Trinity Catholic 3, Maimonides 1: Spike in energy propels Falcons volleyball team

The Trinity Catholic girls volleyball team might've had the day off from school yesterday in honor of Columbus Day. But the Falcons didn't have the day off from the volleyball court, even if their top effort was a little tardy for the non-conference match.
 

``We always struggle with days off, and Mondays, and today was both,'' Falcons coach Scott Kmack said after the 3-1 victory against the Maimonides School of Brookline last night. ``We came out really flat in the first game.''
 

The Falcons (8-4, 4-3 Catholic Conference Small) had a good showing on Friday by beating Madison Park 3-0 at home. But in yesterday's first set, they lost, 25-22, in a session that saw four ties.
 

``Friday we played our best game of the season and I reminded them they can't be inconsistent,'' Kmack said, referring to his message to his team between the first and second sets. ``They were self-motivated and turned it around. They knew, without me saying anything, they were playing well below their potential.''
 

In the second set, the teams were tied, 6-6, when senior setter Macda Gerard led the Falcons to a 15-0 run from behind the service line in a 25-9 victory.
 

``It was an important game,'' Gerard said after finishing the match with 22 service points and 17 assists. ``This past week we've been doing really well, so for us to lose the first game was not good.''
 

Maimonides (3-6) coach Tyler Walsh was pleased to steal one set from Trinity Catholic.
 

``It was a fun game,'' he said. ``I liked the way my girls played. It was the first time we didn't lose 3-0 (to Trinity). Trinity Catholic is a great team, they have great girls, a great coach, and a great AD.
 

``I think they were surprised by game one and then they kicked it into gear and took the momentum back.''
 

Senior middle Hannah McCaffrey, who played strong defense and added eight kills, said the players had a little help getting jump-started after the first set.
 

``We re-motivated ourselves and got back into the game,'' she said, ``(but Kmack) got us going.''
 

Once they got started, they never stopped. The Falcons opened the third set with 12 straight service points from junior back Kathryn Haggstrom, who finished the match with 26 service points.
 

``It's a lot of pressure, you just have to keep your head in the game, and try your hardest, and hope that we do well,'' she said of the 12-0 run.
 

But that lead was almost lost when Maimonides had a 10-0 run thanks to the side-arm serve of Rachel Renz. The string of points was also extended by Tamar Kosowsky's diving save to cover for a fallen teammate. But Maimonides only scored four more points in the set as Trinity won 25-14.
 

Trinity opened the final set with its own 10-0 run, which Haggstrom also led from behind the service line, before ultimately winning 25-18.
 

Kosowsky collected seven straight service points for Maimonides before Gerard stopped the bleeding with an over-the-shoulder bump that put Trinity up 24-17.
 

The victory was TC's second this season against Maimonides. The Falcons have also defeated their next two opponents earlier this year. They play North Cambridge Catholic at 5 p.m. today and Cathedral on Friday, also at 5 p.m.
 

``We didn't come out as motivated or strong as we should've today,'' Kmack said. ``We beat them 3-0 earlier in the year. It will be a good lesson not to underestimate teams we already beat.''
 

The eighth-year coach has taken his team to the Division 3 tournament the last six years, including a third-round loss last year, before graduating eight seniors.
 

``This year we started with all new girls who were learning the game and learning to play together,'' Kmack said. ``We got off to a slow start, like tonight, but they came together. Hopefully, we'll be able to peak at the right time.''
 

The Falcons only need two more victories in the final eight matches of the season to qualify for this year's tournament.
 

``I've been reminding them that, as a program, there are expectations to come together and be successful,'' he said. ``Hopefully, momentum will carry them again. Today, they had a case of the Mondays. Hopefully, they got it out of their system, and we can get these next two games, and qualify for the tournament.
 

``It would be nice to take care of it this week, but we don't like to count wins before we get them. But it would be a big relief to get both those games.''