NRHS won 13 games despite challenging schedule 

By Chris Villani

The Nipmuc girls’ volleyball team finished the regular season with 13 victories, a win in the newly formed CMAC A Division, and the number three overall ranking in Division IV. Head coach Brian Gerard said the team’s experience and an especially difficult schedule has been a big help.

“We went out and put together the hardest schedule in D4, and I think it has benefited us,” Gerard said. “We lost to some teams from higher divisions, but it made us battle-ready for the playoffs.”

The Warriors have numerous players who led the way through the successful campaign, including senior middle hitter Kayleigh Fountain.

“I haven’t seen anybody better than her out of the middle position,” Gerard said. “That includes the teams in divisions above us.”

Another senior captain, Annabel Palmer, finished the regular season as the top player on the team in kills. Gerard called her a “dominating presence.”

“She is one of those kids who you want on the court at all times,” he said. “She has a great work ethic, she is aggressive, and she has that competitive nature.”

Senior Gabrielle Leet is the engine that helps make the Nipmuc offense run, particularly with her unusual ability to jump set.

“You don’t see that a lot at this level,” Gerard said. “It makes a difference when she is setting her players because it’s at a different height and the tempo and timing are a little bit different. She is also an excellent server.”

The trio helped Nipmuc roll through its league and compete with higher-level teams like Shrewsbury, Weston, Ashland, and Wachusett, among others. Gerard said his team more than held its own.

“I would say that, in a lot of those matches, we were leading at one point but we may have ended up losing due to a lack of experience or they had a better serve receive at certain points and that helped them go on runs,” he said. “But just seeing what’s out there in the divisions above you, especially with the power ranking system, it helps you.”

This year’s Nipmuc team has six seniors and the program also boasts a large crop of freshmen.

“This group is very tight, they have been together for a long time,” Gerard said. The experience made them comfortable on the court. During a timeout in a match at Whitinsville Christian, the team’s huddle was drowned out by a pep band, but that didn’t dampen their enjoyment.

“We just enjoyed the band,” Gerard said. “We danced, we sang. They are a good group.”