CUMBERLAND — Heading into the fifth game of its state semifinal volleyball match Wednesday, the Cape Elizabeth volleyball team huddled up and convulsed into giggles.

The Capers got the last laugh as well, swarming back from a two-game deficit to upend top seed Greely 3-2 to advance to their first Class A state championship match.

“We were all laughing because of my backwards bump that scored the winning point (in the fourth match),” junior Maddie Bowe said. “We thought it was out, but it was in. We were feeling great at that point.”

Cape Elizabeth (14-2), the fifth seed, looked hopeless while dropping the first two games, 25-13 and 25-12. Falling behind has become a habit, though, and the Capers showed extraordinary grit in the third game, three times fighting off match point to finally prevail 28-26. You could sense that Greely (13-3) was suddenly less sure of itself.

Cape Elizabeth won the fourth game 25-23, concluding on that bizarre Bowe bump.

The fifth game showed how loose the Capers were as they watched the Rangers make uncharacteristic mistakes and built a 14-11 lead. The final point was won by Bowe again, this time lunging toward the ball only to softly deliver it over the net instead. When it hit the floor, the Capers spilled into a wild embrace.

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“I didn’t even realize it was over after it happened. I was just in shock that we actually got it after those first two games,” Bowe said. “I just wanted to tip it, because I thought she was going to block it, honestly.”

Cape Elizabeth rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Scarborough in the quarterfinals. The outset of matches have not been their finest moments. But somehow they keep turning things around.

“It makes things more interesting, but it’s not a good strategy that we have,” junior Tess Haller said. Those first two games, that’s not the team that we are. We don’t let balls drop, we don’t reach for balls, we move our feet and get to the ball.

“But we’re good at keeping our heads in it and knowing that we really, really wanted this. They have so many state championships on that wall (nine), and we’ve never had one. We want one so bad.”

Cape Elizabeth is fielding a volleyball team for the eighth year.

Last fall, the Capers were ousted in the semifinals by Falmouth in five games. That was the farthest they’d advanced. Until Wednesday. They’ll face Falmouth again for the title at 1 p.m. Saturday in Biddeford.

“We knew we had nothing to lose. You go down two-love to the No. 1 seed, the pressure was really on them,” Cape Elizabeth Coach Sarah Boeckel said. “This just means all the hard work’s paid off and now we are hopefully a team that’s going to be around for the long run.”

 


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