Londonderry, Spaulding to clash for volleyball crown

DERRY – Red-hot Londonderry makes opponents see double.

Led by junior twins Katie and Megan Schwarz, the Lancers advanced to their first Division I girls' volleyball final by sweeping Bishop Guertin of Nashua, 3-0, last night.

Londonderry, the only team to beat No. 1 Spaulding of Rochester this season, meets the Red Raiders in Saturday's 7 p.m. final here at Pinkerton Academy.

Spaulding needed a fifth game to defeat upset-minded No. 4 Salem, 3-2.

The No. 2 Lancers (19-2) dismantled No. 3 BG with crosscourt spikes and ubiquitous court coverage, with the 5-foot-7 Schwarz sisters combining for 27 kills. When talking about the best players in the state, the redheaded twins must be in the discussion, said Londonderry coach Peter Willis.

"There's no two like them. I only hope tonight makes people realize how good they are because they are darn good," he said. "They find ways to make things happen, offensively and defensively."

Katie got Londonderry rolling with five straight service points in the opening game, a 25-19 win. The Lancers cruised through two more wins, 25-17 and 25-16.

Amy Johnson racked up 29 assists; Shay Collins had 16 service points and six kills, and Kaitlin Heffernan had a team-leading four digs. Bishop Guertin (17-4) got six kills from Amanda Lajoie, while Holly Zaharchuk had seven kills with two blocks.

The Lancers lost to BG during the regular, something you never would've guessed from watching last night's match.

"We played really well together. We talked a lot and covered the court," said Katie, who ended the second game with a spike.

Spaulding 3, Salem 2

Spaulding seniors rose to the challenge in a pressure cooker, and the defending champs won a knock-down, drag-out five-gamer.

Shannon Douglas (12 kills) finally sealed the win with a sideline blast as the Red Raiders took the decisive game, 15-4. It was back and forth all the way.

Salem's Courtney Wright closed out the first game with a booming kill, and the Blue Devils grabbed early momentum with a 25-21 win. Spaulding dominated Game 2, 25-16, and Salem answered by squeaking out a 26-24 win in Game 3.

Spaulding, facing elimination, won Game 4 in poised fashion, 25-18. Then Mary Nelson opened the clincher with six straight points, and the Red (20-1) Raiders never trailed in Game 5.

Leah Thomas and Kim Roy each had double-digit kills, and fellow senior Jennifer Billings added two aces and some unbelievable diving saves to keep play alive.

"That's first class. The kids showed a ton of maturity and put everything together just when we needed," Spaulding coach Steve McEntire said. "That's absolutely a phenomenal team we played. You can imagine the pressure we were under as the team being expected to win."

Salem, led by front-line stalwarts Erica Begin and Nicole Boucher, finished the year at 17-4.