Coventry shows championship mettle in sweep of Canton in Class S final

Coventry’s Teia Ransford (13) tries to get the ball past Avery Rodriguez and Keira Gerhold in Friday night’s Class S championship in Hartford. More game photos

They’ve been here before and they knew how to close the deal.

The Coventry High girls volleyball team won the first two games of Friday night’s Class S championship game but in game three, No. 10 Canton raced out to a nine-point lead.

The Patriots fought off seven game points and squashed any Warrior comeback hopes with a 26-24 win to sweep the match and capture their 13th Class S title and their second championship in the last three years.

Top-ranked Coventry (23-3) swept No. 10 Canton, 25-15, 25-9, 26-24. It was their 17th three-game sweep of the season. The Patriots lost just one game in four Class S tournament victories.

“It was important at the end to be playing to win, not to lose,” Coventry setter Abby Polo said. “We’re swinging aggressively and picking our spots (while serving and hitting).”

Coventry’s serving bothered Canton for most of the evening. Polo, named the tournament MVP, served on 28 points. She was serving for the final eight points of the match.

“She just went for it,” Coventry coach Ryan Giberson said of Polo serving. And everyone rose to the level defensively. The offense was swinging and it was great.”

The Warriors and their fans celebrate together after a point in Friday’s Class S championship match in Hartford. More game photos

Down 2-0, Canton (18-9) rallied in game three. Tied at 7-7, Canton used a 9-1 run to take s 16-9 lead. Emery Howard had two kills in the rally but it was the Patriots making mistakes that allowed Canton to take a lead.

Canton led 20-11 before the Patriots cut the lead to 21-17 thanks to three kills from Polo and one kill from Teia Ransford.

The Warriors were on the verge of the win in game three thanks to a pair of aces from Canton’s Mia Whilby to take a 24-17 lead. They needed just one point to win and get back in the game. But it never came.

Sophomore Charlotte Parkington had a cross court to get Coventry the ball back. Polo went to the serving line. The first serve was returned into the net and Polo put down consecutive aces to cut the lead to 24-21.

Four consecutive kills from Ransford, Brooke Blouin, Ransford and Ransford put Coventry in position to win at 25-24. A return into the net clinched the win for the Patriots.

Ransford led Coventry with 13 kills while Blouin had five. Hailey Mayo had five kills. Polo had 28 assists.

Coventry has never lost to Canton but it wasn’t a breeze.

“It’s hard, especially trying to beat them three times because they came out with fire,” Polo said. “They were ready to win. They wanted to win. But it was important for us to stay calm, have those high moments and not to dwell on the low moments.”

Canton coach Andrew Barnes, “I think with a different mindset, we might have been able to finish out this game. When this team steps on the floor, I always say you have a shot against anyone you play against. You just have to play to your highest level.”

In game one, Coventry used a 7-1 run to open up a 13-6 lead. Polo had three serving aces in the run. The Warriors cut the lead to three, 18-15 but Blouin had a kill to get the ball back for the Patriots.

Coventry scored the final seven points of the match with Polo serving. She had two aces while Hailey Mayo had a block for a point as Coventry earned a 25-15 win.

In game two, Canton really struggled to control the ball while receiving it. Polo had a eight-point run with an ace but her teammates had five kills in the surge as Coventry took a 17-5 lead.

Canton picked up a point on a ball served out of bounds but Coventry scored eight of the game’s final 11 points to secure a 25-9 victory.

“I was really proud of them, the way they were able to step to it in that third set, especially after how the second set looked,” Barnes said.

Canton’s captains hold the Class S runnerup trophy up after last night’s Class S championship game. It was the first CIAC trophy for the volleyball program. More game photos

Coventry lost just three times this season – to newly-crowned Class L champion East Lyme, last year’s Class L champion Farmington and Simsbury, which finished first in the Central Connecticut Conference with an 18-1 record.

“This team never failed to surprise me with what they do. They never failed to make me think that this program is going in the right direction,” Barnes said. “It’s been a great year.”

Canton advanced to the championship final for the first time this season, beating No. 2 Valley Regional in the quarterfinal in five games and No. 3 Hale-Ray in the semifinals in four games. The Warriors beat Avon and Granby for the first times this season.

Coventry 3, Canton 0
At Hartford (SMSA)
Canton (18-9)                  15    9  24
Coventry (23-3)              25  25  26
Of note: Coventry won their 13^th CIAC Class S state championship with tournament MVP and setter Abby Polo getting 28 assists and 28 service points. Teia Ransford had 13 kills for the Patriots while Brooke White had eight. Hailey Mayo had five kills. Coventry beat Canton for the third time this season.