Mt. Hope Trails Behind Narragansett in Girls' Volleyball Opener

Overcoming some first game difficulties, the Narragansett Mariners rallied to beat the  25-20 in all three games for a sweep of the Huskies in the opener for both teams on Wednesday night.

The Mariners (1-0, 1-0 Division II-South) were led by repeated strikes from sophomore Gabrielle Leclerc, and steadied by the all-around play of junior Hannah Maymon. The two were typically in the center of rallies for Narragansett against the Huskies (0-1, 0-1 Division II-South).

Narragansett head coach Joni Stern-Lonczak said that both improved immensely over the summer, since they regularly played with other members of the team.

“They all played together during the summer and learned to play together,” she said. “Once we got past the jitters of the first game, things seemed to flow better.”

In that first game, Narragansett fell behind 7-2, 13-6 and 16-11 before finally rallying. The Mariners scored four straight points, forcing a Mt. Hope timeout, and then tied the game on an ace by junior Kristina Budaj. The Mariners then took their first lead on an error by Mt. Hope.

The teams traded points to 19-19, when Narragansett finally took control.

The Mariners reeled off four straight points, on a pair of kills by Leclerc, a Mt. Hope error and a kill from sophomore Madeleine Cote. A poor return gave the serve back to Mt. Hope, but the Mariners won the set with a kill and an ace by Maymon.

Narragansett coasted in the final two games, generally holding a three to five point cushion.

Mt. Hope head coach Warren Rensehausen said the match played out how he expected, given the youth of his team. The Huskies lost three All-Division players from last year.

“We’ve got a freshman, and a first year player as a senior starting,” he said. “The second time around [against Narragansett], it’ll be different.”

The bright spot for the Huskies on Wednesday night was the continued strong play of senior and captain Nicole Delekta. She repeatedly had kills and blocks while playing in front for Mt. Hope. Outside hitter Crystal Leitao also had several kills.

Stern-Lonczak said she was very pleased with how her team played in its opener.

“For today, winning in three [games] is great, especially since they beat us in five last year,” she said. “I’d give them an A-.”

Thanks to playing year-round, Maymon and others were already in midseason form. Stern-Lonczak said the junior has surprising agility and vision for a player her size.

“For a girl her size, she has really good court sense,” Stern-Lonczak said. “Since she reads so well she doesn’t have to dive a lot.”

Stern-Lonczak said she also tried to work in some other players, thanks to the cushion in the second and third games. Senior and libero Marisa Haggstrom, freshman Abby McKanna and senior Samantha Sabetti also played significant minutes on Wednesday night.

Narragansett next plays at Middletown (0-0) on Monday. The match starts at 6:30 p.m. The Mariners are also scrimmaging against Toll Gate Thursday, in a non-league match-up.

Mt. Hope has a tough stretch to start the season. The Huskies have another long road trip Thursday, playing at Burrillville (1-0, 1-0 Division II-North) at 6:30 p.m. in a non-league game. Mt. Hope plays a league game at Tiverton (0-0) 6:30 p.m. Monday, before finally hosting Middletown next Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for the Huskies’ first home game.

In junior varsity action earlier Wednesday night, Narragansett also beat Mt. Hope, 2-0.

Informal statistics kept by Patch.