In a rematch of the 2015 Division 1 volleyball championship, the Hollis Brookline Girls Volleyball Team defeated Bishop Guertin once again at Pinkerton Academy on November 4 to become Division 1 champions.

Finishing the season 21-0 with only two total set losses, the girls won their 3rd-straight D1 title with the help of head coach Becky Balfour. After defeating BG in the regular season, the team and its fans had high hopes entering into the championship game for the third year in a row. Kenzie Powers ‘18, a senior captain on the team, said that the key to succeeding this season was “working really hard at every single practice and in every single game no matter what our record was and no matter what happened in past games.” The girls went into the game with a fresh mindset, but the fans came in knowing the girls would win.

Filling up the stands as usual, the fan section for HB was massive and dressed head-to-toe in blue. After losing the first set 23-25, the fans didn’t lose hope. “Once the crowd got into it, [the girls] started to destroy them,” said Tyler MacDormand ‘18. “The crowd brought the energy and it woke up the team after losing the first set.” Dana Ulrich ‘19, another devoted fan, said, “It was great to see our school come together to support the team, and to see so much excitement.”

The girls dominated the scoreboard in the next three sets, winning 25-12, 25-10, and then winning the final set 25-20. While the team performed impeccably, individual players stood out with their game stats. Maddie Norris had 16 kills, Elizabeth Atkinson had 13 kills, and Kaleigh Whalen had 10 kills. Setter Kyra Belden also had 40 assists.

In other big news for HB volleyball, Maddie Norris ‘19 won Division 1 Volleyball Player of the Year, and also made First Team All-State along with Elizabeth Atkinson ‘19 and Kyra Belden ‘19. Sammie Sheppard ‘20 made Second Team All-State, and Sierra Dinman and Kenzie Powers made Senior All Star.

Seniors Sierra Dinman, Kenzie Powers and Megan Cochran finished their HB volleyball careers on a high note, and with most of the starters returning, the volleyball team looks strong going into the 2018-2019 season.