GORHAM — Just when Gorham’s victory seemed assured, it wasn’t.
And just when Windham’s comeback seemed inevitable, it wasn’t.
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In the end, eighth-seeded Gorham prevailed Thursday night and advanced to the Class A volleyball quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory against the ninth-ranked Eagles.
Gorham (8-6) will receive a severe test when it takes on top-ranked Greely on Saturday night at Cumberland.
“We’ve been preparing to play Greely. We were anticipating seeing them again at some point this season,” Gorham Coach Nicole Rizzo said.
“We just need to play Gorham volleyball.”
In the fourth set, Gorham appeared on the way to an easy victory, opening a 22-9 lead.
But then came Windham, which ended its season with a 6-8 record.
The Eagles put on a surge and closed within 24-17, prompting the Rams to call a timeout.
“We needed to side out, push one and end the game,” Rizzo told her team during the timeout.
“We needed to start playing Gorham volleyball, trusting each other on the court communicating well with one another and just putting the ball down like we know we can.”
And that’s what the Rams did, putting a quick end to the match.
But before then the match appeared a struggle in what was a packed and raucous gymnasium at Gorham High.
In a back-and-forth first set, Windham finally took control and pulled away to a 25-17 victory.
“We’ve been playing our game all season. We have the skill and the talent to do it,” Windham Coach Chris Cloutier said.
Gorham recovered to win the second set 25-20, then a tight third set by a score of 25-22.
“Overall I think we had a great season,” said Cloutier. “I think we beat our expectations and what people were expecting from us. I think we did a really great job.”
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