BIDDEFORD — Gorham was taken to four sets Tuesday night, but stayed unbeaten in volleyball by beating Biddeford, 25-21, 25-19, 14-25, 25-10.

The Tigers (6-2) stayed close in the first two sets, and won the third, but the Rams (8-0) took control in the fourth start, grabbing a 9-0 lead.

Leading the charge in the final set were Colette Romatis (three kills) and Evelyn Kitchen (four kills), who were punishing the ball into the Tigers’ territory. Their kills were assisted by setter Isabelle Kolb, who had five assists in the set and 12 in the match. Kolb also had six service aces. Kitchen finished with eight kills and two blocks, and Romatis finished with four kills.

“We were doing a good job either hitting the ball hard or putting the ball where the other team wasn’t and that was a really big deal for us,” said Gorham Coach Emma Tirrell.

Biddeford stayed alive by winning the third set. At 6-6, the Tigers went on a 8-1 run to take a 14-7 lead. Junior Grace Boisvert led the way in that charge with two kills. The Tigers were also helped by a few Gorham service errors.

“We started covering the back row,” said Biddeford Coach Ruth Shaw. “They hit longer than we’ve ever seen a team hit, and we’ve usually been covering the short. That game we were covering much better.”

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“In the third set I think we were making errors,” said Tirrell. “We had a couple of serves into the net in the beginning that gave the other team motivation which is a really big deal even though it was only two points.

“We weren’t being aggressive, we were taking the easy balls that were coming over and weren’t taking care of them and then we weren’t swinging aggressively like we were in the first two sets.”

Kitchen and senior Katie O’Donnell showed their intensity in the fourth set, sparking the Rams.

“Vocal leadership is so important,” Tirrell said. “Everyone knows actions speak louder than words and they are two players that follow their passion and show their passion and it gets people pumped and it’s really great.”

Despite the loss, Shaw said she thinks her team is becoming more mentally aware of its ability.

“This team still hasn’t gotten in their head that they can play and they can win,” Shaw said. “We are still building on confidence, but I’m really proud of them. This game showed me that they actually really wanted to play and it didn’t matter what the score was.

“I was kind of hoping for a win, but I’ll take the fact that they are starting to mentally become more aware. They are maturing a bit and are playing more like a team.”

Sydney Gagne (four assists, two service aces) and Boisvert (six kills) also had strong games for Biddeford. Sophomore libero Talia Catoggio finished with six service aces for Gorham.


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