Old Rochester volleyball bested by Apponequet Lakers

Oct 8, 2018

Despite being at home and a clamorous crowd cheering them on, the Old Rochester Regional High School girls varsity volleyball team was ultimately defeated in three of their four matches against the Apponequet Lakers on Monday, Oct. 8.

In the first match, the Lakers led by seven when the teams stopped for a break. ORR managed to comeback and tie the match, which remained neck in neck throughout the second half. At the end of the match, ORR found itself serving the ball with the score at 21-24, and might have come back, but a dramatic dive wasn’t enough to stop the Lakers from taking the match.

The second match was the one win for Old Rochester, and a strong start put the Bulldogs up 6-1. Though the Lakers gained ground over time, the Bulldogs kept a rally at bay for a final score of 25-13.

The third match was the most suspenseful. ORR began the match with a five point lead, until a serve under the net lost them the ball. The Lakers dug into the lead and eventually tied the match around the halfway mark, but ORR took a slight lead.

As the Lakers caught up, the match neared a suspenseful end. With the score tied at 22-22, and then again at 24-24, the Lakers edged out ORR for the last two points to win the match.

The final match was deadlocked for some time, with the score tying at 4-4 and again at 7-7. The Lakers, however, pulled ahead by scoring critical points to take a commanding lead against the Bulldogs.

ORR put up a good fight, with several long volleys throughout the match, but Apponequet won 25 to 18. 

Rochester Volleyball coach Jimmy Oliveira has seen progress so far this season despite the losses.

“We showed that we've made progress, as we lost 0-3 to them earlier this season, but lost 3-1 in close matches this time around,” Oliveira said. 

The team stands at 7-7 for total matches this year, and at 7-6 for matches that count toward tournaments. Old Rochester has eight matches left this season, and must win three of those matches to advance to the state tournament.