While coach Shay Collins and her 2014 Londonderry High freshman girls’ volleyball squad desired a season record better than the 4-9 mark with which they finished, the Lady Lancers’ crew did plenty of what sub-varsity teams are supposed to do through the fall in developing skills and increasing the players’ knowledge of the sport.
The team – which was technically known as a “Junior Varsity B” contingent because it had both sophomore and freshman members – played a full freshman schedule for former Londonderry High varsity spiker Collins.
Collins’ roster included 10th graders Angelis Thibedau, Anna Kemball-Cook, Bethany Carver, Hailey Gagnon, Heather Kelly, Michaela Tarquinio, and Morgan Grant.
The freshmen included Jenna Peterson, Kelley Roberts, and Meghan Brown.
“The team improved dramatically,” said Collins. “There were a few players that had never played before, but they became a very close knit team and it was a great first year of coaching.”
And the Lady Lancers’ leader had no trouble honing in upon her crew’s top performances of the 2014 campaign.
“During Mack Plaque weekend, our team beat (Pinkerton) 3-0 and it was a very exciting game,” said the first-year coach. “Also, during the (post-season) tournament, we beat Bishop Guertin (of Nashua) after losing to them during the season. And during the Salem tournament we also played very well against the best team, Nashua North, even though we lost. I was very proud of the improvement and heart that the team was playing with.”