Milford girls volleyball remains undefeated with win over John Stark

MILFORD - There are a lot of things that go into an undefeated season, no matter the sport.

Having a lot of self-awareness is something that certainly helps.

The Milford High School girls volleyball team realized it hadn't played well in its most recent match, so instead of relishing a win over a tough opponent, the Spartans spent their next practice focusing on the things they needed to do to play better.

Regaining that focus helped Wednesday, as Milford kept its unbeaten record in tact with a 3-0 win over John Stark in a Division II match. Scores were 25-19, 25-14 and 25-20.

The win is part of a tough four-match stretch that started last Friday, with the Spartans (11-0) taking five-game wins at Gilford (9-2) and at home against Windham (8-2) to start it off. The win over John Stark (8-3) was Milford's second of the season and the Spartans will travel to face Portsmouth (8-2) on Friday.

"(Tuesday) at practice, we sat down and they as a team knew the game against Windham was not good," Milford coach Beth Solan said. "They knew they didn’t play their best game and they came into practice ready to work to get back to what they were before.

"I think they were riding a high from Gilford, and it was good to see them coming out of that going ‘OK, next game,’ and not ‘oh my gosh, we just beat Windham,’ because they’ve been a challenge in the past. They checked into practice and they did (Wednesday) and they never let off the pedal, at least not completely. That’s all you can ask after two tough games."

Gabriella Monico led the way for Milford with eight kills and three aces and Robyn Krafft had seven kills, two aces and 1.5 blocks. Julia Guarniere had five digs and one kill and Emily Flaherty had 26 assists.

The Spartans were able to hold off John Stark in the first game and jumped out to a commanding lead in the second behind the serving of Olivia Blanchet (seven straight service points) and Krafft that put Milford up 20-9. The teams traded points from there and the Spartans were able to close out the win.

"We still have or ups and downs, we still make too many mistakes," John Stark coach Jeff McClellan said. "We played with high emotions. Milford is a really good team. They put pressure on your serve. We battled and we had our opportunities in the first and third games."

The Generals took a 5-2 lead early in the third game, with Haley Philibotte serving, but Milford came back to tie it at 6. John Stark went ahead again behind the serving of Sara Medvetz, going up 9-6 before the Spartans took a timeout.

"I looked at them and said you guys have to check back in and fight as a family," Solan said. "They said let’s go. Sometimes, they need a bit of a reminder, but once they get that, they get back in the game. They’re so supportive of each other and they play so well together, they make it what it is."

John Stark was able to hold on to the lead, however, even after Milford tied it at 13. The Generals went back in front 16-13 before the Spartans came back again, this time taking a 20-17 lead.

"We had to go back to basics," McClellan said of his team's turnaround after the second game. "Our passing was much better, our ball placement was better, and we went to our hotter hitters. (Milford) caught on."

The Spartans went up 23-19 and were able to close out the game and the match.