EWG outlasts Pilgrim in season finale

By Brenton Bauerle
Posted 5/31/16

With a playoff game on the line, and the pressure at its highest, execution is usually the difference between victory and defeat. Unfortunately for the Pilgrim boys' volleyball team in its final game of the season

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EWG outlasts Pilgrim in season finale

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For the Beacon With a playoff game on the line, and the pressure at its highest, execution is usually the difference between victory and defeat. Unfortunately for the Pilgrim boys’ volleyball team in its final game of the season against Exeter-West Greenwich, execution was woefully lacking in a five-game loss.

EWG, which recently moved into Division I, came into the game looking for its first ever playoff berth, while Pilgrim looked to salvage a playoff spot out of a frustrating season. The first game certainly played to that script, as Pilgrim was able to parlay EWG’s inexperience and its own firepower to lead the whole way en route to a 25-21 victory.

The second game, however, spelled trouble for the Pats’ chances at sealing the deal. A bevy of errors – in all phases of the game – allowed EWG to stay in the game. The Pilgrim offense, which had worked efficiently in the first game, fell apart amid a slew of bad passes, and all of those errors certainly contributed to a razor thin, 25-23 EWG victory.

“You have to be consistent with whatever you do on the court,” said Pilgrim head coach Mike McGiveron. “We get a little lackadaisical and then our passing isn’t great, which we’ve been trying to eliminate all year.”

Game 3 was more of the same for Pilgrim, as errors and sloppy play continued to haunt it. In this instance, however, it was a perfect storm for the Pats, as EWG’s offense came alive in conjunction with Pilgrim’s struggles to leave the Pats down big in the middle of the frame, 17-11. From there, Pilgrim was able to recover, tightening up its play and executing its offense with precision, but it was unable to dig itself out of the early hole and dropped the game 25-21.

With its back against the wall, Pilgrim was able to carry over its play from the late stages of Game 3 into what would be a hotly-contested Game 4. Seven different ties marked a game in which both sides played their best ball of the night, with outside hitter Jamal Martey finding a groove as he laced EWG with some ferocious spikes.

After a continual back and forth, Pilgrim was able to take control of the game, building a steady five-point lead that it held onto in a 25-20 victory to force a decisive Game 5.

Unfortunately, Game 5 followed Pilgrim’s script from earlier in the game. After jumping out to a 5-0 lead, Pilgrim’s passing fell into the doldrums once again, allowing EWG back into the game. By the time Pilgrim had reasserted itself, it was tied 10-10 and the pressure was clearly mounting. A few key misplays on simple balls sealed the Pats’ fate, granting EWG a 15-12 victory that forced the teams into a tiebreaker match to decide who would receive the final playoff spot.

EWG would win that, too, to earn a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded Mount St. Charles.

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