‘Better every day’: Back-to-back champion Westborough volleyball off to strong start

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‘Better every day’: Back-to-back champion Westborough volleyball off to strong start
Westborough’s Hailey Lenkauskas (front), Mia Grandin (back), and Grace Hadley (right) get focused for the upcoming point. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

WESTBOROUGH – It’s almost impossible to adequately describe Westborough volleyball’s dominance in words, so numbers must suffice.

In a span of three years – from the fall of 2021, when this year’s seniors first entered high school, to Sept. 26, when the team played Shepherd Hill – the Rangers recorded 69 wins and only two losses. In that time, Westborough completed two undefeated regular seasons (2021, 2022), qualified for the MIAA Division 2 championship game every opportunity it had, and won back-to-back championships (2022, 2023).

But that’s not all. When Westborough welcomed Shepherd Hill to town on Sept. 26 – and promptly defeated the team in straight sets – it marked the Rangers’ 47th consecutive victory at home. It was Westborough Head Coach Roger Anderson’s 433rd career victory; over his 26-year tenure with the Rangers, he’s put about a half-dozen championship banners (both volleyball and boys outdoor track, which he also coaches) in the Fisher Gym rafters.

The win against Shepherd Hill brought Westborough’s current record to 7-0, and while the team has big plans for this season, the Rangers are very deliberately choosing to focus on the small details: concentrating on growing with every match, every set, every point, and every minute of practice. In the middle of unprecedented success, Anderson’s players focus on improvement, not history.

“We are just going back and asking ourselves what we can do during every point, every day, every minute to get better. We work hard on being intentional in practice, so that every minute we’re there has value. We try hard to stay off the outcome and focus on the process. That’s what gives us the best chance to have the outcome we want,” Anderson told the Community Advocate after the Shepherd Hill match.

The process also helps the seniors – who have made it to a championship every year of their career – stay focused on the task at hand, said Anderson.

‘Better every day’: Back-to-back champion Westborough volleyball off to strong start
Westborough Head Coach Roger Anderson instructs his team during a timeout. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

Westborough is featuring some new faces this year, replacing several seniors who graduated last spring. Anderson’s daughter, Quinn, now plays at Division 1 Stony Brook University after becoming a two-time Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year with Westborough; Addison Moore, last year’s starting libero, also graduated. New players – like Grace Hadley, Kathleen O’Reilly, Katie Xia, and Anvi Arora– have stepped into bigger roles.

The Rangers’ seemingly endless influx of talented players begs the question: What’s in the water in Westborough?

According to Anderson, it just comes down to building strong teams with excellent leaders.

“It’s just a matter of the girls on the team inspiring the younger girls on the team. Those girls then inspire the younger girls that are sitting in the stands watching. The players want to come here, they want to get better, and they work really hard every day in practice. We try to take them from where they are and make them better every day,” he said. “This group really supports each other, and I’m really proud of this team for that.”

‘Better every day’: Back-to-back champion Westborough volleyball off to strong start
Westborough’s Grace Hadley (left) and Hailey Lenkauskas (right) stretch upward to block the ball. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

And as players shift from back-up to starting roles, the team’s captains – Georgia Tyrrell, Sam Norman, and Mia Grandin – are making sure the newer players feel at home. A quick look at the team’s Instagram page outlines dozens of dress-up days, bonding events, and more. That cohesiveness, the captains agreed, is key to keeping Westborough volleyball strong today and for years to come.

“I think [some players] are new to varsity, but in general, they’ve been in our program for a while so we’ve gotten to know them. We’ve done bonding things with them. I think they’re gelling really well. A lot of them are working really hard and they’re getting court time, too,” said Tyrrell.

“It’s a tight-knit group. Even though we have lots of new faces on varsity, people have been a part of the program for a really long time,” added Grandin.

‘Better every day’: Back-to-back champion Westborough volleyball off to strong start
Westborough’s Grace Hadley taps the ball over the net. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

The match against Shepherd Hill went just about how Westborough had hoped. Although the Rams came out strong and led Westborough for much of the opening set, the Rangers won 25-23 and cruised through the subsequent sets (25-11, 25-14) to take home the 3-0 victory. The team will face two challenging squads over the course of the next few days: Dennis-Yarmouth comes to town Friday, while the Rangers head to Bishop Feehan on Monday.

“I think we do try really hard to learn, and if we’re not doing something well, we try to focus on what we can control and do that better. Rather than getting caught up in the score or how close things are, we just try to figure out what we can do every single point that would give us the best chance to win that point,” said Anderson.

But reaching 7-0 and remaining undefeated?

“It feels pretty good,” said Norman. “We’re pretty excited.”

‘Better every day’: Back-to-back champion Westborough volleyball off to strong start
The Westborough volleyball team gathers after winning a point. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

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