AUBURN — The Edward Little volleyball team started its second season on the right note.
After going winless during its first varsity season in 2023, the Red Eddies picked up the program’s first victory in Thursday’s season opener, defeating rival Lewiston in three sets, 25-17, 25-13 and 25-22 at Park Avenue Elementary School.
” … This feels so good,” Edward Little’s Maija Bolduc said. “This is going to start off the season so well, and we are going to do great.”
Bolduc contributed all night for the Red Eddies, earning several crucial points, including well-placed drop shots between Lewiston players.
“Honestly, at practice, once I am right on the net, I just go for it,” Bolduc said. “And it’s pretty, like, my thing and I really like doing it.”
Bolduc picked up key service points, including early in the third set.
“It’s really good for me because I usually am really nervous when I am serving, but today it was really good,” Bolduc said.
The service game played a key factor for the entire match. Both teams had several service errors, but both also scored many aces.
Edward Little coach Kristi Gordon said the Red Eddies have worked on serving this week.
“Yes, we have had a lot of aces and a lot of good serves,” Gordon said. “A lot of the girls have been practicing all week on getting those serves in.”
Lewiston coach Jen Curlee said the service line cost the Blue Devils several points.
“We were giving away too many points rather than making them earn them,” Curlee said. “We are going to work on that.”
While the Devils struggled at times with serving during the first two sets, they found a groove in the third.
Isabella Enos’ serves, including three aces, gave Lewiston five straight points and a 5-3 advantage.
The Blue Devils also got points from Tori Cox in the back-and-forth third set.
“The fact that my girls battled, that’s all I asked for,” Curlee said. “I asked for the grit, I asked for the never giving up, and they gave it to me. We will be ready for the next time we meet.”
Lewiston was down 13-7 at one point in the third set before tying the match at 17 and later taking a 22-21 lead before Gordon called Edward Little’s lone timeout in the third set.
Gordon made sure the Eddies didn’t panic when the Blue Devils took the late lead.
“We just told them you’ve got this, you need to take a breath and take a minute and just reset, and they took care of it,” Gordon said.
Edward Little got the final four points of the third set, a service error by Lewiston, two points from Kylee Lebrun, and the match-winning point when the Blue Devils failed to get the ball over the net.
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