'Really Good' Mount Greylock Falls to Westfield in Four Sets

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Two late service runs by Westfield senior Stephanie Sgueglia turned the tide and boosted the Bombers to a four-set win at Mount Greylock on Saturday afternoon.

 

Westfield rallied after dropping the first set and took late leads in the third and fourth fourth thanks to Sgueglia serves, escaping with a 16-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 non-league win.

 

“I credit how they played in the first set,” Westfield coach Tyler Wingate said. “They gave us absolutely nothing. They were pretty much error free. That forces you to really earn all your points, and we weren’t doing a good job of that.”

 

It was Division 3 Mount Greylock’s second match this season against a D2 squad from the Pioneer Valley. And first-year Mounties coach Greg Geyer said Saturday’s home opener was an even stronger effort than the 3-2 loss at West Springfield.

 

“I told [my players], this is the best we’ve played all year,” Geyer said. “That was a really, really good team. [Westfield] didn’t just play well in the front row and hit in a certain place. They changed their shots. We changed our defense, they changed their shots. We changed our defense, they changed their shots again.

 

“It was really like a chess match in the game. And I’m really, really proud of the way our girls responded to that. This is really the first time we’ve been pushed like that, and I’m really proud of them. And I’m really impressed with that [Westfield] team.”

 

Mount Greylock (4-2) took control of the first set on three straight points from Marley Buffis’ serve to grab a 12-7 lead. Buffis (15 digs) started her run with an ace.

 

One rotation later, Maddie Albert (14 assists) used an ace in a three-point run that pushed the lead to 16-8. It got as high as 10 points on an Albert kill, and another of her five kills sealed the 25-20 win in the first set played in the renovated Mount Greylock Regional School gymnasium.

 

Mount Greylock played the last two seasons at MCLA during the $64 million renovation/addition project at the middle-high school. Some confusion on the part of the visitors Saturday sent the Westfield bus to the North Adams college campus, forcing a delay to the match and a break in the routine for the Bombers.

 

“Maybe after that first set, we could have had the mentality that today wasn’t our day,” Wingate said. “We had the transportation issue and then we get here late and we’re an hour behind. But I credit this team. It’s hard not to let that outside stuff distract you. But we’ve done a good job this season of being good on our side. We preach: Control what you can control.”

 

The second set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither side able to go ahead by more than three points.

 

Hannah Byrnes served three straight points, including an ace, late in the set to give Mount Greylock a 19-18. But Westfield battled back to go on top, 22-20.

 

After a sideout, the Mounties tied it on a dramatic point that saw Buffis dive to the floor for a dig that set up an Autumn Delorey kill.

 

But Westfield’s Madison Robitaille notched a kill to regain the serve, and Tetyana Shvyryd served out the set to tie the match.

 

The third set saw Westfield take an early 14-9 lead that was erased on a six-point service run by the Mounties’ Emma Hayward. Shvyryd’s kill snapped the run and got Westfield the serve trayling, 16-15.

 

Mount Greylock then pushed its lead back to 20-16 on a Byrnes kill. But Westfield chipped away, eventually tying the set at 22-22 on a Shvyryd kill, giving the serve to Sgueglia.

 

She then served the last three points to give the Bombers a 2-1 lead.

 

The fourth set saw Westfield pull out to a 12-8 lead, but Mount Greylock battled back to tie it, 17-17 on a Byrnes ace that grazed the net and fell in front of the Westfield attackers.

 

But Viktoria Pavlyuk’s kill got the Bombers back the lead with a one-point lead, and Sgueglia served two straight points to give Westfield some breathing room at 20-17.

 

Mount Greylock never got closer than two points the rest of the way, as Westfield put away the match with a 25-20 win.

 

Byrnes led Mount Greylock with 11 kills. And Lucy Shepard and Caroline Hadley recorded eight and seven, respectively. Ali Howard had 20 assists to pace the Mounties.

 

“This was a good win for us, because I was extremely impressed with [the Mounties] and their balance,” Wingate said. “They dug us more than any other team this season, which maybe frustrated us a little bit. Then they can bring it right back at you with good offense.

 

“Definitely one of the better teams we’ve played all season. Fortunate we got a win. I’m just hopeful it’s a good experience for us going forward, winning in a tough environment against a really good team.”

 

Mount Greylock has a busy week ahead with three league games: home against Wahconah Monday, at Pittsfield Wednesday and home for Lee on Friday.