DANVERS, Mass. – The 24th-seeded Danvers volleyball team Friday night came back from a first set loss to earn a 3-1 win over the No. 41 Taconic in the Division 3 State Tournament preliminary round.

 

But the Thunder earned a measure of respect.

 

“Coming into the Division 3 tournament as the bottom seed had Danvers looking past us before we even stepped into their gym,” Taconic coach Lance Fyfe said. “I spoke with the coach and one of their captains after the match and they said that they didn't expect us to be so good and so hard to beat. If you add up the total points on the four-set match, they only beat us by six.”

 

Danvers won, 25-18, 23-25, 20-25, 19-25, to advance to the Round of 32 against No. 9 Newburyport.

 

Taconic finishes its season with a record of 15-6.

 

Ella Stodden recorded a double-double with 26 assists and 15 digs, and Janayah Jones had a team-high 11 kills to go with seven digs.

 

Sophie Aubin led Taconic’s defense with 21 digs and did a lot of bump setting to the net, Fyfe said.

 

Jadyn Galliher had eight kills, and Lex Murphy Malloy finished with seven digs and six aces.

 

“I'd really like to give Lexi Murphy Malloy a shout out for her near error free night and impressive serving with six of our seen aces on the night,” Fyfe said. “Lexi has been practicing her serving a lot on her own time and proved that hard work pays off. She also played amazing defense earning her seven digs.”

 

Jones and Galliher, senior mainstays in Taconic’s attack this fall, finished their seasons with 134 and 132 kills, respectively.

 

Fyfe said Taconic’s success this season goes beyond the numbers.

 

“The things that I feel best about last night was how hard we played till the very end, how we supported each other, and the awesome sportsmanship and respect we displayed from the time we walked in until we boarded the bus,” he said. “A coach couldn't ask for a better group of kids, and I'm so lucky to have been a part of this.”