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# Gilford girls volleyball sweeps Milford to capture D2 championship
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/gilford-girls-volleyball-sweeps-milford-to-capture-d2-championship/
- Published: 2018-11-04T19:49:15.000Z
- Updated: 2018-11-04T19:49:15.000Z
- Description: DERRY – Amy Tripp tried to get the Gilford High School girls volleyball team prepared for a long fight in Saturday’s Division II championship. The Golden Eagles felt ready for whatever Milford was going to throw at them, and ready to go as long as it took to get a win. All the preparation and compos
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, championship, Gilford, girls volleyball, Milford, playoff, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

DERRY – Amy Tripp tried to get the Gilford High School girls volleyball team prepared for a long fight in Saturday’s Division II championship.

The Golden Eagles felt ready for whatever Milford was going to throw at them, and ready to go as long as it took to get a win.

All the preparation and composure not only helped get No. 1 Gilford the win, it got it for the Golden Eagles a lot faster than they expected, as they knocked off the No. 3 Spartans 3-0 at Pinkerton Academy in Derry. Game scores were 25-18, 25-18 and 25-16.

“They ran the game plan to a tee,” Tripp said. “They tipped to the deep corners, that’s what I asked them to do. They found some holes in the middle and just swung on the ball.

“All in all, I thought they played with a lot of composure and control and consistency. Our defense was great. I’m in shock that it was 3-0\. Milford is a really great club.”

Gilford (19-0) got a big game from senior Margaret McNeil, who finished with 12 kills on 39 attempts, with no errors, to go with 21 digs. Alexis Boisvert added six kills and 14 digs, including the 500th of her career, while Karly Sanborn had 28 assists and Samantha Holland had 30 digs.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted for this team and I knew this year, we were a great group of girls and it was definitely achievable,” McNeil said. “We just worked as hard as we could. It’s just amazing.”

The Golden Eagles also got some strong support from some younger players, with Lindsey Sanderson recording five kills and two blocks, Reagan McIntire added four kills and three blocks and Abigail Warren had four kills.

Gilford jumped out to a lead in the first set, going up by as many as seven points late before grabbing the win. But in the second set, Milford (16-3) jumped out to leads of 6-1 and 10-5.

With Boisvert serving, Gilford took five straight points to tie the match, and after going back and forth for a while, took an 18-15 lead to force the Spartans to call a timeout. Milford got back within two, but with Boisvert at the line again, the Golden Eagles won six straight points to go up 24-16.

“It was really big and just shows our composure and how we work together as a team,” McNeil said. “We really focus on how we keep an even amount of high energy, without going too high or too low. We just pushed really hard.”

The teams went back and forth for most of the third set, but Gilford put together another late run, winning four straight to go up 20-15, and then five in a row to finish it off.

“Great senior leadership that really wanted it and a lot of strong minds,” Tripp said. “We do mental training and breathing-through moments. We try at practice to make sure we’re efficient and effective, and not just hit a bunch of balls all over. They just executed and I was psyched at that.”