The Old Rochester Regional High School volleyball team faced a tough loss after a game with Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

The ORR Bulldogs lost 0-3 in the semi-final game for the MIAA Div. 3 championship. Dennis-Yarmouth will go on to face Tewksbury in the championship game. 

In 2021 the Bulldogs won the state championship against Dennis-Yarmouth for the first time in program history and up until now, the Bulldogs have placed third in their division with a 17-6 track record this season. 

According to ORR Volleyball Coach Jimmy Oliveira, the team “got off to a hot start” in the first half of the season, taking decisive 3-0 wins in their first eight games. 

But things got tougher when the Bulldogs faced off against Dennis-Yarmouth for the first time this year in late September, seeing a 3-0 loss against the top-ranked team from Cape Cod. 

“In the second half of the season we faced several opponents who are top-ranked teams in their divisions,” said ORR Volleyball Coach Jimmy Oliveira. “It was a learning experience for the players and coaches.”

The Bulldogs’ second game against Dennis-Yarmouth in October also resulted in a 3-0 loss. 

“We made several changes throughout the season and have been playing great the past four to five games,” he continued. “We've shown a ton of growth and resiliency.”

Now, after the Bulldogs’ third game against Dennis-Yarmouth, Oliveira reflected on the relationship between the two similarly-matched teams. 

“We have a nice friendly rivalry dating back to 2019 when we played for the first time in the south semi finals,” said Oliveira. “[We are] two teams that are no strangers to each other, but have mutual respect for one another.”

Although the Bulldogs’ run at the Div. 3 championship has ended, reaching the semi-finals has been “hard earned by the girls on the team,” said Oliveira. “I'm so proud of them for all the progress they've made. As I said last year, it would feel awesome to get to the state championship, but if we don't, that would not define our season.”

Going forward, Oliveira hopes that returning players “remember this loss and [he hopes] it makes them hungry to put in more work in the off season so [they] can come back even stronger next year.”