After a successful playday in Olcott Gym on Wednesday, September 14, the 2016 volleyball season officially kicked off with a hard-fought home win against Class A foe Convent of the Sacred Heart on Saturday.

Loomis Chaffee got off to an aggressive start, but Sacred Heart, which is always tenacious defensively, fought back as the match progressed.

In the first set, Loomis took a 12-3 lead behind efficient hitting from junior captain Chelsea Offiaeli and sophomore Maya Guyton. Loomis got contributions from several newcomers to the varsity team on their way to a 25-9 win in the set. Junior Sarah Bennett, junior M.C. Osborne, and freshman Sadie Olcott all recorded earned points.

In the second set, Loomis found itself down 3-5 but went on an eight-point run to take an 11-5 lead. The surge was lead by senior Simone Sears’ blocking and kills coupled with good serving from junior E.J. Bill. Loomis maintained its lead and took the set 25-15. 

Sacred Heart did not give up, though, and the third set was a battle. Loomis was down 3-7 early in the set but rallied to narrow the score 6-7. Again Sacred Heart charged forward and rebuilt a lead of 6-11 and then grew its lead to 9-16.  Junior Claire Elliot got Loomis back into the set with a critical kill and then a seven-point serving run that included two aces. Loomis took a late lead of 22-19, but critical errors plagued the Pelicans throughout the set. Sacred Heart stormed back to take the set 25-23.

In the fourth set the young Pelican squad regained its composure and, behind senior captain Kelly White, Loomis built an early lead. Once again Sacred Heart was resilient and kept the score tight, eventually tying the score at 12 each. Sears recorded three aces in a five-point serving run to give the Pelicans a 18-12 advantage. The Pelicans held on to the lead, winning the set 25-16. Overall the team produced 18 aces, 33 kills, and 80 digs and had a successful serve rate of 94 percent.

The team will travel to Northfield Mount Hermon on Wednesday, September 21, for a 3 p.m. match and will return to Olcott on Saturday, September 24, to take on Andover on Founders Day.