> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # At the Net: Hollis Brookline girls volleyball hanging on to momentum - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/at-the-net-hollis-brookline-girls-volleyball-hanging-on-to-momentum/ - Published: 2015-10-07T14:42:29.000Z - Updated: 2015-10-07T14:42:29.000Z - Description: Becky Balfour felt it was only a matter of time before her Hollis Brookline High School girls volleyball team realized what it was capable of doing. The longtime Cavaliers coach finally saw it happen last Wednesday, when HB knocked off Merrimack, 3-2, ending the Tomahawks 31-match winning streak. - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Fall Sports, At the Net, Division I, Division II, girls volleyball, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 Becky Balfour felt it was only a matter of time before her Hollis Brookline High School girls volleyball team realized what it was capable of doing. The longtime Cavaliers coach finally saw it happen last Wednesday, when HB knocked off Merrimack, 3-2, ending the Tomahawks 31-match winning streak. "It's such a good group of girls," Balfour said. "We said to them we're going to get over that hump and (after the match) we said do you feel this? It's us getting over that hump. We've got momentum now, let's take it through the rest of our season." HB (8-3) has carried that momentum over, beating Goffstown, 3-2, and Exeter, 3-0, in its two matches since beating Merrimack. "It's been a character-building season," Balfour said. "We've got upperclassmen stepping up and leading, and we've got younger kids stepping up all the time. This is a team. We have 14 players who are here for a reason and they're going to shoulder the load together. Somebody is down, let's pick them up." ### Big bounce back It didn't take Merrimack long to rebound from its first loss since the 2013 Division I semifinals. The Tomahawks came out Monday and returned the favor, handing undefeated Spaulding its first loss of the season. Despite seeing the run come to an end, Merrimack coach Tammy Lambrou felt that a loss would be good for her players. "Going undefeated and continuing that this season, starting off this way, it added a lot of pressure mentally and physically," she said. "After a while, it gets tiresome. At this point in the year, it's better to lose now." In the win over Spaulding, Merrimack also saw senior Jo Coffey break the state record for career assists. Coffey had 44 assists in the win to give her 1,715 for her career. ### Crash course Whoever made the Division II girls volleyball schedule should get a pat on the back for the regular-season finale that will take place Oct. 23 at Somersworth. That night, the Hilltoppers will host Gilford, and if current records hold up, both teams could enter that match at 15-0 in a battle for the No. 1 seed. It won't be easy getting there. While each team has just one remaining opponent with a winning record, each should get a stiff challenge, as Gilford travels to Kingswood (9-2) on Friday, and Somersworth heads to Windham (10-1) on Oct. 14. Gilford already has a win over Kingswood this season, back in the season opener, and has dropped just one set all season. Somersworth has dropped five sets this year, including three in two matches against Coe-Brown. ### Ups ... - **Concord:** The Crimson Tide has won four in a row and sits at 10-1, tied at the top of Division I. Concord could be 13-1 when it hits a brutal stretch of matches, starting Oct. 16 - Merrimack (10-1), at Pinkerton (10-2) and at Spaulding (10-1). - **Windham:** Since suffering its only loss on Sept. 11, the Jaguars have won eight in a row and have a big match Wednesday night against Milford (9-1). ### ... And Downs - **Londonderry:** After starting the year 7-2, the Lancers have lost three in a row, including two matches to teams below them in the standings. - **Laconia:** The Sachems opened the season 3-2, but since, have lost five in a row.