RHAM Volleyball » rham volleyball

RHAM vs Barlow on CTSN

rhamvb — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:09:51 +0000

CTSN will present it’s first airing of the 2010 RHAM vs Joel Barlow State Championship game at 7:00 Dec. 3rd. Link

GLASTONBURY- For the fourth consecutive season, the RHAM Sachems won the Class M girl’s volleyball state championship, 3-1, over Joel Barlow.

Joel Barlow had no answer for RHAM’s Jocelyn Taylor, who led the Sachems with 18 kills and 3 blocks. Libero Kara Trippel earned tournament MVP honors.

Laura Smolinski also had a great game for RHAM, chipping in with 34 assists for RHAM, who also beat Joel Barlow in 2007 and 2009 for state championship wins.

Smolinski Deflects the ball over the blocker’s head

rhamvb — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:25:29 +0000

RHAM 3, Hartford Public 0

rhamvb — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:26:39 +0000

Jocelyn Taylor (14 kills), Alicia Tripoli (7 kills, 7 digs) and Kara Trippel (10 digs) were among the contributors for RHAM in its 25-8, 25-14, 25-11 CCC East Division victory over Hartford Public.

Laura Smolinski added 26 assists and Chloe Rishell had six digs for the Sachems. 2-0 CCC East). Freshman Sarah Veilleux recorded the first three varsity kills of her career.

From The Chronicle

New England Roundup: Connecticut

rhamvb — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:06:02 +0000

From the ESPN Boston High School area blog Blog by Matt Stout (link)

Tim Guernsey answered the question like he’s been asked it a million time before.

No, the RHAM volleyball coach doesn’t know how many consecutive games his team has won.

Really.

“Nope,” he said, chuckling. “I have no idea. It’s for writers.”

He does, however, remember the last time the Lady Sachems lost — to Farmington in the Northwest Conference final.

In 2007.

Nearly three years and three state championships separate then and now. Fifty-three straight wins do, too.

But the streak is hardly a concern for RHAM, one of the state’s most dominant programs in any sport despite starting just eight years ago with a coach who never played the sport and in a town — Hebron — that loves its soccer.

Inside the RHAM gymnasium, there are blue banners signifying league championships and gold ones reserved for state titles. As one would expect, the only number on the gold ones is for the year, not that number of losses.

“People are going to come into the gym and they’re going to notice 2010, they won a state title,” Guernsey said. “Not that they had 10 losses or no losses.”

Nevertheless, they’ve been hard to come by at RHAM. The Sachems lost just one game (yes, game!) last season en route to their third straight Class M title. They rode big hitters in All-State selections Kelsey Welling and Tessa Smolinski, also the Gatorade Player of the Year, and a group of seven seniors well-versed in winning.

They’re gone, but in a program that’s quickly built a legacy of success, little else has changed.

Gold’s the goal. Again.

“In 2005, I had eight seniors on a team that went 18-2 and lost in the (state) quarterfinals. Then, it was six seniors (who graduated), then it was one senior, then it was this group with seven,” Guernsey said. “It’s been an every-other-year cycle.”

This season, just two seniors remain in outside hitter Chloe Rishell and middle hitter Jocelyn Taylor, the latter of whom was part of RHAM’s eight-person rotation a year ago. Like clockwork, seven juniors stand behind them, including Tessa’s sister, Laura, a setter; Kelsey Kirkpatrick, another middle hitter; and Kara Trippel, a libero.

Since they were freshmen, they “have been waiting to get into the limelight,” Guernsey said — like every other class.

“We’ve all kind of experienced it,” Rishell said of winning a state title. “But we’ve all been on the sidelines. I think the thing that is going to drive us most is we want to say we were a part of it.”

Guernsey does point to one difference this year. For the first time since he started the program in 2002 — and went 0-18 — RHAM lacks that knock-dead outside hitter in its 5-1 formation, someone who can take the ball anywhere on the net and leave a smudge mark where the floor used to be.

That moves the emphasis to defense and quicker passing, meaning RHAM will try to turn volleyball, a game essentially of mistakes, into a flawless act.

Good thing the Sachems have this perfection thing down. Even if they don’t know exactly for how long.

RHAM Girls Win over Hartford Public 3-0

rhamvb — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:46:11 +0000

CCC East

25-4, 25-8, 25-4

Kelsey Welling led with 6 kills, 6 aces and won 16 service points on 17-of-18 serving

Mallory Grosso – 4 aces, 11 service points was a perfect 14-of 14

Tessa Smolinski 10 kills

Jocelyn Taylor 6 kills

Ellie Linden 20 assists

The Sachems are now 2-0.

Does anyone doubt that RHAM can win in any girls volleyball conference?

rhamvb — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:02:47 +0000

From Ryan Pipke, The Bristol Press

The great debate could finally be settled this year

Does anybody doubt that Berlin and Plainville can compete with anybody in baseball, that Northwest Catholic and East Catholic will never be overmatched on the basketball court, that RHAM can win in any girls volleyball conference or that Rocky Hill can play soccer against just about anyone?

See full article here.

RHAM Repeats As Class M Volleyball Champion

rhamvb — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:41:28 +0000

By LORI RILEY, The Hartford Courant

NEWINGTON – — Tessa Smolinski thought she might have had the winning point of the Class M volleyball championship Friday night. RHAM started to celebrate and so did its fans.

But no. She had gone over the net. The Sachems had to settle down and reset.

“We just got back on the court,” Smolinski said. “We knew we had to finish it. I told Ellie [Linden], our setter, ‘Set the ball to Kelly [Stratton], she needs this last point’ and she did it.”

Stratton, RHAM’s lone senior, made the kill that won the match 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-15) over Jonathan Law-Milford at Newigton High.

“We knew we could do it one more time,” Stratton said.

It was RHAM’s second consecutive state title but its first undefeated season (24-0) and it was accomplished with a group of underclassmen.

“I told the girls, ‘You know, I will never forget my first state title, but I will never, ever forget an undefeated season with a state title,’” coach Tim Guernsey said. “That’s just something we’ve never done before. It’s not done that often. Coventry did it. It’s an unbelievable feeling.

“It was very fitting for Kelly to get the last kill.”

The Sachems lost five starters and six seniors from last year’s 23-1 team. Many were in the crowd Friday night, cheering on their former teammates.

Smolinski, who was named MVP, had 14 kills and 10 digs. Junior Kelsey Welling had eight kills and six blocks. Junior Mallory Grosso had 11 digs and Linden had 34 assists.

Law junior Casey Dulin had 16 kills and eight digs. Senior Megan Sweeney had 15 digs and Kathleen Sweeney, also a senior, had 13 digs and five kills.

RHAM started off better than it did in the semifinals, when it lost its first game to Griswold but went on to win, 3-1. Friday, Smolinski served the first nine points before Law scored.

“The girls were very geared up,” Guernsey said. “They were ready to go at 5 but we weren’t leaving until 5:45. They wanted to get here.

“They did just a phenomenal job.”

RHAM tops Law for Class M volleyball title

rhamvb — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:39:10 +0000

By MICHAEL FORNABAIO
Staff writer, the Connecticut Post

NEWINGTON — Even when the laws of physics appeared to be on the side of Law girls volleyball Friday night, fate fell squarely on the side of top-seeded RHAM in the Class M championship match.

RHAM was already on the way to defending its championship with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-15) victory at Newington. The Sachems led 19-10 in the third game. Law appeared to have gained a point back when a hit went off a Sachems defender, up into the rafters, off the ceiling, off the basketball-hoop stanchion, off the top of the backboard.

RHAM collected it calmly and won the point.

“Crazy. Just crazy,” Law senior setter Michelle Nantel said with a smile.

What else was new? Every attack the 11th-seeded Eagles presented, every way the Eagles defended, the Sachems had an answer. That’s probably why they went 24-0.

Law (19-6) did itself no favors early, though, falling behind 9-0 in the first game before scraping its way back. The Eagles didn’t hold a lead until the beginning of Game 3 and finished as runners-up for the fourth time in six years.

“I don’t think we were ready,” Nantel said. “I really thought we’d beat them. I really thought we could. “¦ We need to fight, to fight for points.”

The Eagles made a few errors, both hitting and serve-receive, in that first game. But even when they set up Casey Dulin (16 kills, eight digs) on the left side, the Sachems were usually there for a dig.

“There might have been some nerves. That’s to be expected in a big match,” Law coach Stacy Loch said. “I don’t know if anybody really expected us to get here.”

Tournament MVP Tessa Smolinski had 10 digs in the match to go with 14 kills. Mallory Grosso, the Sachems’ libero, had 11 digs, and Chelsea Fenton had eight.

“We passed the ball very, very well defensively,” RHAM coach Tim Guernsey said. “We never gave up on any ball.”

Law’s Megan Sweeney had 15 digs, and Kathleen Sweeney had 13 digs.

Loch said the Eagles tended to have a rough first game; Guernsey had told reporters the same thing about his team after the semifinals.In that semifinal round, Law got here with a hard-fought win Wednesday against Sacred Heart Academy.

That left little time to get a handle on the Sachems.

“Game, one practice, game: We weren’t fully prepared,” Loch said.

But Nantel, who had 29 assists, was more frustrated with her team’s mental approach.

“We weren’t as up as we were (against Sacred Heart Academy),” Nantel said.

RHAM built its lead more slowly in the second game, with the same result.

Loch said her team was called for more net violations than she could remember in other matches, and a few helped keep momentum on the Sachems’ side.

The teams were tied four times in the third game, up to 7-7, before the Sachems took over.

“I’ve got to give it to them,” Nantel said. “They’re good.”

Class M championship

LAW 18 18 15–0

RHAM 25 25 25–3

Records: Law 19-6; RHAM 24-0

RHAM Netters Shade Host Fitch

rhamvb — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:16:30 +0000

From The Chronicle
GROTON — It was going to be a day of finding out answers on Monday evening for RHAM High volleyball coach Tim Guernsey.
The defending CIAC Class M state champions, ranked No. 5 in the state, were going to learn about themselves in a non-league matchup against fellow unbeaten and No. 9-ranked Fitch of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.
And the Sachems got off to a great start by winning the first two games 25-17 and 25-14.
Then, the momentum turned, as the host Falcons forcing a decisive fifth game after taking Games 3 and 4 by identical 25-17 margins.
How would RHAM respond to the challenge?
Well, the Sachems led from start to finish and, when the Falcons served the ball into the net on match point, RHAM could finally exhale after wrapping up a 15-12 victory in Game 5.
“It was a fun, electric atmosphere,” RHAM coach Tim Guernsey said. “It was very good preparation for the state tournament against solid competition. We played well enough to put ourselves in a position to possibly leave with a 3-game victory and then the momentum turned, we got a little unglued and it put us in a position where we faced adversity.
“We haven’t been in a lot of those situations this year and the kids responded to the challenge.”
Top performances for RHAM (11-0) came from Ellie Linden (50 assists), Tessa Smolinski (18 kills, 19 digs), Kelsey Welling (15 kills, 10 blocks), Mallory Grosso (28 digs) and Kelly Stratton (9 kills).
Devyn Frank (22 kills), Aubrey Latham (11 kills, 8 digs) and Caitlin Merrow (25 assists) led the Falcons (9-1).

RHAM Tops Undefeated Fitch in Five

rhamvb — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:17:23 +0000

From The Day

Groton – The Fitch High School girls’ volleyball team was disappointed to lose its first match Monday.The Falcons did take one of the state’s best teams to the limit, though.

RHAM of Hebron, the defending Class M champion state champion, beat Fitch 25-17, 25-14, 17-25, 17-25, 15-12 in a nonconference match.

”I’m very proud of them,” Fitch coach Steve Banks said. “They were disappointed and bummed out, but there are worse ways to lose, like three straight blowouts. We didn’t. We responded (after the first two games) and came back. Even their coach (Tim Guernsey) said they were expecting this to go awhile.”

The Sachems are 11-0.

”They’re solid,” Banks said. “Their defense is solid and their setting is solid.”

Devyn Frank had 22 kills and three blocks for the Falcons (9-1) while Aubrey Latham added 11 digs and eight kills. Also, Caitlin Merrow had 25 assists and Courtney O’Hara three blocks.

”Like I told the kids, I wouldn’t have scheduled a team as strong as (RHAM) if we didn’t have a chance to compete or win,” Banks said. “You want to play the best so you’re going to be prepared for the long haul and can go deep into the state tournament. That’s why you schedule teams like RHAM or (defending Class S champion) Coventry.”

Fitch struggled in the first two games before winning Games 3 and 4 to force a decisive fifth game.

”We were sleepwalking the first couple of games,” Banks said. “Then they woke up. I challenged them … They responded and played well. I couldn’t be more proud of them. It went right down to the wire and lost to a real solid team.”

RHAM’s JVs were equally impressive, winning the first two games and continuing their undefeated streak as well.