Torrington’s Samantha Zordan spikes the ball during the Red Raiders 3-0 victory against Watertown.
Laurie Gaboardi — Register Citizen
TORRINGTON >> The Torrington’s girls volleyball team took care of business Tuesday evening while welcoming an old friend home to the Connie Donahue Gymnasium.
The Red Raiders overcame early Watertown leads three times for their 3-0 (25-15; 25-12; 25-19) victory over the Indians.
That didn’t dampen Watertown coach Allison DeMarest’s pleasure to be back at her alma mater.
PHOTOS: Watertown at Torrington Girls Volleyball
“I love coming here. I miss it,” said DeMarest, a teammate of Torrington coach Christine Gamari before they graduated from Torrington High School a year apart (‘05 and ‘04 respectively).
In three years as head coaches, both coaches have their teams thriving.
Gamari’s Raiders are 7-2.
DeMarest’s Indians are 2-9, but 52 girls tried out for the team this year.
“We’re still growing,” she said. “We’re bottom heavy with freshmen.”
The Indians have five seniors and three juniors. The rest of the 26-girl squad is freshmen and sophomores.
“We prepared for them like we do for lots of teams — trying to be the best volleyball players we can be by being mentally tough and physically tough,” said Coach Gamari. “We’ve been working on our communication and our aggressiveness at the net.”
“We’ve been off with our communication and our intensity,” said Torrington senior setter Kiley Rosengrant (15 assists, 3 kills, 8 digs, 3 aces).
The three-game match featured hopes for Watertown’s growth and progress in Torrington’s focal points.
Game one’s 5-1 Watertown lead featured a pair of aces by Indian sophomore Britt Jacovich (11 digs, 3 aces, 12 service points) and a kill by senior captain Danielle Lutkus (17 digs, 6 kills, 6 service points).
Torrington marched right back to a 6-5 lead behind junior Carly Ruzbasan’s two aces and a kill by freshman Carissa Carbone (6 digs, 5 aces).
The Raiders stayed tough. A dig by senior Rosa Hernandez went back for a point at 12-8. A block by 5-foot-4 Rosengrant scored, 14-9.
“Our defense was right there,” said Ruzbasan.
So was the intensity.
Rosengrant dashed out of bounds to save an errant pass at 19-13.
Sophomore Caitlyn Cornish (6 kills) pushed her kill through a Watertown block at 22-15.
The pattern repainted itself, more or less, two more times.
In game two, the Indians got their lead to just 3-1 before the Raiders charged back. In game three, Watertown’s lead held all the way to 13-12 before Torrington took over for the final time.
Raider senior Jenna Gyuricsko bombed a pair of aces to empty spots in the court at the beginning of the game two comeback. Ruzbasan finished it with a tap-down kill.
In game three, the Indians hung tough on a Lutkus kill at 16-16 and a Torrington error at 17-17.
The Raiders never wavered.
Cornish and Samantha Zordan paced them back with kills on their final march.
Torrington 3, Watertown 0
(25-15; 25-12; 25-19)
At Torrington High School
Highlights: W—Danielle Lutkus 17 digs, 6 kills, 6 service points; Britt Jacovich 11 digs, 3 aces, 12 service points; Jenna Bourassa 8 digs. T—Kiley Rosengrant 15 assists, 3 kills, 8 digs, 3 aces; Samantha Zordan 7 kills; Carissa Carbone 6 digs, 5 aces; Caitlyn Cornish 6 kills.
Records: Watertown 2-9; Torrington 7-2.
