GameTime CT

Connecticut's premier high school sports website

  • GIRLS SPORTS
    • Basketball
    • Cross Country
    • Field Hockey
    • Golf
    • Gymnastics
    • Hockey
    • Indoor Track
    • Lacrosse
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Swimming
    • Tennis
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
  • BOYS SPORTS
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Cross Country
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Hockey
    • Indoor Track
    • Lacrosse
    • Soccer
    • Swimming
    • Tennis
    • Track & Field
    • Volleyball
    • Wrestling
  • Schools
  • Newspapers
    • CT Post
    • The Danbury News-Times
    • Greenwich Time
    • The Middletown Press
    • New Haven Register
    • The Norwalk Hour
    • The Register Citizen
    • The Stamford Advocate
  • Polls
    • Baseball Top 10
    • Boys Basketball Top 10
    • Girls Basketball Top 10
    • Football Top 10
    • Hockey Top 10
    • Boys Lacrosse Top 10
    • Softball Top 10
    • Other Polls
  • Scores & Stats
Boys Volleyball

Staples tops Danbury in 5 to reach FCIAC boys volleyball final

Rich DePreta | May 22, 2019

FAIRFIELD—It was exactly what playoff boys volleyball should be.

The Staples boys volleyball team battled through five exciting games with Danbury before emerging with a hard-fought 20-25, 26-24, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10 triumph Wednesday night in the FCIAC semifinals at Ludlowe HS gym.

The win means No. 2 seed Staples will meet No. 1 seed Darien for the FCIAC boys volleyball crown on Friday at 7 p.m. at Ludlowe. Darien topped New Canaan in four games in Wednesday’s early semifinal.

Their spot in the FCIAC final was not certain for Staples until the Wreckers fashioned a 5-0 run in Game 5 for a 10-5 edge. Staples ultimately won 15-10.

“When we faced Danbury in the regular season, they beat us in five games,” said Staples senior Logan Carstens. “This time we knew what we had to do to succeed. Everybody did their job. This is as good as we’ve played all season.”

The contest had the tone and atmosphere of a boxing matchup.

No. 3 seed Danbury hit Staples with the first punch, capturing Game 1 by 25-20 for the early lead.

Staples overcame a 23-21 Danbury lead in Game 2 to win 26-24 and even the match.

Staples used a 7-1 surge late in Game 3 for a 24-15 edge that became a 25-19 victory and a 2-1 lead.

Danbury appeared dead in the water, trailing 20-14 in Game 4. But with Kayque Jorge serving seven straight points, the Hatters grabbed a 22-20 edge. A kill by Jorge (28 kills) gave Danbury a 25-23 win and an advance into the decisive fifth game.

“We made progress last year. But we brought everyone together this season,” said Jorge, who will be playing college volleyball at Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island in the fall. “We’re mentally stronger this year. This was our first time ever in the FCIAC semifinals and we did a great job.

“This experience will pay dividends,” Jorge continued. “In the state tournament, we’re ready for any team in the state. We’re ready for the challenge.”

“We started slowly this season. But the kids stuck with our plan,” said Danbury coach Daylon Wilkins. “I’m happy with the effort tonight. I’m so proud with how they fought. This helps the confidence of the kids and the program. Our motto is ‘We refuse to be outworked.’ ”

As for defending FCIAC and Class L state champion Staples and first-year head coach John Sedlock, the Wreckers get another chance against Darien (20-1 overall), which has lost four sets the entire year.

“Our mentality changed after our mid-season (3-0) loss at Darien. The kids have learned when they get pushed to push back as a team,” Sedlock said. “We realize what it takes to win. And how to step up to the challenge.”

 

STAPLES 3, DANBURY 2

FCIAC PLAYOFF SEMIFINALS

DANBURY 25 24 19 25 10—2
STAPLES 20 26 25 23 15—3
Highlights: D—Kayque Jorge 28 kills, 4 blocks, 2 aces. Edgard Neto 38 assists, 16 digs. Jack Lyall 22 digs, 5 assists.
Note: Staples meets Darien for FCIAC title Friday at 7 p.m. at Ludlowe HS.

About Rich DePreta

Rich DePreta is a reporter at The Advocate of Stamford and GameTimeCT.com

Slam Dunk 2

Newsletter Signup

Don't strike out on CT high school sports news. Sign up for The Whistle newsletter from GametimeCT

You agree to our Terms of Use. Your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.

TeamPlayer Scores and Stats search

Scores and Stats

Video

Podcasts

Fall Sports Quick Links

Fall Sports Quick Links

2020 GAMETIMECT ALL-STATE TEAMS
BOYS SOCCER
GIRLS SOCCER
FIELD HOCKEY
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
2020 LEAGUE PLAYOFFS:
Central Connecticut
Fairfield County
Shoreline Conference
Southern Connecticut
South-West Conference

Twitter

Tweets

Polls

Which jersey is better?

Loading ... Loading ...
Follow Us
© Copyright 2017 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC