By Michael Letendre
After 56 straight defeats to its crosstown rival, the Bristol Central volleyball program finally broke though against Eastern last Monday over its 3-0 set sweep.
Set scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-18 as the Rams finally got the better of their crosstown rival.
It was a series dominated by the Lancers since 1995 and getting over that hump will only help the program in futures battles against the Lancers.
“I think that’s been the biggest issue. It’s all mental when it comes to this game,” said Central coach Lance Pepper. “You hear it with every single sport. In soccer, it’s mental. In football, it’s mental. In basketball, it’s mental. Volleyball, to be honest, is ninety-nine percent mental to begin with and then you throw that [streak] on our kid’s backs. I’m glad that we were able to kind of able to get that off our backs.”
But that works on the flip side as well.
Eastern players who had nothing to do in constructing that amazing streak, and then losing the match to Central, had the undue burden of absorbing such a tough defeat.
Once again, the streak made for good stories in publication like TBE but certainly put a strain on both programs.
It’s a hurdle – in retrospect – Central and Eastern wanted to get by and put in the rearview mirror.
“Unfortunately, it’s not even them or me that’s putting the pressure on” the Eastern players said Eastern coach Stefanie Reay. “It’s the media and the school and everyone else. It’s a lot of pressure to put on a high school kid.”
Memorable moments from (and around) the streak
There were several unforgettable moments about Eastern’s streak over Central.
Just on the surface, former Eastern coach Gail Ericson’s squad started the 56-game streak back in 1995.
And it almost ended in 2021when Ericson, ironically, was filling in for Pepper on the BCHS bench, coaching her daughter Emily in that match back on October 29, 2020.
Central had a huge chance to end the streak but ended up falling three games to two in the end.
That was the showdown in which Pepper and his staff were actually coaching from a television set up on the court due to COVID-19.
And it was as crazy as it sounded with Ericson on the Central bench and Pepper coaching from a flat screen TV.
Speaking of five set matches, those weren’t the norm in city series play during the streak with the teams needing a fifth set just 10 times since 1977.
However, 3-0 sweeps by Eastern were common in most of the matches.
From 2003 to the first showdown of 2015, the Lancers swept all but three matches and those others went just four sets.
That’s epic domination but it’s all in the past now.
Pepper’s squad carries a one-game winning streak against the Lancers and will be looking to building upon it as the years go by.
“We look to push forward, and we only need, what, fifty-five more wins to even up to .500,” against Eastern joked Pepper.
