CHICOPEE — The No. 1 Longmeadow Lancers boys volleyball team (15-6) defeated the No. 3 Sci-Tech Cybercats (14-6) to earn their second straight crown from a match inside the Chicopee Comp Gymnasium early Saturday afternoon.
The Cybercats put up a valiant effort but were quickly dispatched by the Lancers (3-0) 25-21, 25-20,25-21.
“Back to back in a pretty new program, so two in a row after the first year feels awesome,” Lancers coach Pat Curry said. “It’s my third year with the program, but this victory is a reflection of all the dedication and effort my guys consistently put out.”
Curry confessed during the post-game that his roster is deep and full of some who were here from the beginning, but his team also has a ton of new faces and additions who all step up to the moment when it’s required.
“No. 24 Kean (Jarvinen) this is his fifth year as a varsity player, he continues to work extremely hard, and we have a bunch of sophomores who fill out big roles for us, and our team is still young and we are always staying focused,” Curry said.
The victory was a true reminder that any opponent can be a challenge in itself. The Cybercats stormed out of the gate strong as they pushed the Lancers to the brink during the first set, and didn’t back down, which led to a crucial timeout from Curry halfway through the second as Longmeadow trailed 12-6.
However, the huddle turned out to a be turning point for the defending champs as they then went on 7-1 run to close out the second.
“We made the game a little bit harder, due to some service errors, but to bring it all together, and start playing well, while following the game plan that was amazing to witness,” Curry said. “And it was great to see the guys stay calm and just fight through the adversity on the court.”
Longmeadow found ample success due to the performance of Jarvinen, who finished with 12 kills and a game-high 42 attacks. Jace Anoje had 35 attacks and 12 kills. Nhan Vuong had 25 assists as well. And lastly, Libero Chris Bousquet was the secret weapon with 28 digs while keeping his brothers grounded and in focus.
“We want to win states, and we just have to keep pushing through our errors, Bousquet said while taking in the championship celebration. “We just need to keep fighting, we want to win states, that is our main goal.”
The Cybercats left everything on the court as Jadiel Rodriguez finished the afternoon with 34 attacks, 10 kills and 10 digs. The other bright spot for Sci-Tech was Mason Mercado who had a similar stat line with 33 attacks, 10 kills and 4 digs.
It all then came down to the final set. Despite Longmeadow leading 2-0 on the cards, Sci-Tech didn’t back off.
Even though the offensive confidence from the Lancers was present, the Cybercats came out of the huddle to a 3-0 quick lead, which eventually turned into a 12-9 lead which forced Coach Curry to call a timeout, and just like in the second, momentum shifted, and the Lancers took a commanding 19-13 lead.
However, it was short-lived as Sci-Tech continued to fight, and they kept aggressive as the Longmeadow lead started to crumble and didn’t move on the scoreboard as points started going towards the visitor, until it was 24-21 and the Lancers bench raised their hands to the sky, and then the final play unfolded.
The ball was spiked by Sci-Tech and it softly drifted into the Longmeadow court, as Jarvinen dished it back. But, the return pass was a bit too hard as the flag was raised, signaling the ball was just out of reach, granting the Lancers the elusive 25th point, capturing the third set, along with the title.
Longmeadow heads into the MIAA Division II state tournament riding a wave of confidence with a 15-6 record, knowing a tough challenge lies ahead, as confirmed by Coach Curry.
“I know in the first round we’re going to have a tough challenge with either Frontier or O’Bryant, and then if we make it to round two, it’s either Medfield or Boston Latin Academy,” Curry noted. However, the game plan and message, regardless of the opponent, remained the same for Curry, as he kept it simple.
“We just gotta keep working hard at practice and hopefully it will reflect in our game plan and go Lancers.”
