Community Corner

Upset Over Powerhouse Darien Has Blue Knights Thinking 'State Title or Bust'

Southington's girls volleyball team earns a spot in the Class LL title match with a victory over the previously undefeated Blue Wave Thursday evening.

There weren’t many in the state that gave the girls volleyball team a shot at winning a state championship. Not the Blue Knights, who believed in themselves.

In a gritty, hard-fought match Thursday evening, Southington shocked high school volleyball enthusiasts throughout the state as they defeated perennial powerhouse Darien Thursday evening, clinching themselves a spot in the Class LL finals on Saturday.

After dropping the first set 23-25, all the momentum seemed to be with the previously undefeated Blue Wave. The juggernaut No. 1 seed had won nine champions at the Class M and L levels in the past 11 years, but lost last year in their first bid for a Class LL title.

But the fourth-seeded Southington girls never gave up and showed that teamwork and solidarity can overcome even the most talented competition as they proceeded to take the next three sets straight en route to earning their second title shot in three years.

The Blue Knights proceeded to earn set wins 25-22, 25-21 and 25-23 to turn the tide and gain momentum heading into the finals, which will be held Saturday at Wilby High School on Bucks Hill Road in Waterbury. The contest will begin at 7 p.m.

This isn’t new territory for Southington, which took home a championship in 2009 when they defeated Fairfield Ludlow in five sets, but the team knows they still have their work cut out for them.

They will go head-to-head with No. 3 Newtown, which gained momentum of it’s own on Thursday in knocking off an undefeated team of their own, defeating the Cheshire Rams in three straight sets.

Both Cheshire and Darien seemed destined to collide for bragging rights over who would have a perfect season, but now its a wide-open contest as both Southington and Newtown seek to claim the title. Both teams will enter the contest at 20-1.

See the Blue Knights' road to the championship by clicking on the link provided.


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