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# Nashua South forgets past, cruises through Winnacunnet to reach D1 girls volleyball final
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/nashua-south-forgets-past-cruises-through-winnacunnet-to-reach-d1-girls-volleyball-final/
- Published: 2019-11-06T16:55:06.000Z
- Updated: 2019-11-06T16:55:06.000Z
- Description: DERRY - There were plenty of things the Nashua High School South girls volleyball team wanted to focus on going into Tuesday's Division I semifinal. What happened to the Panthers in this spot in the previous two seasons was not one of them. Top-seeded South stayed focused on what was going on on the
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, girls volleyball, Nashua South, playoffs, slider, Winnacunnet, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

DERRY - There were plenty of things the Nashua High School South girls volleyball team wanted to focus on going into Tuesday's Division I semifinal.

What happened to the Panthers in this spot in the previous two seasons was not one of them.

Top-seeded South stayed focused on what was going on on the court and took care of business, sweeping No. 4 Winnacunnet 3-0 at Pinkerton Academy to reach the D1 final, the program's first title-match appearance since 2003\. Game scores were 25-18, 25-18 and 25-17.

After falling in the semifinals as the higher seed in each of the last two years, the Panthers (20-0) went into this year's final four trying to exude the confidence that helped them stay unbeaten throughout the season.

"I think last time (in 2018) I was so nervous against Bedford that it bled into them, too," South coach Wayne Siejkowski said. "They saw it on my face. I told myself this week to stay calm and just focus on us. Don’t worry about the other team, we’re solid. We’re a good team. We’re doing something right, how about we make them adjust to us. This week at practice, it was a lot of going over who we are."

That allowed South to jump out to a lead early in Game 1, as the Panthers went up by as many as 10 points before the Warriors (15-6) were able to make things closer. And with that lead, South was able to relax and play its game throughout the match.

"We definitely get more confidence when we start off strong, and then we just go from there," South senior Kara Kelliher said. "We’ve been pretty pumped for this game for a while. We had a little nerves, but it was mostly excitement. We have a lot of confidence, more than last year, and coach always tells us to go in and have fun, play our game."

Kelliher had a strong game for the Panthers, finishing with 10 kills while Paige Garland led the team with 12 kills. Kaitlin Fitzgibbons recorded seven aces, as South focused on using its serve to slow down Winnacunnet's Audrey Simmons and to keep the Warriors off their game.

"Serving and keeping them out of their offensive system," Siejkowski said. "We knew (Audrey Simmons) is really, really good, and if we could force them to maybe get out of their typical rhythm and keep her from setting the tone, it would put is in a pretty good position."

After the Warriors got out to a 5-4 lead in the first game, South went on a 6-0 run and forced Winnacunnet to take a timeout. The Warriors got a point back after the break, but with Fitzgibbons serving, the Panthers took another six points in a row to lead 16-6.

Winnacunnet was able to cut the lead in half, 21-16, but South closed the win, and then took control of the second set early. The Warriors were able to keep it closer, but the Panthers eventually pulled away to take a 2-0 lead.

"Our defense is very good," Kelliher said of how South was able to keep the lead in the second set. "We’re good at covering and picking up a lot of balls that most teams can’t, which is very helpful."

The Warriors led 7-4 in the third set, but the Panthers took control again, with Fitzgibbons and Kelliher serving, winning nine of 10 points to take a 13-8 lead. Winnacunnet got within two points, 17-15, but South finished off the match by taking eight of the last 10 points.

South will be making its 16th final appearance when it takes on Dover at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pinkerton. But it will be the first since a unified Nashua High School won back-to-back titles in 2002-03.

"It feels awesome," Siejkowski said. "It’s amazing. These players, in eighth grade, they won the whole thing in middle school. It feels good that we’ve figured it out and we’re coming through."