The ConVal volleyball team showed its true colors this week, trading in their tradition blue-and-gold for bright pink at the annual Pink Night game for breast cancer fundraising and awareness – and winning in the process.
Head coach Amanda Hinton addressed the ConVal crowd before the Pink Night game, reading off a list of names submitted by the Cougars and their Fall Mountain opponents to honor their family and friends who have been stricken with cancer. There was no shortage of names for Hinton to read through, as players and team members on both sides had family members directly affected by breast cancer.
“Two of our players, their parents had breast cancer,” Hinton said. “That’s never happened, that there’s been two on the same team. So it was really important to them.”
Pink t-shirt sales, 50/50 raffle money and donations at the event went to the Side-Out Foundation, which coordinates Dig Pink volleyball games to fund metastatic breast cancer research and treatments.
Once they got on the floor, the Cougars wasted little time in making the home crowd proud, beating the visiting Wildcats in straight sets, 25-15, 25-20, and 25-18. ConVal dominated from the service line on the way to victory, with 26 aces.
The Cougars are just 3-8 on the year, but steadily improving and wickedly talented.
“I think this is one of the best teams that we’ve put on the floor,” Hinton said.
Emma Rodenhiser (five kills, five aces, four digs, two blocks) is a star at the net, with senior Molly Tyle (three kills, two blocks) anchoring the front line alongside her.
It’s fair to say ConVal’s yet to play its best volleyball this season, as they’re still playing catchup following a lost year in 2020. The Cougars have two seniors and eight juniors, but only one, Kendall Sullivan, had ever played a varsity game before this year.
“She’s doing a great job being a big leader,” Hinton said, “and some girls are stepping up and it’s really great, but we have very little varsity experience on the court right now.”
For sophomores like Rodenhiser, Aria Laurent (one kill, nine aces, two assists) and Makaela Drummond, the last chance they had to play school volleyball was eighth grade.
“It was really hard for us not playing a game last year,” Hinton said.
Nonetheless, the Cougars are making a good go of it, with wins in three of their last four games and close five-set losses in their earlier defeats. ConVal is on the outside of the Division II playoffs looking in at this point and would need to make up some ground in the final week-and-a-half to qualify, but either way, ConVal’s immediate future is very promising.
“I’m just so excited about next year,” Hinton said.
ConVal’s scheduled game against Winnisquam Friday was postponed; the Cougars are at Coe-Brown and John Stark next week.
Mascenic 3, Portsmouth Christian Academy 0
The Vikings knocked off fourth-seed PCA Wednesday night to retain sole possession of the second spot in Division III with five games remaining.
Mascenic (10-1) got ten kills, two aces and a block from both Annika Martel and Lyla Buxton in the win. Kenzie Cormier had 21 assists and four aces; Hannah Zina had four kills and an ace, and Delaney Traffie had five kills and two aces.
Only undefeated Newfound (11-0) is ranked higher than Mascenic.
The Vikings were scheduled to play at Hillsboro-Deering Friday night.