The Old Rochester Regional High School girls volleyball team closed out an incredible season on Saturday, winning the MIAA Division 3 state championship for the first time in the program’s history. The D3 final took place on November 20 at Bridgewater-Raynham with the No. 4 ranked Bulldogs facing off against No. 2 seed Dennis-Yarmouth for the third time this season, ORR winning, 3-1.
The Bulldogs earned their spot in the finals on November 16 when they defeated No. 1 seed Tewksbury, 3-2, in a semifinal matchup also at Bridgewater-Raynham. The Bulldogs were down 2-1 going into the fourth set but rallied to win the match and advance to the championship.
In the state final, Dennis-Yarmouth got off to an early lead, winning the first set 25-20. The second set started with five ties before the Bulldogs got to a 10-6 lead on a service ace from Aubrie Letourneau. ORR kept the lead thanks to Maggie Brogioli, Sydnee Pires and Ella Soutter before a block from Sally Butler sealed the set, 25-16.
D-Y got off to a 4-0 lead early in the third set, but a kill from Soutter brought the set to 13-9 before she served up four straight points to tie the set at 13-13. The Dolphins were able to take a 19-15 lead once again, but kills from Butler, Pires and Brogioli tied the set at 23-23 before an ace from Kenna Soucy and another kill from Butler clinched the third set, 25-23.
The Bulldogs carried their momentum to an 11-3 lead in the fourth set before D-Y came back to take a 21-18 lead. ORR hung on, though, with Brogioli scoring her 20th kill of the game to bring the set to 24-21 before Soucy clinched the set, 25-21, and secured the championship.
The title victory capped off a 20-game win streak, as the Bulldogs finished the year with a record of 23-2. This was the second time ORR’s girls volleyball team has competed in a state championship, previously losing 3-0 against Medway in the 1990 Division 2 championship. It was the first state championship for Old Rochester since 2017 when the boys track team won both the indoor and outdoor championships.
Cross Country
ORR’s girls cross country team competed at the All-State meet on November 20, finishing in 20th place in the Division 2 race. The Bulldogs were led by Hanna Whalley, who ran an outstanding time of 19:49. She was followed by Corrine Robert (20:48), Alexia Gonsalves (21:16), Julia Sheridan (21:22), Madeline Dugas (22:40), Aubrey Heise (22:47), and Ally Ward (24:36).
Sophomore Tyler Young competed in the Division 2 boys race after qualifying as an individual at the previous week’s divisional meet. Young came in 48th place overall, running a time of 16:57.
Football
The ORR football team will play for the final time this season on Thursday, November 25, when the Bulldogs travel to Lakeville to visit Apponequet in a 10:00 am Thanksgiving Day game. Both teams are coming off tournament losses, with Apponequet losing 55-19 in a first-round matchup against Swampscott, while Old Rochester lost 21-14 in a quarterfinal matchup against Pentucket. This is the first time that ORR will face Apponequet this season; a win would secure ORR the South Coast Conference championship.
Sports Roundup
By Matthew Curry