RallyNorth.net

DERRY — The Pinkerton girls didn't easily give up their championship volleyball dreams, but top-seeded Merrimack once again made things difficult on a 2014 opponent.

Losers of only two sets the entire season, top-seeded Merrimack swept to the Division I title last night with 25-16, 25-22 and 28-26 victories over the game Astros.

"All we'd done was seen them,"  Pinkerton coach Todd Royce said of the undefeated Tomahawks. "Actually, we'd seen them play several times, but it's different once you get on the court with them. They are a very good team, and Jen Coffey is one of the better hitters that we've had in the state."

Playing tougher as the evening progressed, Pinkerton (18-3) took Merrimack to the limit in the finale. The teams combined for nine ties and four lead changes.

"Even though we didn't win, they're still champions in our eyes," Royce said. "They never gave up, and they made the last game very exciting.

Leading the way for the Astros were Alexis Bowers (10 blocks and 58 in the four-game tournament) and seniors Elizabeth Hicks (34 assists and 15 service winners), Michaela Blackwell (nine kills) and Nicole Langlais (12 service winners).

"We're going to miss our three seniors," Royce said. "They did a great job with leadership, and they're the reason why our team never gave up."

The only teams to score set victories over Merrimack were Exeter and Timberlane, and both of those losses were by a mere two points. Coffey was dominant, leading the Tomahawks in every statistical category.

"This (title) means everything," said Merrimack coach Tammy Lambrou, whose squad lost the 2011 championship and the past two semifinals. "So a lot of girls remember what it's like to be here and they took a pact to go undefeated this year. To be honest, I'm (mad) we lost those two sets.

Pinkerton was playing in the program's second title game and first since losing the 1998 crown to Spaulding in straight sets.

Trailing 12-6 in the final game, Pinkerton's girls volleyball team rallied for a 3-2 victory over Bedford to advance to Wednesday's semifinals against Nashua North. Olivia Mathieu delivered six service points in a row to key the rally and finished with 17 service points and six aces as well as 13 kills. Michaela Blackwell kept the ball alive with a fine save to help earn the final point for the Astros (18-2).

Just one week after suffering its first loss of the season to Bishop Guertin, Pinkerton's girls volleyball team got sweet revenge in the first round of the Division 1 tournaent, defeating the Cardinals 3-1. Alexis Bowers had 12 kills and 22 sevice pointsand Michaela Blackwell had 11 kills and four blocks for the Astros (17-2).

Pinkerton's volleyball team bounced back from its first loss of the season with a shutout of Concord. Junior Alexis Bowers led the way for the Astros (16-1) with 12 kills and 13 service points. Lexi Verreault had 27 digs and served up eight aces.

 Pinkerton's unbeaten volleyball team was taken to the limit before prevailing over Goffstown 3-2. Olivia Mathieu and Alexis Bowers had 15 kills apiece for the Astros (15-0) while Elizabeth Hicks had 39 assists and 17 service points.

Pinkerton's girls volleyball team 

Pinkerton volleyball improved to 12-0 with a 3-0 win over Alvirne. Elizabeth Hicks came up big with 23 service points, eight aces and 23 digs. The Astros also raised $900 for breast cancer research.

Alexis Bowers had 13 kills and 13 service points to help Pinkerton's volleyball team stay unbeaten (9-0) with a 3-1 win over Londonderry.

Trailing 13-8 in the final game, Alexis Bowers served four straight points to spark Pinkerton to a 16-14 win in the fifth and final game and a victory over defending champion Dover. Bowers finished with 20 service points and 14 kills as the Astros (7-0) remained undefeated. Elizabeth Hicks had 32 assists for Pinkerton and Nicole Langlais was credited with 21 digs.

Pinkerton's volleyball team needed a fifth game before remaining undefeated, edging Salem.  Olivia Mathieu had 15 kills while Elizabeth Hicks collected 34 assists for the Astros (6-0). Rachel Towler had 31 assists for Salem.