By Michael Letendre
Thursday marks the second round of tournament play in the CIAC Class L bracket in volleyball and both programs from Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern are in the mix.
The Rams and Lancers are on the road tonight – competing on foreign courts in and around the shoreline area.
No. 9 Bristol Central, the 2022 Class L runner-up, squares off against No. 8 Guilford in what should be a tremendous and fast-paced bout.
The Rams enter the contest at 17-8 overall – winners in first round play against New Milford (25-17, 25-11, 25-6) while the Grizzlies ended regular season play at 14-6, looking to defend home court from Guilford High School.
Central, winners of five of its past six matches, will once again lean on its trio of captains: Grace Higgins, Lily Kirk and Alex Rivera.
Kirk led the charge in the 3-0 win against No. 24 New Milford (25-17, 25-11, 25-6) on Tuesday evening with a blistering 15 kills.
Higgins dropped in nine kills while Rivera – the excellent setter – dished out 30 of the program’s 33 total assists.
This team has some talent with Ella Pratt, Emily Fontaine, Isabella Alves, and Daigelis Figueroa making up an excellent seven-man rotation that will rival the best squads left in the Class L bracket.
If the Rams survive and advance, a date against No. 1 seeded East Lyme could come to pass this weekend.
On the flip side, No. 10 Bristol Eastern squares off against No. 7 Stratford on the road.
The Red Devils are going to have to sort the Lancers’ duo of Adrianna Reay (18 kills) and Gabby Caucci (12 kills) who combined for 30 kills against Waterbury Career Academy in a 3-0 sweep (25-11, 25-21, 25-15) over first round play last Monday.
Setter Naseem Hennouch (35 assists) does a great job directing traffic while Samara Paranzino (two kills), Kamila Mateo-Rivera (three kills), Katie Beaulieu (three digs), Gracie Browne and company are looking to take out the Red Devils from Stratford High School and move onto quarterfinal round play.
Waterford and Branford are possible opponents on the docket if the Kingstreeters advance to the quarters.
Match times for both events are at 6 p.m. tonight and the winners move on to the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Once again, the higher seed between the squads will be the home team that evening.
There is going to be some excellent volleyball being played by the squads from Central and Eastern and it will be worth a drive to see either Guilford or Stratford High School take the court in second round action.
Here’s how the first round went down to start the week along with the remainder of the 2023 Class L schedule:
2023 CIAC Class L Volleyball Tournament
First Round — Nov. 6-7
*No. 1 East Lyme – Bye
*Masuk 3, Windsor 0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-19)
*Guilford 3, Bethel 0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-14)
*Bristol Central 3, New Milford 0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-6)
*Woodstock Academy 3, Torrington 0 (25-12, 25-4, 25-9)
*Brookfield 3, Jonathan Law 1 (25-20, 25-19, 25-27, 25-17)
*Rockville 3, Pomperaug 0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-15)
*St. Joseph 3, North Haven 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-10)
*No. 2 Waterford — Bye
*Branford 3, Killingly 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-15)
*Stratford 3, Wethersfield 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-21)
*Bristol Eastern 3, WCA 0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-15)
*No. 3 Farmington — Bye
*Platt 3, Ledyard 1 (25-12, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19)
*Simsbury 3, New London 0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-10)
*Berlin 3, Avon 0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-12).
Second Round — Thursday, Nov. 9
*No. 16 Masuk (11-9) at No. 1 East Lyme (17-2),
*No. 9 Bristol Central (13-7) at No. 8 Guilford (14-6)
*No. 20 Brookfield (8-12) at No. 4 Woodstock Academy (14-6)
*No. 12 St. Joseph (13-6) at No. 5 Rockville (15-5)
*No. 15 Branford (12-6) at No. 2 Waterford (17-3)
*No. 10 Bristol Eastern (12-7) at No. 7 Stratford (16-4)
*No. 14 Platt (11-9) at No. 3 Farmington (16-3)
*No. 11 Berlin (13-7) at No. 6 Simsbury (12-7)
Quarterfinal Round — Saturday, Nov. 11
*East Lyme/Masuk winner vs Guilford/Bristol Central winner
*Woodstock Academy/Brookfield winner vs Rockville/St. Joe winner
*Waterford/Branford winner vs Stratford/Bristol Eastern winner
*Farmington/Platt winner vs Simsbury/Berlin winner
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Nov. 15
*from neutral sites
Final — Saturday, Nov. 18
*from East Haven High School
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