The Old Rochester Regional Lady Bulldogs vs. The Wareham Lady Vikings has been a
‘Route 6 rivalry’ for years.
This year, the girls’ volleyball coaches from the two teams thought it would be fun to create a traveling trophy to solidify the rivalry.
“Something to look forward to – not a championship, but a casual prize that will be on the line twice a year,” said Coach Matt Bisso.
The 3-foot golden trophy with a volleyball player on the top of a loving cup appears to be more than ‘casual’ and will be a coveted reward for years to come.
Wednesday night was the inaugural game for the Route 6 Rivalry Trophy!
The gym in Mattapoisett was full. Both teams are young, with Old Rochester graduating 11 seniors last year and Wareham leaning on their sophomores with their excellent passing.
The Lady Bulldogs were dominant in Game 1 (25-13) and Game 3 (25-16), but Game 2 had 13 ties and 8 lead changes with ORR winning (29-27).
“The intensity in game two felt like a playoff game” said Wareham’s Coach Ben Kaeterle. “We are building our volleyball program. We are playing with higher intensity and the girls are determined and dedicated.”
But it was the Lady Bulldogs who made the historic first hoist of the new trophy!
ORR’s Coach Bisso and Jimmy Oliveira, and Wareham’s Coach Kaeterle, remember playing on New Bedford High’s volleyball teams. The New Bedford Whalers would play the GNB Voc-Tech Bears for the City Championship trophy at their twice-a-season scheduled conference games.
Coach Oliveira said he remembers, “…How excited the players would be for those games. It gave us something to look forward to!” He added, “The coaches thought it would be a fun reward for the neighboring SCC matchup.”
The next Route 6 Rivalry game will be at Wareham on Monday, October 17 at 6:00 pm.
By Kathryn Collings