Lee Clinches Title; Mountie Reaches Milestone

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- The Mount Greylock volleyball team's senior night on Monday brought their lone senior Hope Willis a huge career milestone despite a 3-1 loss to Lee that cost the Mounties a share of the Berkshire County title.

 

Prior to the start of Tuesday's game Willis needed nine more kills for a career total of 500. The milestone came in the second set, giving the Mounties a 24-16 advantage after Lee took the first set 25-16.

 

"I was a lot more excited than I expected to be," Willis said. "It was really great, the girls doing the countdown with the posters and the announcement they did; I'm very excited I'm glad I got to have that moment in my senior year, especially on senior night."

 

Greylock then went on to win the second set, 25-17.

 

The Wildcats, undefeated in Berkshire County, came into the game looking for a win to claim the title; a loss would have given Greylock a chance to share it pending a victory in their final game against Taconic.

 

But after Lee lost the second set and it was tied 1-1, the Wildcats game back and took the next two.

 

Greylock was down seven in the third (21-14), Serena Chow served the Mounties, putting four points on the board to trail 22-18. The Mounties gained some momentum and added a few more. And after a Jenna Benzinger kill, Lee coach Jon Warner called a timeout as they only led by one, 23-22.

 

After the timeout, two back-to-back kills from Lee secured the third set victory, 25-22, giving them a 2-1 lead.

 

"We knew very well that a county title was on the line; it's a familiar position for us," Warner said. "I expect to compete at this level and that's a very strong team over there and Hope is a terrific outside hitter and they've got some really good servers as well."

 

In the fourth set, Lee was able to pull away from Greylock, gaining a bit of a lead and leaving some room for comfort. The Cats took it, 25-15, securing the win and the crown.

 

Kendra Williams for the Wildcats had 17 assists, setting her teammates up and gaining the points Lee needed to take their matches, she also recorded nine kills and seven digs.

 

"She's an amazing athlete, it always amazes me her range that she's able to get to balls," Warner said. "With nine kills and 17 assists, she's really contributing on both sides, she's an all around player."

 

For Greylock, Willis finished the game with a total of 12 kills.

 

"We really wanted to win, Lee has been a huge competition my whole volleyball career," Willis said despite the loss. "It was still great, It would have been amazing to win, but I think we fought really hard, we took a set from them which is great."

 

Lee travels to Wahconah Wednesday evening, and Mount Greylock travels to Taconic next Monday.