Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Hopedale Sweeps Smith Vocational to Claim First MIAA Division 5 Title

First-year coach Gary Patch credited team buy-in to a new system for the season's payoff.

Overview

  • Top-seeded Hopedale won 3-0 with set scores of 25-11, 25-16, 25-23 at Billerica High to secure the program’s first state championship.
  • Senior Phoebe Carroll delivered the championship point after a strong finishing sequence that included an ace from Daisy Everett.
  • Freshman Amelia Barrose fueled a decisive opening-set surge with five consecutive aces and later landed a key third-set ace.
  • Patch emphasized early-season patience with new systems, a message players echoed after closing out the tighter third set.
  • Seventh-seeded Smith Vocational reached its first final after upsets of No. 2 Madison Park and No. 3 Pioneer Valley Christian, with Leah Franklin leading a late push in the third set.