Darien Volleyball Falls To Staples In FCIAC Title Match

The Blue Wave volleyball squad fell to Staples, 3-1, in Friday's FCIAC title match, giving the Wreckers their 99th straight win and ending Darien's improbable tournament run.

Playing at Fairfield-Ludlowe High School, the Wave was able to claim the third of four games (25-23)—just the second time in program history the team had managed that feat against the Wreckers.

"It's awesome for us to be able to take a game against them," said Calder Billhardt, the only remaining player from the Darien team that won the 2008 state championship.

But Darien (13-7) couldn't hang on in the other three, losing 25-23 in the first game, 25-18 in the second, and 25-23 in the fourth to seal an eighth straight FCIAC championship for Staples.

Darien came to the match off of a surprising win over No. 2 seed Ridgefield on Wednesday, rallying from two games down to win in five.

"I think it [getting to the FCIAC final] was definitely a huge stride for our program and hopefully next year we can do better," Austin Cockerill added.

Despite facing a volleyball giant that hasn't lost a match in four years, the Blue Wave were confident heading into Friday's match.

"We definitely wanted it bad and we came out firing," Cockerill said. "We thought we could win, but Staples has phenomenal players. Our effort just wasn't enough."

But the Blue Wave didn't go down without a fight. Owing to their Ridgefield performance, the Blue Wave thought they might be able pull off the miracle after winning the third game.

"Winning the third game boosted our confidence," Billhardt said. "Four or five points into the fourth game, we thought we could pull it off."

Billhardt conceded that in the end, the Staples' experience made the difference. Still, the performance should give the Blue Wave confidence heading into the state tournament.

Seeded fifth, the Blue Wave recived a bye in the first round of the Class M tournament and plays at No. 4 Wolcott Tech in the quarterfinals on Friday night at 7.

Best of all, Darien won't see Staples again until next season. The Wreckers are in the Class L tournament.

"I definitely think it was very big for our program to get the FCIAC final because we have an incredibly young team," Billhardt said.

Cockerill had 19 kills and two service points; Billhardt, 19 kills, one ace, and nine service points; Sam Bryant, five kills and three service points; and Matt Lee, 37 assists, 6 digs, and one block.