Gardiner volleyball beats MDI to win Class C title
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Gardiner’s Kathleen Moore serves while coach Bill Boardman watched during the Tigers’ 3-0 Class C state championship win against the Mount Desert Island Trojans at Husson University on Saturday. (Gideon Aigner/Staff Writer)
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BANGOR — The Gardiner volleyball team was back in the Class C state championship match against the team that raised the Gold Ball a year ago.
This time, the Tigers wouldn’t be denied.
Top-seeded Gardiner swept No. 3 seed Mount Desert Island, 3-0, to win its first state championship on Saturday afternoon at Husson University.
MDI won the title last season with a 3-1 victory over the Tigers.
“I think what really drove us to beat them was our energy,” said Gardiner outside hitter Lexi Ouellette. “Last year, our energy was not very high when we played (MDI). Now, we’re so much more together and we communicate much better.”
Gardiner’s attack was balanced across the floor. Senior middle blocker Lila Anderson provided multiple aces and kills, while Ouellette blocked MDI attacks with precision.
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“The youth and experience meshed together is really good,” Gardiner coach Bill Boardman said. “It creates some leadership. They don’t care what grade they’re in.”
Gardiner won the first two sets, 25-20 and 25-23, then started fast in the third set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead on its way to a 25-18 score.
“They played a tough game,” MDI coach Whitney Walls said. “It wasn’t (our) best, but sometimes that’s just the way it goes. I think that they fought hard, and they played with heart.”
For the Tigers, the triumph may have been more decisive than they expected, but that doesn’t make it any less sweet.
“I knew that we were going to bring it,” said Anderson. “I knew that it was going to be tough, but we did better than I ever imagined.”
UNSUNG HERO
Both on the court and off it, Joely Cote was one of Gardiner’s most valuable players. She was able to block multiple kill attempts while securing some kills for herself.
STAT LEADERS
• MDI: Janiece Anderson (eight kills, eight aces, three assists), Ella Watson (five kills, two aces, one assist), Cora VanDongen (one kill, four aces, one block), Lanaia McDaniels (four kills, two blocks)
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Tagged: Gardiner Tigers, mount desert island trojans
Gideon is a sports reporter for the Maine Trust for Local News. He joined the METLN in August 2026. Prior to moving to Maine, he studied journalism and history at Colorado State University (Go Rams). At. More by Gideon Aigner
