Portsmouth girls volleyball overcomes slow start to beat Merrimack

PORTSMOUTH - After dropping the first set, the Portsmouth High School girls volleyball team had to make a decision: win or walk away with a loss at home in front of a roaring crowd filled with supporters. 

Merrimack wasn’t going to let its guard down, so a change needed to happen for the Clippers. And that is exactly what happened on Friday night for Portsmouth. 

From the start of set one, Merrimack’s power was noticeable – the Tomahawks served the ball well and were very communicative on the court. Portsmouth took a bit longer to find its momentum, but from the beginning played the net efficiently on defense. As the first set went on play got closer between the two teams, but Merrimack ended up taking the win on set one, 25-22.

After a quick break, Portsmouth came together more united as a team in set two. The pressure was on. If the Clippers did not take set two, they would be forced to win three in a row – which would be very difficult to come back from.

The energy shifted entirely during the second set, and changed the direction of the matchup between Merrimack and Portsmouth. 

The Tomahawks started to lose the momentum they initially started out with, and Portsmouth capitalized on it. The Clippers ended up winning the second set, 25-14.

With a tied match, it was anyone’s day. The third set was back and forth for the most part, and Portsmouth used the crowd’s energy as fuel during this crucial time, and won the third set.

Portsmouth was now up 2-1, with one more game left to conquer. Merrimack needed a win to force the game into five sets. It would all come down to the fourth.

And Portsmouth came to play. The Clippers dominated the fourth, as they maintained about a 10-point lead throughout the set. Merrimack struggled with team play as the set continued on, and kept dropping points to Portsmouth. The Clipper’s took the fourth, 25-15, to win three in a row for a 3-1 win. 

Portsmouth (6-4) will look to keep this momentum going, and will play Bishop Guertin on the road on Monday. Bishop Guertain is currently on a two-game win streak, so the Clippers will have their work cut out for them.

Merrimack (3-7) is also slated to play on Monday evening, but the Tomahawks will play at home vs. Spaulding (1-9).