status has translated into greater funding, including transportation. In the past, volleyball was operated on a shoestring budget, making fundraising a necessity.
Having all 14 girls teams in one division means that tiny schools like MVCS often have to go up against large schools like Essex. The Eagles have a student population less than 50, while the Hornets’ enrollment is above 1,200.
“Our goal coming in was to play good volleyball and give them competition,” Eagles junior Rachel Seale said. “We weren’t really expecting to win very much, because they’re such a big school.”
Seale played big against Essex, contributing seven kills and 10 digs. Teammate Emily Jasmin matched Seale’s digs tally and added 10 assists to boot.
Jasmin, once an outside hitter, has found a new niche at setter, according to her coach.
“A family moved away, and she was the next setter up,” Renninger explained. “(Jasmin) said, ‘OK, it wasn’t my plan, but let’s go.’ ”
Taylor Paquette, who chipped in four kills and five digs to Monday’s cause, said playing opponents with significantly larger student bodies often yields positive results.
“I think we play better as a team when we play bigger teams,” said Paquette, one of two MVCS seniors.
The hosts employed just seven players Monday, while twice as many saw action for the visitors.
The Eagles had everything clicking in the second set, when they went up, 20-15, before giving up five straight points to make things interesting down the stretch. MVCS was quick to overcome its brief slip, however, returning to stellar form in time to secure the second-set victory.
“I’ve never seen them play as a team like that,” Renninger said. “It was absolutely phenomenal just to see them pull together and play.”
Seale pointed to game plan execution as a mark of success against Monday’s formidable opponent.
“We were able to get three hits,” Seale said. “We work hard to bump, set and hit the ball every time it gets on our side of the court, and we did a good job of that today.”
Sideouts: According to Liguori, there are nine middle school teams in the state, including one at Essex. MVCS is too small to support a middle school squad, but three eighth-graders play on varsity. … Renninger is part of the Vermont Youth Volleyball Association (VYVA), which has been talking up the sport and trying to get it into high schools. It’s not a pressure thing, she said: “We’ll come and do a clinic at your school if you want to think about it.” … Renninger, in her 15th year at the MVCS helm, isn’t one to compare student enrollments prior to a match. “I guess I don’t really think about it,” she said. “We can’t complain that we don’t have a deep bench and tons of experience, we have to take what we have and go with it.” … The Eagles head to CVU on Friday.