ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Momentum is a funny thing. You never know exactly when it might turn and if you’ll be able to get it back. On Tuesday night, Attleboro grabbed momentum midway through the fourth set and never let it go.
The Bombardiers rattled off five straight points to go ahead by seven in the fourth, keeping the match alive and forcing a decisive final set. Attleboro kept its foot on the gas and pulled away in the fifth to earn a 3-2 (13-25, 25-14, 20-25, 25-21,15-7) victory over Milford, sweeping the season series with the Hawks and putting the Bombardiers just one win away from clinching a rare playoff spot.
“They have not given up,” Attleboro coach Mary Katherine Runey said. “Even when we’re behind in game three, we’re already thinking we need the momentum at the end of game three to go into set four. Those are the things we emphasized, and our defense. When our defense is on fire, we can really showcase what we have to offer on offense.”
Milford came out on fire, dominating the opening set and controlling all aspects of the match. The Hawks won seven of the first eight points and never allowed the Bombardiers to get going. Aliza Syed was strong at the net, winning points with either hand and limiting the free swings for Attleboro’s standout freshman Julia Leonardo.
Sarah Brogioli added a big block to make the score 15-9 and Syed followed with a kill off the blocker. After a few errors and a good swing by Leonardo, Brogioli added a kill to make the score 20-11 and then an ace that got the Hawks within two points of a first set win.
There must have been something about that end of the court because over the first four sets, Milford’s 1-0 lead in the fourth was the only lead that either team had from the right-side bench.
Attleboro looked like a completely different team in the second, in what turned out to be almost a mirror images of the opening set. Setter Natalie Brojek opened the set with six straight at the service line, including three aces. Lexi Starks ended the run with a kill and an ace, but the Bombardiers had a little energy on their side.
Leonardo started to find a rhythm on the outside, hammering one of her six kills in the second. After a kill by middle hitter Kate Petrosso, Leonardo then came up with a block on the edge and Summer Pereira found the court with her serve to put Attleboro up eight.
“We were managing her and then, I don’t know, she made a few adjustments and we didn’t adjust back,” said Milford coach Tammy Webber. “Unforced errors, mental mistakes, they can’t miss a serve and then we miss a serve. You’ve got to take advantage when you have the ball and we didn’t.”
Starks tried to keep the Hawks close with a good swing and an accurate tip, but Gabby Bolduc answered for Attleboro and Leonardo kept firing darts on the outside. Petrosso hit one off the blockers to close out the set and even the match.
“It’s Natalie’s job to decide when it’s time to switch it up,” said Runey. “We’ve talked a lot about controlling the rhythm of the game and if we keep playing the game on the left side of the court then we need to go to the right and if we keep playing it tight to the net then we need to set the back row.”
When the teams switched sides, the momentum seemed to follow the Hawks, who jumped in front 6-1 to start the third. Brogioli had a kill and then earned a point by laying out for a dig that managed to find open court on the other side of the net. Maeve Driscoll had an ace and the Hawks led 13-7, but Attleboro managed to hang around.
Down 18-11, the Bombardiers won six of the next seven points, but Starks had a big kill to end the run and restore some comfort for the visitors. Leonardo painted the line with a kill to keep the set alive, but Syed closed it out on the next point with another kill.
A kill by Starks put the Hawks up to start the fourth, but Delia Barthel’s hit put the Bombardiers 3-2 . Things went back and forth until Petrosso had a kill that Milford’s defense could only hit up into the ceiling. Petrosso followed that with a pair of aces and Attleboro led 8-5. Brojek added a service point when another dig found its way into the rafters and then Leonardo started to catch fire with a couple of kills to make it 16-9.
A block by Starks kept things tight, 17-14, a great tip by Leonardo gave Attleboro breathing room. Brianna Frissora had a block and Bolduc an ace to extend the lead and force a final set.
“Doesn’t matter if you’re leading, behind, whatever, momentum in volleyball is so unpredictable,” Webber explained. “No matter how good you are, you just never know. They came in low and then got high and it’s the game unfortunately.”
Milford also won the first point in the fifth, but Attleboro won the next three. A good swing by setter Emily Croteau helped get one back for the Hawks but Leonardo answered with another kill. At this point in the match, Brojek was serving Leonardo no matter where she was lined up, as the freshman had a pair of kills from the back row in the fifth.
“She is by far the most aggressive person on the court,” said Runey of Leonardo. “She wants the ball all the time. She is definitely someone who works tirelessly on her game and she wants to be that go-to player. The leadership role that she’s taken on that court, even as a freshman, is awesome to see.”
An ace by Bolduc put the Bombardiers on the brink and fittingly it was Leonardo who closed the match with another kill. Attleboro is now just a win away from clinching a spot in the postseason. While the Bombardiers (and the Hawks) are well-positioned in the power rankings, Runey wants her team to get that ninth win and seal a spot.
She said, “It would mean so much more to earn that playoff opportunity. I don’t want to settle for just being in the top 32, I want us to earn that spot because these girls fight every single game. I believe in them all the time, but it would mean a lot for them to see that they can finally believe in themselves too.”
Attleboro (8-7) will try to clinch a playoff spot with a trip to Taunton on Thursday. Milford (7-7) will try to bounce back with matches against the league’s top two teams, King Philip and then Franklin.
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