Memorial rallies behind injured teammate, but Knights hold off Crusaders charge

MANCHESTER, NH – The Memorial High School girls volleyball team was down two sets and tied at five points with visiting West High School in the third game of Tuesday night’s home matchup.

An apparent head injury to one of the Crusaders proved a rallying point for Memorial, which took 20 of the next 25 points to win the third set.

That momentum was short-lived, however, as the Blue Knights managed to break free during a close forth set to secure a 25-20 win and take the match, 3-1.

“We tried to come out here and get the win for (the injured player), and even though we didn’t, that’s alright because we played hard for her,” said Erika Cantarella, head JV and assistant varsity coach, who was filling in for head coach Nicholas Dobe Tuesday night. “It made us closer as a team and made people realize sometimes there are more important things than a point.”

The set win was the Crusaders’ second of the season and first since their opener against Keene on Sept. 1, which is further proof the team is starting to come together, said Cantarella.

“That’s something to take with them,” she said. “Something I, as a coach, want my girls to be is mentally tough, and I think that showed some mental toughness there, watching a teammate go out like that and then to rally around her in spirit.”

Labero Emely Arce stepped up with some standout passes and kept her teammates talking and motived, said Cantarella.

The loss dropped Memorial to 0-12 on the season in the state’s top division, but the Crusaders still have four more chances to secure a victory this season beginning with a Wednesday night matchup at 9-4 Windham, followed by a home contest against 10-3 Goffstown Friday at 6:30 p.m. and a road match at undefeated Bedford on Monday.

The Crusaders best shot at that coveted “W” comes in perhaps their final fixture of the season, a senior night clash with 4-9 Merrimack at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20.

West, which improved to 4-8 in Division II, still has room to grow as it looks to closeout the season strong, said head coach Josh Wilson.

“We came out a little flat (in the third game) after sitting in the locker room for awhile, and I think we did a pretty good job of turning the page (in the fourth set),” he said. “We still had some slip-ups and may have been a little sleepy, I think, but the girls played hard, they responded well and were able to rally around each other and step up and make plays when we needed to.”

Still seeking a a spot in the D-II postseason, West is only a couple games out of the top-10 with a home match against 5-8 Laconia next up on Thursday at 5:45 p.m.

The Blue Knights then finish the regular season with a road contest at 7-6 St. Thomas on Monday, followed by back-to-back home matchups against 6-6 Milford and 10-3 Souhegan next Wednesday, Oct. 18 and Friday, Oct. 20, respectively.

“I hope we can build off this. We’ve strung together a few wins with some rough performances in between, so we’ve got to be more consistent if we’re going to be a better team,” said Wilson. “We’ve certainly dug ourselves a hole that we need to climb out of, but I think (the playoffs) are still possible. We just really have to step it up this last week and a half.”

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