RallyNorth.net

Mon, Sep 18, 2017 05:30 PM @ Central Catholic

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Methuen	25	25	21	25	3
Central Catholic	22	18	25	22	1

Methuen snaps 22-match losing streak to Central

LAWRENCE — Julia McCoy leaped with joy as the final kill in Methuen’s 3-1 win over Central Catholic Monday night slammed onto the court.

She was immediately swarmed by her teammates, and afterwards gave an extra hug to fellow senior Abby Sullivan — the hand behind the final kill.

It had been a long time coming for Methuen, a win over Central Catholic that is.

You would have to go back to 2006 to find the last time the Rangers were able to beat their MVC rivals.

But 11 years later, after a 22-match losing streak, Methuen finally conquered the seemingly unbeatable Central juggernaut.

“I’ve been on the team for four years, I’ve played them probably eight times and every time we get upset when we lose,” said McCoy, a tri-captain whose 10 kills and four blocks helped spark the historic victory.

“We definitely focused on our team today more than the other side of the court.”

During the losing streak, Methuen never pushed Central to a fifth game. The Rangers were swept by their rivals 15 times.

Veteran coach Matt Twomey, in now his 13th year, had been waiting for this day for quite some time

“We just battled the entire time,” said Twomey, whose team moved to 3-1. “It’s not that we wanted it more, because we knew that Central wanted it just as bad. But we just came out and fought today.”

For a while, it looked as if Methuen was going to sweep Central off its home court. The Rangers won the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-18, and was in full command.

Sullivan was the driving factor behind the quick start. The senior tri-captain finished with a game-high 22 kills along with seven blocks.

But Central, now 2-2, fought back in the third game, taking an early lead and eventually winning, 25-21.

The new-look Raiders, who graduated 10 seniors from last year’s Division 1 North champion squad, have gone through some growing pains, but fought hard until the end.

After winning the third game, Central jumped to an early lead before Methuen fought back to win the fourth game, 25-22, to clinch the match.

Senior tri-captain Hallie Dunn led the Raiders in kills (15), service points (12), aces (2) and digs (18). Katie Kirsch (5 blocks) and Rachel Hyatt (26 assists) also played well.

For McCoy and the Rangers, keeping calm through Central’s inevitable run was just as important as the easy victories in the first two games.

“We figured out what we need to do to fight back,” said McCoy. “We figured out who’s strong in the back row, in the front row and serving.”

Senior tri-captain Laura Staugler (34 assists) and Cailey Mullen (15 service points, 3 aces) were also leaders for Methuen. 

But even after an early season of promise, and finally a win over their rivals, the Rangers are keeping it simple.

Said McCoy: “We have three more games this week. I think we can use this energy tomorrow to have a good practice and figure out the rest of the week.”

 

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Methuen girls volleyball earned its first win over Central Catholic since 2006 on Monday night.

Lets take a look at some pop culture nuggets from the last time the Rangers beat their rival.

— The top pop song in the country was “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter

— The hit TV show “America’s Got Talent” aired its first season

— The top grossing moving was “Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest”

— TV phenomenon “The Big Bang Theory” would not air for another year

— The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL

— Tom Brady turned 29