Nashua South, Bishop Guertin girls volleyball hoping to use close match as motivation

Wayne Siejkowski had a feeling it was coming.

With the Nashua High School South girls volleyball team off to one of its best starts in recent memory, including a road win over perennial-contender Spaulding, the coach wondered if his young team was getting a little too high.

After Wednesday's 3-0 loss to Bishop Guertin, in a match where each game was decided by four points or less, Siejkowski believes that might have been the case.

"I think after, what I would consider an upset of Spaulding out of the first game, and then back-to-back victories, I think they were feeling a little high," he said. "Hopefully, this brings them back down a little. We actually have to work and go after this. We have goals and we have aspirations with this team, and I think this might help us refocus."

The Panthers (3-1) had opportunities to change the outcome against Bishop Guertin, holding a lead or tying it up late in every game. But in the first game, South got to match-point three times, and wasn't able to close out what turned into a 33-31 win for the Cardinals (4-0).

That setback carried over into the second game, which Bishop Guertin led 18-11 at one point, before the Panthers came back to tie it at 18. South also led 20-19 in the final game.

"I think they played a little bit on their heels, a little bit tentative at times," Siejkowski said. "They were expecting maybe a little more of an offensive attack and it was more of a short game. I think they got a little flustered. I told them we’ve got to get over it and play. Maybe some of the youth caught up to us a little bit. I think it was more that we were caught off guard and didn’t know how to deal with it."

While the Panthers believe the loss can help them refocus, Bishop Guertin coach Abby Rosen is hoping the close match can be a motivating factor for the Cardinals.

"I told them, we made great decisions and great choices and we came out with a very solid win," Rosen said. "Any team can beat any other team on any given day. We have so much more to learn and to grow and to do as a team."

And when the season is over, the win over the Panthers will be one the Cardinals look back on as being an important one.

"I think we made a statement (Wednesday)," Rosen said. "South is a phenomenal team, they really are, and they have so much talent. To have that competition not only shows that talent that they have and that potential that they have, but every game is an opportunity to learn."