CONTENDERS?: Case volleyball putting pieces together

SWANSEA — A week ago, labeling Case volleyball as a serious contender to get to the state final four was a bit of a stretch.

There were the decisive 3-0 losses to both South Coast Conference rival/defending 3 South champion Bourne, in Swansea, and to New Bedford in the Whaling City.

The Cardinals just didn't seem to have what is needed to play against the heavy hitters on their schedule.

That much has changed. No make no mistake about, the rematches with Bourne and New Bedford in the last week have produced two more losses. But they were different losses. Case fell 3-2 to New Bedford, in Swansea, with the final set playing out 15-12. And the Cardinals in their next match slugged it out with Bourne on Cape Cod, losing 3-1after taking the first set and leading the second 24-21.

Now, coach Michaela Gonsalves sounds convinced the Cardinals (7-4) are a legitimate threat in the South.

"I believe at our best, yes we are," she said after Wednesday's 3-0 (25-22, 25-11, 25-19) South Coast Conference victory over Somerset Berkley (4-7) on Case's Christine Stanton Court. "We're working every day to get to that point, where we can be consistent day in and day out and have our best team show up to play every night."

Case lost to Bourne in last year's South final after capturing the state crown in 2016. The 2018 Cardinals have seen progress and want to see more.

"We've picked it up the last couple of games," said senior setter Nyah Young (14 assists, 12 digs against SBR). "We need to come out with more fire and talk more. ...  We're already jelling, and when we start to jell more, we're going to be unstoppable."

"I'm pretty satisfied with the way we're playing, but there's always room for improvement," said senior libero Madyson Medeiros after her 22 digs against SBR. "We settle for nothing less than working hard."

Medeiros, of course, would like a third crack at Bourne. She's convinced Case has what it takes to prevail.

"There's no doubt in my mind. I think we have the skill level and we have the drive," she said. "We have the energy for it. We just need to bring it out on the court."

Against SBR, Case also got major contributions from Jamie Travis (16 assists), Rachel Davidson (12 digs, 7 kills), Mecheala White (7 blocks, 5 kills), Mikayla Bushell (8 kills) and Amber Arruda (6 kills).

Senior captain Vanessa Nightingale (7 service points, 17 digs, 3 kills, 1 block), junior Madeline Johnson (4 kills, 9 digs) and junior setter Kaylin Gibbons (2 kills, 9 assists, 8 digs) were top performers for  Somerset Berkley, which led 12-7 in Set 1 and was tied at 18-18 in Set 3.

Email Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.