Much like every point in a match, a high school volleyball season can go back and forth with multiple momentum swings. For the Tigers, they recently received a big boost via a win that they hope will reinvigorate them entering the second half of the season.

In their second year under Head Coach Ally Johnson, the Tigers got out to a 2-1 start with victories over Mercy and Sacred Heart Academy from the SCC Quinnipiac Division. Since then, Hand endured three-straight defeats, including two sweeps against Amity and Hammonasset Division rival Guilford. However, on Sept. 28 at home, the Tigers halted the losing skid with a 3-0 triumph against fellow division foe Law before repeating that feat on Sept. 30 against another Hammonasset opponent in Hillhouse and then completed a three-match winning streak with a five-set triumph over Sheehan the next day.

“To win this game was huge for our team’s confidence and in putting us back on the right track towards getting us back to the way we can play,” said Coach Johnson on the Law decision. “We endured a little bit of a rough patch, which affected them a little bit, but this win showed how good we can be. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction.”

Senior right side hitter/setter Krissy LaSance sparked the offensive attack with seven kills and five aces while dropping five digs on the defensive end against Law. Senior middle hitter Ryann Corniello contributed four kills, plus five digs and a pair of blocks on the other side of the ball. Junior Chika Ogbejesi handed out 20 assists. After Hand (2-2 in division) took the opener by a 25-13 final, the Eagles (3-6, 0-3) put up a closer fight in what would be the final two sets, although the home side prevailed by 25-23 and 25-21 scores.

“In each of the final two sets [versus Law], we took the lead early. Yet Law didn’t really let that affect them out there,” Johnson said. “They capitalized on some mistakes and errors committed by us, but we were able to close things out.”

Versus Hillhouse, the Tigers won by 25-18, 25-16, and 25-13 tallies. Here, Corniello attacked for 14 kills and five digs and Ogbejesi again was generous with the ball and her 23 assists. Junior Amanda Gentile had four aces for her serving.

The Tigers then passed the .500 mark at 5-4 with a 3-2 victory over Sheehan on Oct. 1. Hand dropped the first set 25-27 and the fourth 19-25, but won by 25-20, 25-21, and 15-11 tallies. LaSance made a dozen kills, along with 10 digs and five aces; plus Corniello collected 10 kills, four blocks, six digs, and a pair of aces.

Within the ebb-and-flow opening to its campaign, Hand has also been pushed to its limit by playing three five-set matches in mid-September—something that Johnson has preached the Tigers need to be equipped for ever since the campaign’s preliminary stages.

“It was hard going three matches in a row like that, but stuff like that is what we talked about in the preseason,” said Johnson. “They have to be ready and expect a fifth game every match, along with moving forward from their errors.”

Captaining the Tigers on the court are a pair of seniors—Sabrina Colonese out of the back row and Bridget Gautrau at right/outside hitter. Johnson praised both of these leaders for bringing the hustle that has been infectious to the rest of the club thus far.

“Bridget really brings positive energy on and off the court, plus I can really rely on her to communicate things to the rest of the team,” Johnson said. “Sabrina also brings energy and a spark that can help get the girls up.”

Johnson added that Corniello, alongside 2014 SCC All-Hammonasset Division Team selection LaSance, has evolved into an offensive ace in the hole on whom the Tigers can count to ignite a rally.

“Krissy is solid player overall in both the back and front rows. She also has a killer serve that can help us get on big runs,” said Johnson. “Ryann is our go-to hitter all the time. She is a strong offensive player and the rest of the players feed off of her energy.”

Like most teams that enter a campaign coming off the heels of conference and state tournament bids, the Tigers want to exceed those marks this postseason. Still, it’s about taking small steps and growing from the games already in the books.

“Our ultimate goals this year are to exceed last year’s record, get in both the SCC and state tournaments, and go further in both. We would like to win two games in each tournament. I tell them though that it’s about playing as hard as you can until there is no more volleyball left to play,” Johnson said. “We can hopefully get back to .500 going forward, but we’ve learned a lot from these previous matches that can hopefully help push us forward.”

• Ally Johnson is assisted on the sidelines this season by Giovanni Meyer.

• In the Tigers’ three-straight, five-set matchups, they lost to East Haven (on Sept. 15) and Foran (on Sept. 18) and defeated Sacred Heart Academy (on Sept. 16).

• Entering its Sept. 28 clash with Hand, Law also faced Sacred Heart Academy, Guilford, and Foran (all 3-0 losses).

• Last fall, Hand finished with an 11-7 mark before reaching the quarterfinals of the SCC Tournament. With the 17th seed for the Class L State Tournament, Hand defeated No. 16 Kennedy 3-1 prior to losing to eventual champion Farmington 3-0 in the second round.