Greely volleyball coach Kevin Hasch is feeling pretty relaxed with his Rangers holding an 8-0 record with five games left in the regular season.

“We are running plays we normally don’t run until the end of the season. That’s very good,” Hasch said.

Falmouth Coach Gary Powers said as much about Greely’s win streak.

“They do not make many mistakes. They capitalize on every free ball you give them. They are not a weak team,” Powers said.

The Rangers have worked hard this season on eliminating missed serves, running down balls and putting pressure on other teams by extending the rally. And when all else fails, they have senior outside hitter Maggie Bradley.

“She’s got the firepower that can score when we want to take over. Against Falmouth in the third set I told her to step up, and she had seven kills in that set alone,” Hasch said.

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THE BIG game this week is the Friday matchup between Greely and second-ranked Scarborough.

Hasch said after beating Scarborough 3-1, the Rangers are excited to play them again.

“Last time we tried to control Brittany Bona. It probably didn’t go as well as we thought it should. We’re working on that plan, to try to implement it a little better,” Hasch said.

Scarborough Coach Jon Roberts said while other teams focus on his dominant outside hitter, senior setter Emily Robbins is instrumental in the team’s 7-1 record.

“Emily has been flirting with 30 assists this season. I think she had more than 30 one game. How she plays dictates how we play. Brittany is steady but if Emily gets good sets, Brittany gets a lot of kills,” Roberts said.

LAST WEEK, Falmouth Coach Gary Powers wasn’t certain the Maine Principals’ Association had been doing the Heal points correctly, so he had it checked. Come playoff time Powers said it would matter.

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“A team wants home-field advantage,” Powers said.

Since the volleyball teams were divided into two classes last year due to the sport’s growth in Maine, wins against Class A teams are worth 40 points and victories against Class B teams just 35 points. The MPA had to tally the volleyball Heal points this week to make certain it was done right.

Gerald Durgin, the MPA assistant executive director, said the standings were added correctly. Durgin added: “ It is possible for a B school to have more points than an A school due to the quality of wins.”

DEFENDING STATE champion Biddeford is ranked fifth in the Heal points, and Coach Ruth Shaw said that’s where it wants to be.

With a 5-3 record, Shaw said her young team has only just started to understand how to work together.

Only one of the Biddeford players — defensive specialist Renee Trottier — started last year. But Shaw said in the second half of the season her team of nine juniors will build momentum.

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“I knew we’d be in the top five,” Shaw said. “Experience means a lot. We have a lot of new players. But I think they now have the mentality that they have to step up.”

Historically the Tigers have been a strong defensive team and Shaw said that’s the hallmark this year.

“This is the best defensive team I’ve had,” she said.

Saturday, the Tigers will face Falmouth, just ahead of them in the Heal points. Since their 3-0 loss to Falmouth, Shaw said the Tigers are a better team.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:

dfleming@pressherald.com

Twitter: Flemingpph

 


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