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# Hollis Brookline girls volleyball never rested on laurels on the way to third straight D1 title
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/hollis-brookline-girls-volleyball-never-rested-laurels-way-third-straight-d1-title/
- Published: 2017-11-09T15:30:03.000Z
- Updated: 2017-11-09T15:30:03.000Z
- Description: Becky Balfour has been coaching long enough to know when a team is in need of a fix, and when it isn't. So when the Hollis Brookline High School girls volleyball team dropped its first set of the season on Sept. 25 in a 3-1 win over Bishop Guertin, even though the Cavaliers were still undefeated, th
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bishop Guertin, championship, girls volleyball, Hollis Brookline, NH High School Sports Insider, playoffs, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

Becky Balfour has been coaching long enough to know when a team is in need of a fix, and when it isn't.

So when the Hollis Brookline High School girls volleyball team dropped its first set of the season on Sept. 25 in a 3-1 win over Bishop Guertin, even though the Cavaliers were still undefeated, their coach realized they needed a readjustment.

"We felt like we were working hard, but not smart," Balfour said. "We had a ton of hitting errors and serving errors. Yes, we came out with a win, and we dropped a set, but overall, it felt like we could have worked smarter instead of harder. We pushed in practices after that, we just tried to dial it in and focus on that. That was a turning point for us."

On paper, the results didn't look much different, as HB (21-0) lost just one more set in the regular season and two more in the playoffs, on the way to the program's third Division I title in a row. The Cavs beat Bishop Guertin, 3-1, last Saturday in the final.

But the Cavs could tell there was a difference in the way they played, and it was helped along by the fact that they are close on and off the court.

"We had to have a lot of energy and stay together," junior Maddie Norris said. "That’s a big one, staying together as a family. We’re friends outside of volleyball. That’s what separates us, we’re family (in volleyball) not friends."

Norris is one of a handful of juniors who have contributed in some way during the Cavs' championship run. Both her and Elizabeth Atkinson saw a lot of time as freshmen on the first title team, and their roles have only continued to grow.

And this season, other juniors, like Kyra Belden and Natalie Cook, stepped into an increased role as HB completed an undefeated championship season.

"I’m so proud of every girl on this team," Belden said. "Throughout (Saturday), I could look into every one of their eyes and see how badly they wanted it. As the game went on, it just felt so good."

After falling in the first set, the Cavs quickly regrouped and played some of their best volleyball of the season in winning the second and third games in convincing fashion.

"I thought we had some great things that were going on in that first set, but we just pulled up shy," Balfour said. "We were going to come out strong in that second game and stay aggressive all the way through. We knew if we could do that, they’d have a hard time with us."

HB won the second game 25-13 and took the third 25-10, and when things get rolling like that, the Cavs know they're tough to beat.

"We definitely played really well and played together," Atkinson said. "It helped having positive energy. It feels so good when it’s flowing and everything is working, it’s just so fun to play. It’s exciting."

While HB loses seniors Kenzie Powers, Sierra Dinman and Megan Cochran, the Cavs have a solid core returning - led by Norris, Atkinson, Belden and Cook - and also have a strong group of sophomores, many of whom contributed throughout this season.

"We definitely think about the future," Norris said. "We’re probably going to watch this film and figure out what we can work on next year to improve ourselves and get back to this game. We’re so fortunate to have such an amazing group of coaches and players. We have an amazing support system."