By MICHAEL LETENDRE

SIMSBURY – The Bristol Eastern volleyball team is your 2021 Central Connecticut Conference Volleyball Tournament champions.

And the No. 7 ranked Lancers earned every accolade along the way, securing the title in a 3-1 victory over No. 9 Simsbury on Saturday evening.

Set scores from the contest played at Simsbury high school were 24-26, 25-17, 25-20, and 25-18 as Eastern (18-5) plowed through all the competition, going 4-0 over a whirlwind week of matches to snare the title against the best squads in all the CCC.

“It feels so amazing,” said Eastern’s Alex Shorette of the title win. “Like I’m speechless right now. It’s such an unexplainable feeling. There’s so many tears of joy.  This team, we just worked so hard and deserve this win. It just so amazing to be able to say that we did it.”

Hannah Webber was the star of the show once again, kicking in 33 kills and two digs to lead her squad to the championship.

But it’s not a one player show at Eastern and it wasn’t on Saturday either.

Lauren Bender notched one her of slick double-doubles (15 kills, 13 digs) over another huge winning effort.

Shorette, a jack of all trades athlete, ramped up 16 digs, four aces, two kills, three assists as she filled the stat sheet with a little bit of everything.

Alyssa Adorno’s serving caused problems again with four aces to go along with seven digs while Sarah Lacouture bumped up eight digs. Abby Jones had a tremendous showing as Eastern’s floor general with 42 assists while Jayna Hatcher, Lilli Lowe and Adrianna Reay all contributed over the winning endeavor.

But freshman Emily Valentine’s serving over the last two sets changed the course of the match.

She flashed in four aces when Eastern needed it the most. 

“She did exactly what I asked her to do,” said Reay of Valentine. “She’s just a freshman. I mean, she stepped in there and took over for Hannah’s serves and she didn’t just hit it over and in. She was a force.”

“She did a fantastic job.”

Simsbury nabbed an early 6-3 edge in set one and eventually pushed it to 9-5 via a clean ace by Simsbury’s Cara Hodgson.

But Eastern went on a 10-3 burst to snare a 15-12 edge.

Later in the set, Webber unleashed a kill that dropped in right on the sideline and when a Shorette swing grazed the net and fell over cleanly, it was an 18-13 contest.

However, an 8-2 Trojans run was fueled by Eastern miscues as the visitors led 21-20 late.

The Lancers stormed back to nab a two-point lead (23-21) but Simsbury closed out game via a 5-1 run – winning 26-24 to take its only set of the evening.

“[Simsbury] played some fantastic defense,” said Reay. “They had some great swings. And the girls just took a couple deep breaths and [we] played our game.”

In set two, the Trojans ran out to an early lead but a sweet ace by Shorette, which skimmed the net and fell in, posted the Kingstreeters to an 11-8 push.

That lead ballooned to 18-12 when Webber slipped in another sideline kill and then blocked a shot for a point as the Lancers were starting to run away with the set.

Three straight aces by Jones and a slick play from Lilli Lowe eventually made it a double-figure affair.

Simsbury refused to yield, netting five straight points to trim the deficit to 22-17 as the Lancers called for time.

Webber then made it academic moments later as her ace, coupled with a Trojans’ hitting error, saw Eastern take the second set 25-17, squaring the contest up at 1-1.

The next game started with the Lancers in front 4-2 off a crushed rebound by Webber.

A 7-1 burst by Trojans run made it a 9-5 game and off the power of serves by Shorette, Eastern eventually made its run.

The Lancers built up a 15-12 edge, lost all of it via an 8-2 Simsbury burst and it was a 19-18 game – in the Trojans’ favor – before Valentine took over the serving duties for Webber.

And the match came to a screeching halt for Simsbury.

Valentine flipped in ace after ace and by the time the Trojans finally tallied a point, the Lancers were about to close things out – leading 24-19.

“She was put in, she did her job, and she did it so well,” said Shorette of Valentine. “I’m so proud of her. She’s a freshman and she did her job completely well, no nerves. I mean we just couldn’t ask anything more of her. She did just a great job between getting the aces and getting a pass in to get a kill or something like that. She just did amazing.”  

And when one final Simsbury serve crashed into the net, the Lancers won set three, 25-20 – going in front two games to one in match play.

Set four saw Eastern slowly build its advantage and when a Webber kill was tipped by Simsbury on its way out of bounds, the squad was in charge at 11-7.

After the Trojans chopped the deficit to two, Adorno hit the service line, flipped in a few aces, as the Kingstreeters were running away with it at 17-9.

The lead was 21-12 late but Simsbury made one last push, getting a couple net aces to trim the deficit to 23-18.

But Webber ended the event with consecutive kills as Eastern ramped up a 25-18 victory to take the match, 3-1, as the Lancers earned the 2021 CCC volleyball tournament championship.

And going into the Class L state tournament play this coming week, the Lancers got to play some prime time programs and are enjoying a wave of momentum heading into the playoffs.

“We fought against some fantastic opponents and it’s been some really great volleyball,” said Reay. “Tonight is absolutely no exception. And the girls and I always talk about the fact that every match and every practice, we’re looking to improve just a little bit and this was a great opportunity to do just that.”

Central Connecticut Conference Volleyball Tournament – Championship Match 

No. 7 BRISTOL EASTERN 3, No. 9 SIMSBURY 1

from Simsbury high school 

Set Scores: 24-26, 25-17, 25-20, and 25-25-18

Match lead changes: 12

Match ties: 20

Highlights: Bristol Eastern – Hannah Webber 33 kills, 1 ace, 2 digs; Lauren Bender 15 kills, 13 digs; Alex Shorette 16 digs, 4 aces, 2 kills, 3 assists; Alyssa Adorno 4 aces, 7 digs; Sarah Lacouture 8 digs; Abby Jones 42 assists; Jayna Hatcher 1 assist, 1 dig; Emily Valentine 4 aces; Adrianna Reay 1 dig. 

Records: Bristol Eastern 18-5 overall; Simsbury 17-6