They’re back: Gorham volleyball returns to Class A final
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Gorham celebrates a point during its 3-1 win over Thornton Academy in a Class A volleyball semifinal Wednesday night in Sanford. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
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SANFORD — Emma Tirrell didn’t try to hide it: She still gets nervous at playoff time.
Her Gorham volleyball team? Apparently, not so much.
The second-seeded Rams returned to the Class A final for the fifth straight season Wednesday, and will play for a fourth straight state title after defeating No. 3 Thornton Academy, 3-1, in the semifinals at Sanford High School.
Gorham (13-3) won the first two sets 25-23 and 25-17, dropped the third 25-14, then clinched the match with a 25-9 win in the fourth.
“I can’t tell you how nervous I get for every single playoff game for all of my 10 years. I was probably more nervous today than I have been any day,” said Tirrell, the Rams’ coach. “And then the girls come out, they squash my nerves and they show me why we’re here.”
The Golden Trojans (12-4) saw their season end with a loss to the Rams for the second straight season. Thornton fell in last year’s Class A final.
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“This team is amazing. I have nothing bad to say about them,” coach Kayla Arthers said. “(Gorham) obviously (has) been in a situation like this for the past four years. And for some of us, yes, we’ve only been here for two years, for others it’s their first time.
“It is difficult in a big setting like this … (to) go against a team people want to knock down.”
PLAYOFF POISE
The experience factor seemed to pay off right away for Gorham, which needed five sets to beat Thornton in one match this year, then trailed in every set of a four-set victory in another.
On Wednesday, however, the Rams were in charge quickly. They finished the first set on an 8-5 run to gain the upper hand, never trailed in the second, and rebounded from a lopsided third set defeat with an even more one-sided win in the fourth.
“They had sort of an off night, and we just took advantage of that,” said senior setter Liana Edwards. “It’s an amazing feeling all of us have had, playing in front of big crowds and big gyms, and playing against amazing teams. I feel like we’re used to all the pressure.”
SWEET SETUP
The Rams were never better than when Edwards, the two-time reigning Gatorade Player of the Year, was setting up middle hitter Abbie Stevens by the net for a connection that often seemed unstoppable. Stevens had 18 kills — five apiece in each of Gorham’s wins — with 12 coming off assists from Edwards.
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“It’s my favorite thing in the world,” Tirrell said.
Stevens said the connection is the product of repetition.
“We spend a lot of time together, because we’re on the same club team. We’ve had a lot of practice with the connection and certain plays,” she said. “Just that time, and trusting each other too. We know we can both put the ball away.”
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
Tirrell said the Rams made a midseason switch from a 6-2 to a 5-1, giving Edwards a chance to set more exclusively. It paid off Wednesday, as Gorham had its most commanding win of three victories over the Trojans.
“We weren’t executing the way we needed to,” Tirrell said. “Changing that offense is a big thing for us, but I also think discipline and their want for it (made a difference).”
UNSUNG HERO
Kasey Plaud helped lead Gorham to the first-set victory with a pair of aces, and then had three of her five kills in the final set to help the Rams clinch the match.
STAT LEADERS
• Gorham: Liana Edwards (31 assists, nine kills, five aces), Abbie Stevens (18 kills, two aces), Sophie MacIsaac (seven kills), Kasey Plaud (five kills, three aces), Luna Button, Lindsay Farquhar (five kills each).
• Thornton Academy: Addie Petit (20 assists), Ece Eruygun (11 assists), Sophie von Meyer (11 kills), Sarah Berg (eight kills), Lotus Porter (seven kills).
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Tagged: gorham rams, thornton golden trojans
Drew Bonifant covers sports for the Press Herald, with beats in high school football, basketball and baseball. He was previously part of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel sports team. A New Hampshire. More by Drew Bonifant
