SPORTS

Pilgrim remains in playoff hunt

Posted 10/26/22

By ALEX SPONSELLER

The Pilgrim girls volleyball team took a 3-1 (25-15/ 23-25/ 25-18/ 25-20) win against Johnston in a pivotal Division III showdown last week.

The two clubs entered the match …

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SPORTS

Pilgrim remains in playoff hunt

Posted

By ALEX SPONSELLER

The Pilgrim girls volleyball team took a 3-1 (25-15/ 23-25/ 25-18/ 25-20) win against Johnston in a pivotal Division III showdown last week.

The two clubs entered the match fighting for a playoff spot. Pilgrim was in the playoff picture by one game while Johnston was outside by a game and looking to climb its way back in. Each team had just two games remaining on its schedule while other teams are in the dogfight as well.

“It was huge (to get this win). We got off to a slow start this season and played some of the top teams. This gives us some momentum. Playing those top teams earlier in the year helped us the rest of the way, but it is nice to get a win and get that boost,” said Pilgrim coach Jason Metivier.

Pilgrim rolled to a 25-15 win in the first set. Johnston mounted a 10-point lead in the second, but Pilgrim would claw its way back and trail 24-23, but a Patriot misserve would give the Panthers the 25-23 win to tie things up.

It was all Pilgrim from there, wrapping up the 25-18 and 25-20 victories to clinch the win and keep pace.

Warwick Beacon Player of the Year Kaleigh Catucci led Pilgrim in the win, racking up nine kills and 16 aces. Gianna Ramos added 11 kills in the win as well.

“(Catucci) played outstanding tonight and really led the team. It was good because we played a little slow tonight, not Pilgrim volleyball. She served us right back into (the second set), she had 16 aces tonight. That’s huge. Our tendency is to win the first game and slow down the second game, getting overconfident and thinking that other teams are going to lay down and they don’t,” said Metivier, who hopes the team will continue to work out the kinks in the final week.

“Serve-receive. That’s our weak point right now and that’s what we’ve got to work on. We’ve got to focus on that and get the ball right back. We tend to get stuck in those rotations, give up one, two, three, four points,” said Metivier.

Johnston’s Jaylen Molina felt that the Panthers were unable to lock in at times during the loss.

“Our coach says it’s 80 percent mental, 20 percent physical. If you can’t pull yourself out of the mental, it’s hard to use the physical and to get yourself going,” said Molina.

The Panthers will likely need to win out to clinch a final playoff spot. Molina and company are excited to be playing in such meaningful games and are looking to regain their focus moving forward.

“It’s awesome, we love playing the sport and we have such great chemistry. We just need to play our hearts out and be here. Not care about everything else going on and to be here for those two, two and a half hours,” said Molina.

Pilgrim, volleyball

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