Hart Spoils Saugus Homecoming

One team had been gymless. The other was coachless.

Then came a match that was nearly endless.

When it was over, the Hart High girls’ volleyball team had more than Saugus in an 11-15, 10-15, 15-8, 15-13, 15-10 Foothill League victory Thursday.

The debut of the new and improved Saugus gymnasium, which underwent almost six months of remodeling, was spoiled when Hart posted a stunning comeback during a match that lasted 2 hours 35 minutes.

At the start of the match, with outside hitter Lauren McCartin knocking down kill after kill, the home crowd was thrilled and all was well for Saugus (5-2, 1-1 in league).

Then came the third game. And the fourth game. And the fifth.

Hart (8-1, 2-0) increased its chances when it dumped its conservative defense for more pressure at the net. That made it harder for McCartin, who had 28 kills but only three in the fifth game.

There was also another theory. . . .

“When we start getting overconfident, bad things happen,” McCartin said.

Said Saugus Coach Bobbie Estes: “In the third game, we were up 6-2 and went, ‘We’ve got this.’ ”

That got the Centurions in trouble.

Hart went on a 12-0 run and cut the deficit in games to 2-1.

The Indians had an 8-0 spurt in game four that turned a 10-5 deficit into a 13-10 lead.

No need for a comeback in the fifth game. The victory was near arrival after Hart took 7-3 and 10-6 leads.

Hart middle blocker Candace Boller, who has committed to Loyola Marymount, had 20 kills and eight solo blocks.

Boller received help from Lisa Gassner, who had 13 kills, including six in the third game. Katie Jefferies and Patty Plahn each added seven kills for Hart.

“We weren’t going to let anything stop us,” Boller said. “We had all the intensity.”

And something else too.

“This team has patience,” said Hart Coach Kevin Sathre, who missed two matches this year because of an appendectomy. “Patience wins.”

It has definitely been a virtue for Hart. The Indians have never won a league title.

“We had been getting ready all preseason for this game,” said Sathre, whose team faces Saugus again Oct. 29.

“These girls are [aiming] for a championship.”