ORR varsity volleyball takes decisive win against Wareham

Sep 13, 2022

MATTAPOISETT — In a landslide victory the Old Rochester Varsity Volleyball team beat the Wareham Vikings 3-0 on Monday, Sept. 12., taking each set with a clear lead.  

Although a decisive win for their second game of the season, coach Jimmy Oliveira said that it’s too early for the team to rest on their laurels — there’s still work to be done. 

“I think we did a pretty good job,” said Oliveira, who has coached varsity volleyball at ORR for six years. “We’re working on certain things — offense, defense — we have a young group. I think [they’ve done] a good job progressing over the past couple games.”

The Bulldogs are entering this season fresh off of last year’s State Championship win against Dennis-Yarmouth. That was the first time in the program’s history that the ORR girl’s volleyball team won the championship. 

However, Oliveira emphasizes that one big win doesn’t define this team. 

“We won, we want to win again, but it’s not something we talk about,” said Oliveira. ‘Not that we’re trying to avoid it — they know that they’re capable, they know they just have to put in the work.”

Earlier this season, the Bulldogs, consisting primarily of underclassmen with some juniors and seniors, won 3-0 against the Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School team. 

“We’re looking good, but I think there’s still a lot of potential in this group,” said Oliveira. “They seem to get along great, they support each other, and I think that’ll go a long way through the season to progress to where we need to be — I think we can get to where we were last year.”

Setter Aubrie Letourneau, a sophomore, said playing with the Bulldogs is good and only going to get better. 

“I think we’re still connecting as a team,” she said. “I think we have a lot of key players, and so far, we’ve learned a lot from our first skirmishes of the year.”

“I think the energy is really great — I love to go to practices,” she continued. “I love to play games. Everyone is so awesome, and the bench is always going crazy, and we’re having so much fun.”

The Bulldog’s energy is one of the team’s hallmarks, said Oliveira. 

“What stood out to me the most is the energy they’re bringing as a whole team. [The energy] is huge, and that’s something we never really had,” he said. “For me, that’s something that stands out, and I told them, ‘I love it.’”

Going forward, the team is slated to face off in an away game against the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional team on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

“We’re in a good spot,” said Oliveira. “I think that because they're so young, they’re learning a lot now, and once they get comfortable — once it starts clicking, it’s going to go fast.”