"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want."
Winchester got out to a quick 5-1 lead in the first set and simply overwhelmed Melrose. The Lady Raiders didn't score consecutive points in the set until senior Grace Davis was on the serve.
The second set showed a different Melrose team with more consistency, balls falling in, and Winchester committing errors under pressure.
But the third set was key, as setter Dasha Smolina dominated passing, hitting, and serving getting Winchester the separation needed to pressure Melrose. Winchester scored with an abundance of short balls and middle attacks. Melrose didn't go quietly but still dropped the set.
Winchester sprinted to a quick and large lead in the fourth set, getting up 19-23 before a furious Melrose rally got even at 24. Then a Melrose tip attack went wide and Winchester delivered another short dagger to win.
Game notes: Points were hard to come by as Winchester mounted a strong back row defense without any obvious weakness. After the first set, Melrose played with more confidence and success. Emily Hudson stood out with strong net play and Nicole Abbott absorbed more than a full measure of bruises with digs, dives, and rolls. But in the end, Winchester had too many answers and Melrose couldn't cover enough short balls. Only their "A" game would win today.
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