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Salem falls to Bedford

SALEM — Salem's first-round Division 1 tournament game Thursday night was pretty much a microcosm of the entire season.

The Blue Devils, who were 9-0 to start the season but lost seven of their top 10, got out ahead of Bedford with a strong 25-21 effort in the first game but then gradually faded, bowing out to a young but talented Bedford team, 3-1.

Bedford, which starts four sophomores and two juniors, picked up steam as the match progressed, winning the final three games 25-21, 25-20 and 20-11.

"They're a tall team and we didn't keep the pressure on like we should have," said Salem coach John Roemer. "They had more depth at the net and we struggled a little bit."

Salem got a fine final game from senior Lauren McCloskey, who finished with 21 kills, but senior setter Kacie Blanchet (37 assists) couldn't find another net player to consistently score points although senior Kristen Carney had her moments.

McCloskey was particularly effective in that first game with seven kills but her opportunities dropped after that.

"She's been a great leader for us and put up some big numbers for a middle hitter," said Roemer of McCloskey. "She played well tonight, especially early."

Bedford (11-7), meanwhile, had much more depth on the frontline. Sophomore Caleigh O'Connell, who also led the team in assists, had 10 kills, classmate Julia Giroux had nine kills and another sophomore, 6-foot-3 Lindsey Peiron chipped in with six kills. Also, as a team, Bedfors had seven blocks, or six more than Salem.

"We had to be super aggressive and play good defense," said Bedford coach Anna McGann, whose club lost to Salem 3-1 in the regular season. "We did a pretty good job of that but it takes a lot of things to win in the tournament."

Reflecting on her young lineup, McGann said: "It gets me escited for next year but I don't want to look ahead. I love to stay under the radar."

The Bulldogs will need another strong effort Saturday when they face unbeaten No. 1 seed Nashua South.

As for Salem, it will graduate a strong senior class but two underclassmen played well Thursday. Junior Sydney Emerson led the team with 17 service points and four aces and sophomore Kelsey Cruz led in digs and also served well, getting nine straight points to briefly rally Salem in the third game.