On Saturday, November 2nd, the Doherty volleyball team (previous record of 12-8) came into the FHS gym to face off our volleyball panthers (previous record of 14-3). Franklin pulled off a win in only three sets, never letting their opponent pass 12 points. 

The Panthers started extremely strong; sophomore Cailyn Mackintosh served nine consecutive serves (seen below) after Doherty missed the first serve of the first set, causing the score to be 10-0 after about five minutes. The opposing team slightly came back on their next serving run, making the score 10-7. The serving runs at this point had been the highest for each team by the end of the game. However, Franklin continued to get ahead, with scores of 14-8, 15-9, 17-11, and finally 25-12, ending the first set. The second and third sets ran similarly, with final scores of 25-11 and 25-12. [singlepic id=1024 w=500 h=700]Sophomore, Cailyn Mackintosh, serves nine successive serves in the first set against Doherty.[/singlepic]

Franklin used a ton of teamwork and momentum to finish the game off clean. The quick video below shows an amazing dig by the libero, Jill Benoit (junior), and an intense attack by middle blocker and captain, Bridget Jackson (senior). When asked how she felt to be in the playoffs this year, Bridget said, “I’m very excited! […] After winning our first playoff game […] against Doherty, it definitely gave us a boost of confidence”. Bridget also mentioned that the season has been super fun and she has a great team. Franklin volleyball also won back-to-back Hockomock League championships between this year and last. To the left are two more of FHS’s volleyball players Margot Masters and Sophie Lyons as they make a sub. Cailyn Mackintosh, the setter, also offered her opinion on the team’s current stance and the progress they’ve made; she said, “After losing many strong players and having a younger team we were very skeptical at the beginning of the season but we have definitely worked really hard to get where we are now”. Both Bridget and Cailyn seem to be very happy to be a part of Franklin High’s growing volleyball program.[singlepic id=1025 w=500 h=500]Here, seniors Margot Masters (#2) and Sophie Lyons (#7) make a sub in the third set against Doherty.[/singlepic] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HdoifiRq9iNtO_opfte9GaGps2_YT_t6/view?usp=sharing

On Monday, November 4th, the entire Franklin volleyball group made their way to Algonquin High School in Worcester to challenge their next opponent. Algonquin had a previous record of 16-2 and got a bye in the first round. The Franklin girls fought their way through four extremely close and difficult sets until they finally lost in the fourth. They started the game off exceptionally well with a final score of 25-22 in the first set. The match was quite competitive, as many rallies lasted for multiple minutes. The second set was closer, although they still lost with a score of 25-23. Most spectators would say that Franklin fans were just waiting for them to earn a couple more points to take the next set. It ultimately happened in the third, with a crazy score of 28-26! However, in the fourth and final set, Algonquin came back stronger than ever and was able to defeat the Panthers with a score of 25-13. Overall, the Franklin girls had an amazing season filled with wins, friendships, hard work, perseverance, and fun. Many of the girls will continue to play for club teams throughout the winter, but for high school that’s all for now!