Riding a 12-game win streak, West Bridgewater girls volleyball is writing new team history
WEST BRIDGEWATER — Almost one year ago to the date, the West Bridgewater High girls volleyball team was content with sealing up the No. 21 seed in the Division 5 state tournament.
It was the first postseason appearance in the program's four-year existence so, yes, the 9-10 Wildcats were simply excited to receive the invite.
But this year, a lot has changed and an ongoing 12-game winning streak is the culprit. West Bridgewater (14-2), now ranked No. 8 in Division 5 in the latest MIAA power rankings, has morphed itself into a true contender while savoring some of the program's new heights in the process.
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“The girls just decided that they were going to win," third-year head coach Karen Pennington said. "We talked a lot about doing firsts: last year was our first in postseason tournament play, so this year was (about getting) a winning record, the postseason and going further. And they’re doing amazing.”
Two of those checkpoints have already been crossed off. The Wildcats split the first four games of the season 2-2 and haven't lost since, already securing a tournament berth and besting last year's win total.
The team's top two servers, junior captain Brooke Robichaud and sophomore Ava Harkins -- dubbed by Pennington as the "Dynamic Duo" -- have been front and center.
"(Our) setting is complete," Pennington said. “Those two have been my powerhouses all season."
In West Bridgewater's game against Abington on Friday, a 3-0 sweep, Robichaud committed only three service errors in a day's worth of offerings, her most all season long. That trend, according to Pennington, signals a remarkable level of consistency. She went 7-for-9 serving with two aces in Tuesday's 3-0 final over Cavalry Chapel, while also serving 21-for-22 with 11 aces in a win over Bishop Connolly on Oct. 10 and 28-for-28 in the team's prior meeting with Cavalry Chapel on Oct. 4.
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On Tuesday, Harkins broke out for 18-for-18 with 10 aces. The sophomore set a new career-best in a sweep of Holbrook on Oct. 5, going for 16 aces in a 25-for-25 day.
“I think Ava is a leader on the court," Robichaud said. "She always perseveres through everything and she never gives up on us.”
“They both have a lot of hustle and they’re not ‘Put the spotlight on me’-type of players," Pennington said. "They’re team players and they work well together. Unbelievable communication between these two – without talking. It’s amazing.”
The difference this year, to Pennington, has been the year-round commitment and development. Six of West Bridgewater's starters play club volleyball in the offseason. They span from playing at SMASH, MPC and Coastal Carolina, "so they're all over the place," said Pennington with a laugh. "They're good."
Robichaud started as an outside hitter on the JV team in seventh grade, until time at a camp refined her serve and she came back as the team's top at the position.
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Bolstering the strong serving stats from Tuesday, senior outside hitter Julia Holland finished 10-for-10 serving with five aces and senior Hannah Smith went 5-for-5 with two aces.
Janella Jacobs, a strong net presence, added six kills and nine attacks without committing an error in Tuesday's win, as first-year player Dorothea McGrath, a senior, added three kills. Robichaud and Harkins mirrored each other by adding four kills to their stat lines; Robichaud also had 11 assists, Harkins had eight. Alexa Gately, Faith Ojugbana and libero Madi Ellis also played well.
“I am amazed at their fight and their courage," said Pennington. "They’re a true family. They work together. I love them, that’s all it is. They love each other and we (the coaches) love them.”
Throughout the 12-game streak, nine of those wins came by way of a sweep. Throw in a statement win over Westport last Wednesday, in which the Wildcats clawed back from an 0-2 deficit to steal a five-set road win, and not too many teams are packing as much momentum into its postseason punch as West Bridgewater is.
“I don’t think we expected it all," Robichaud said of the winning streak. "We came in to the season just hoping to make tournament again and now we’re here. It’s crazy – eighth in the Division. It’s cool.”
“Definitely, also, did not expect that," said Harkins, seemingly in sync. "But we’re doing good.”
West Bridgewater has four games left in the regular season -- at Holbrook (Friday, 3 p.m.), vs. Dighton-Rehoboth (Oct. 25, 5 p.m.), at Norfolk County (Oct. 26, 5 p.m.) and at Seekonk (Oct. 28, 6 p.m.) -- before it shifts gears towards its second consecutive postseason trek.
“I think the program has come a long way since I started in middle school so it’s really cool we did that," said Robichaud. "We made it better.”
“You were the first (to make the tournament)," Pennington said to Robichaud and Harkins, referencing the team's standing in program history. "And now look at you. You’re not done yet.”
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Just in Year 4, West Bridgewater volleyball is a Division 5 contender
