Warriors impress in 3-0 victory over Newburyport; host Norwell Friday
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — When Savannah Cummings lined up to serve with the Wakefield High volleyball team one point away from completing a 3-0 sweep in the Round of 16 against Newburyport on Tuesday night, the Charbonneau Field House was quite literally rocking.
“I couldn’t even hear the whistle to let me know it was time to serve,” said the senior captain with a laugh.
So, you can imagine what it was like when her serve clipped the top of the net and hit the floor for an ace, sending the Warriors to the Div. 3 state quarterfinals, a round never before seen in program history.
With their victory in straight set scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-21 official, the Warriors were able to enjoy the moment with their teammates, coaches, friends, family and all the fans who have witnessed Wakefield volleyball as they continue to reach new heights.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve turned a corner and came up with so many strong wins with these captains specifically,” said head coach Kayla Wyland standing with Cummings, Lea Carangelo and Maddie Keohane after their triumphant victory. “This year, it clicked and it all comes down to the players – their passion and the work that they put in. They don’t just show up, they work so hard and have fun doing it and that’s all part of why we’ve been successful.”
That focus and effort blended with a relaxed confidence on Tuesday night, a perfect combination for a team that is not just playing their best volleyball of the season, but of their 12 years of existence as a varsity sport.
“We’re playing at our top peak game right now,” agreed Wyland. “You want to play your best volleyball at the end of the season and they are.”
The Warriors only had two real instances of what the average onlooker might mistake for fear: when the Clippers took a 10-6 lead in set one, and when they overtook Wakefield 18-16 in set three.
Wyland called a timeout in both instances. In the first set, the Warriors responded with a 10-5 run to reclaim the lead and force a Newburyport timeout. In the third, they went on a 9-3 run to end it.
“They’re so composed,” said Wyland. “As a player, I struggled with that so seeing them do it is really cool. They’re always ready for business but they’re enjoying the moment and the competitive atmosphere; they use that to their advantage. Instead of being nervous, they’re excited. That’s a huge advantage in the playoffs.”
Responding in those moments is one of Wakefield’s top priorities, something they consistently work on as a daily goal whether in practice or in games.
“One of our goals tonight was we’re not going to let mistakes correlate to our mental state,” said Cummings who had a team-high 10 kills and 3 aces. “A few games ago, it might have, but we know that letting it affect us isn’t going to help us.”
Cummings had a block kill and two aces in a row during that sequence in the first, which gave Wakefield a 16-15 lead. A bomb from sophomore Lila Arkinstall (8 kills) in the middle got the crowd going again for a 17-16 lead and Carangelo (5 kills, 33 assists) added an ace and an impressive save to keep a rally alive as the Warriors finished strong thanks to another devastating hit, this time from sophomore Mia Kenny (7 kills, 10 digs, 15 serve receptions).
Wakefield overcame a deficit in the second set as well, at one point falling behind 16-12 before the most epic volley of the night went to the home team, resulting in a cheer from the crowd that most definitely affected the momentum of the match.
“When we’re down or if we’re having a bad run, those fans pick us up and boost the energy on the court,” said Carangelo. “It feels so great to have all these fans cheering us on and supporting us throughout the game.”
Arkinstall started to get it going from the middle again, not backing down against Newburyport’s length and athleticism up front and junior Brooklyn Calder’s (3 kills, 15 digs, 10 receptions) block kill officially turned the tide as the Red Sea roared.
Back-to-back Cummings kills gave the home team a 20-18 lead and a smart, fake set and kill from Carangelo all but sealed it as the Warriors took a 2-0 set advantage.
To Newburyport’s credit, they never gave up, not even in the third when they led for most of the set, until once again, the Warriors proved to be the more battle-tested team as they kept their cool and locked in.
During a 6-1 run to regain control after trailing 18-16, Wakefield got an ace from Calder, two Carangelo kills and a Cummings kill and ace, but it also included multiple errors from the Clippers while the Warriors were much more consistent and calm.
“It’s easy to panic at that point but for the last couple of games we just haven’t at all because we’re much more confident in ourselves and we know that we can make those comebacks because we’ve done it before and we trust each other to do that,” said Keohane (15 digs, 16 serve receptions) of the team’s mentality in those inevitable moments when facing adversity.
That’s often the key in volleyball and something that gets magnified in the playoffs. Every team faces adversity. It’s how you respond that matters.
Wakefield did that well throughout a season in which they went 13-7 overall including signature wins over Arlington (for the first time), Woburn (for the first time since 2014), Burlington and Danvers (3-2 on Oct. 26, the last time the Warriors lost a set).
The No. 7 seed’s current 5-game winning streak has included a 3-0 W over No. 26 Norton in the first round to go along with their historic 3-0 victory over the No. 10 Clippers.
Now, Wakefield will get to host their third straight tournament match, tomorrow, Friday at 6 p.m. against No. 18 Norwell (17-5) who upset No. 2 Nipmuc 3-2 in the Sweet 16.
On the line will be a banner and a trip to the state semifinals against the winner of No. 3 Weston and No. 6 Old Rochester.
As is the case in the tournament, the pressure and the intensity will increase.
The Warriors believe they are ready for it.
“Because of how strong our league is, there’s nobody else in our division as prepared to play top teams as we are,” said Wyland. “We’ve battled top teams and beat some in Div. 1 and Div. 2. Just trusting that we’ve gained that confidence and knowledge of the game, that helps with momentum, 7 killstaying positive and allowing them to continue to understand how strong and good they are and using that to our benefit.
“It’s all about consistency. If we’re being consistent on our end and doing our job, it doesn’t matter who is on the other side. If we’re doing what we’ve practiced and built – that’s it.”