Bishop Guertin girls volleyball comes out on top in close match against Bedford (video)

NASHUA - The Bishop Guertin High School girls volleyball team faced a handful of challenges going into Monday's match with Bedford.

Not only were the Cardinals taking on one of their biggest rivals who has also been one of the top teams in Division I this season, but it would be a match up of teams with similar styles of play - something that's a lot different from the rest of the division.

After winning a back-and-forth opening game, Bishop Guertin was able to get a little bit of breathing room in the second and third games, and came away with a 3-0 win over Bedford in a D1 match. Game scores were 26-24, 25-20 and 25-20.

"They’re unlike any team we’ve faced as far as height and power," Bishop Guertin coach Abby Savard said of Bedford. "The talent on that team is phenomenal. To not let their big players bring us down was critical. They’re going to make great plays, but this far in the season, to stand tough and stay levelheaded is beyond important.

"They were close (games). I told them in the beginning, they are going to get kills, they are going to get blocks. They are tall, big, they’re going to do that."

The Cardinals (14-2) handled it well, getting a big game from Julia Pascucci, who finished with 14 kills, 16 assists and 10 digs, while Paola Matos had 25 digs, three aces and four kills and Alicia Glasheen had 29 assists and 11 digs. Libby Knapp recorded 11 kills and 14 digs.

"I think their defense was fantastic," Bedford coach Anna McGann said. "We hit some really good balls, but they just kept returning it. I thought our hitters did a fantastic job, they were really strong. We had a strong offensive game, but BG has one of the best defenses in the state."

Ramou Taal led Bedford (12-4) with seven kills and two blocks and Kendra Barnard also had seven kills while Brenna Moscillo had five kills and an ace. Emily Adams added four kills and two aces and Maggie McCoole had four kills and a block.

The Bulldogs got out to an early lead in the first game, and were able to keep Bishop Guertin at bay for a good stretch, as the teams traded points. But the Cardinals began to string a few points together here and there, and suddenly, they were up 17-14 when Bedford used a timeout.

Bishop Guertin extended the lead to 22-18, forcing Bedford to take another timeout, and the Bulldogs responded, winning three straight points and eventually tying the game at 24. The Cardinals took the final two points to go up 1-0.

"The first one is very important to win," Bishop Guertin's Rita Dow said. "When it’s such a close game like that, it helps you throughout the rest of the sets. Whoever wins that will have that edge."

The Cardinals led throughout the second game, going up by as any as seven points before the Bulldogs started chip away, but Bedford couldn't get any closer than four and Bishop Guertin held on for the win.

It was more of the same to start the third, with the Cardinals taking an 8-3 lead. But Bedford responded, winning seven points in a row behind the serving of Caleigh O'Connell - who had three aces during the run - to give the Bulldogs a 10-8 lead.

"It’s tough coming back and they did," Dow said. "When we lose confidence because they come back, it’s important to realize we can do it, too."

The teams again traded points until Bishop Guertin went on a run with Matos serving, taking five in a row to lead 20-15 and eventually finished off the sweep.

"That’s the funny thing about volleyball," McGann said. "You have to look at what the scores are because 3-0 could mean anything. We’ve got to work on finishing. It’s something we practice a lot, but we’ve got to keep working at it."