SUTTON – Nobody likes to lose, but that’s when lessons can be learned.

After winning their first match of the season in five sets to Bethany Christian Academy in early September, the Sutton High School girls’ varsity volleyball team has hit a speed bump. In the next match, the Suzies were overwhelmed by a far-more experienced Nipmuc Regional team in three straight sets. Sutton has not won since.

However, the extremely young and inexperienced Sutton squad has acquitted themselves well even in defeat. In the most recent loss to undefeated (6-0) Hopedale, the Suzies made significant gains, including fighting neck-in-neck in the final set before losing in a tightly contested game.

Following the match, first-year Sutton head coach Erin Messier gathered her team outside the Romasco Gymnasium.

“That last set we fought,” Messier told her team, who were all huddled together in the hallway of Sutton High School. The mood of the team was not of a team suffering through a losing streak. There was actually an air of excitement amongst the players. “I’m very proud of you,” the coach continued, which seemed to excite the Suzies further. “Keep your heads up,” she said. “We can turn this season around. Just keep working hard at practice. We definitely have things to work on, but we had great energy tonight. Great effort all around. Honestly.”

Then one of the girls interrupted and yelled, “Good job ladies!” The sound of the 14-member team clapping echoed through the halls of the school. Spectators, consisting of parents and students who watched the game, spilled out of the gym. A few people dressed in the Sutton green and white colors stopped to watch as the team continued to clap and cheer. When the commotion died, Messier put the game and their season in perspective. “We were crushed by Nipmuc,” she said. “And we were in this game and they (Hopedale) crushed Nipmuc. Think about it!”

“They crushed Nipmuc?” one of her players asked.

“That’s right! I think you guys did very well,” Messier continued. “Keep your heads up! I’m proud of you all. Now have a good night, tonight!”

Senior captains Carly Beaulieu and Abby Chase then led the team cheer.

“Together on three!” they shouted. “One-two-three,” and then the team in unison hollered, “together!”

At this stage in the team’s development, winning is ancillary. Coming together has been a major goal for this Sutton team. It sounds simple, but it hasn’t been easy. 

“I think this comes with team inexperience,” Messier said following the Hopedale match. “A lot of these girls have not played together where many of our competitors have had club seasons where they’re all playing together. We don’t have many players playing on club teams in the offseason. So, those teams are used to playing with each other, but here, we’re definitely trying to build up our team and get used to how each other plays and how to cover each other.”

Despite being a rookie head coach, Messier has a lot of experience roaming the sidelines and on the court of the Romasco Gym. As a Sutton High alum, she played four years on the varsity team, served as a senior captain, and was a member of the first volleyball team in school history to win the district championship.

Although, with a record of 1-6, the Sutton program is about teaching these kids how to play together and how to win together. Messier said the key to getting the Suzies back in the win column starts with better communication on and off the court. She has challenged her captains with the task of bringing the team closer.

“A lot of people are motivated to win here,” Beaulieu said. “We want to win and they have a love for the game.”

Chase interjected, “to get there, we just need to be more of a team. We have to avoid the little cliques. We all need to stay together and just be one big team.”

The captains have been proactive about bringing the team together. When asked how they will be able to achieve this goal, Beaulieu and Chase glanced at each other, smiled and replied simultaneously, “Team bonding!”

“Yesterday, we did a team bonding exercise where we all had to link hands together and try to stand up and untangle ourselves from one another without breaking the chain. It was a human knot,” said Beaulieu. 

Messier said such activities help build on communication skills and teamwork which are vital attributes needed on the court. “And there’s future team bonding activities planned,” she said. “We’re really trying to make it more of a family rather than just classmates playing together.”

Fortunately for the Suzies, despite their inexperience, they have some talent on this team which starts with the captains. Beaulieu provides Sutton a solid defensive presence in the back court and she possesses a hard shot from the outside. She had one ace, four kills, 12 digs against Hopedale. 

“On our team, I’m definitely an outside hitter,” she said. “I love hitting. It’s like my passion. I love scoring that last point.”

“She is amazing in the back court,” Messier said. “She’s an all-around contributor. What makes her so good is her fundamentals. They are just spot on. Her passes are great. You can count on them. They are consistent. And she’s also a leader on the court in helping the other girls and their passing.”

Chase, who tallied 12 digs in the last two games, is also a strong leader in the backcourt, as well. “She’s a great leader and a great motivator,” Messier said. “She always brings a positive attitude and energy to practices. I think Abby really lifts up the other girls that maybe don’t get as much playing time and motivates them to try their best.”

“I just want to communicate and bring everyone together,” Chase said.

Senior Shayleigh O’Callaghan is another athlete that makes her presence felt as the team’s middle hitter on the court. She finished the Hopedale game with one ace, eight kills, and two blocks. She then followed that performance with two aces, two kills, and six blocks against Whitinsville Christian School (WCS). “She’s amazing,” Beaulieu said. “She gets us a lot of blocks and hits.”

Next is senior Brynn Courtney, who spent last season on the JV squad. This is her first year on varsity as a setter. She had 18 assists against Hopedale.  “Brynn’s doing an awesome job setting,” Messier said. “She was a leader on JV. This is her first year on varsity and she’s doing great getting to the ball. She also has killer, sneaky hits sometimes.”

“She lifts us up as a team and brings us all together,” said Chase.

“She really wants to win,” said Beaulieu.

Seniors Riley Towle and Christina Longo do provide solid depth. Towle finished with one ace, three kills, and six digs. Longo had two aces, three kills, and ten digs against Hopedale and followed that up with five aces and a block against WCS. Messier described Towle as a “natural athlete” as a hitter on the right side of the court and Longo is a big motivator who provides the team with what Beaulieu called, “a killer serve.”

The future is bright with freshmen starter Sydney Scott, who had one ace, five kills, and four blocks in the game. “She’s been doing great,” said Messier. “She’s been consistent. She’s never played volleyball outside here before and we’re super proud of her.”

“Even though she wasn’t on our team last year, she’s doing great fitting in,” said Beaulieu.

Sophomore Lily Sullivan saw some productive playing time in the WCS match with three aces, one dig, and a whopping 12 assists. There is also great support on the bench with junior Jasmine Sabala leading the way.

“Jasmine, although she doesn’t get on the court a lot, although she has been recently, she’s been proving herself in practice,” Beaulieu said. “We can always rely on her for cheering, too.”

“Yes,” said Messier. “And bringing the team up. We’re really trying to focus on being one team and not having two separate groups, because as you saw, we have about seven or eight groups of girls that play consistently and so there’s definitely another few that don’t see much playing time and Jasmine is really a huge motivator for them.”

“Even though she doesn’t get much playing time, she’s always happy,” said Chase. “She never crosses her arms or stands there in silence. She’s always cheering for us.”

Following the devastating Nipmuc loss, Sutton pushed two of the next four matches against Douglas, Blackstone-Valley, Blackstone-Millville Regional, and WCS to five sets and lost by only five points. “Those are definitely games we can win going forward,” Messier said. “I really think we can turn this season around with hard work and determination. I would say if we continue to play together and become closer as a team it’s definitely going to help.”

The Suzies get a second chance against Nipmuc on Friday, in their home gym. “Yes, definitely as we start to play teams for the second time, I am hoping we will see glimmers of improvement,” said Messier. “I already have from the start of our season about a month ago. I’m proud of the girls for continuing to work hard and keep their heads held high.

“Definitely hoping they bring energy and put their best foot forward in these upcoming competitive games,” she said. “We need to focus on better communication, court coverage, and limiting our mistakes/turnovers. So, I’m hoping we can make it a more competitive game on Friday. Stay tuned!”

Sutton High School

Girls’ Volleyball

At a Glance

Nickname: The Sammies/Suzies

Affiliation: Dual Valley

Colors: Green and White

202 Record: 1-6

Home Court: Romasco Gymnasium, 

  Sutton High School

Coach: Erin Messier (First year)

Captains: Carly Beaulieu, Abby Chase