NRHS girls have sights set on final four

By Chris Villani

During the 2024 preseason, Nipmuc head coach Brian Gerard has been able to see what his team is capable of doing when it plays its game, and what happens when it doesn’t. Nipmuc took the first two sets of a scrimmage against Holliston before mistakes and inexperience led to three straight losses.

It has not dampened his enthusiasm for his team’s chances.

“We are scrappy, we really are,” Gerard said. “It’s going to come down to them gelling and being on the same page. In the sets we lost, we were out of system more than we were in system. But, in those first two sets, we clicked like we had been doing this all summer long.”

Gerard said his team played with a sense of control through the first two sets, and it’s something he expects to see more of as the regular season unfolds.

“Our foundation is really good,” he said. “Some of our swing players, once they shake off the nerves and build a little chemistry with the seniors and juniors, I think they will catch on really fast.”

Junior Elle Leet is switching positions this fall and will help run the Nipmuc offense as the setter. Gerard will roll out a pair of middle hitters, senior captain Charlotte St. Pierre and junior Kayleigh Fountain, who he said have been “fantastic.” At outsider hitter, Nipmuc will feature senior captain Lauren Tabakin and junior Annabel Palmer.

“Annabel might be our top hitter at the moment,” Gerard said. “She is very aggressive.”

Another captain, Kendal Bradford, will see time at libero. “She is very dependable and has a great serve,” the head coach said.

Nipmuc captured the Dual Valley Conference title last season with a perfect 10-0 mark in league play, and Gerard said a repeat performance is the goal this time around. In the 2023 state tournament, Nipmuc advanced to the round of 32 before dropping a match Gerard described as a five-set “heartbreaker” to Norwell, a team Nipmuc would not mind seeing again this fall.

“We did not like that at all,” Gerard said. “It left a very sour taste in our mouths. But we are very motivated to win the league again and I know these players are hungry.”

As for the state tournament, Gerard noted that Nipmuc has advanced to the final eight twice and would love to take another step forward.

“They want the final four,” he said. “That’s where we want to start the playoffs, not end them.”