The year was 2002, and the Bristol Eastern girls volleyball finished the regular season with a 13-5 record.
The Lancers were the No. 14 seed in the Class L state tournament, but they had to begin play in the qualifying round (Class LL wasn’t implemented until 2004). Bristol Eastern knocked off No. 19 Hamden 3-1 at home in that qualifying round match, which set up a first round contest against No. 3 Glastonbury.
The Lancers and Tomahawks battled through five sets of 15, but the home side got the last point and won 3-2 (15-11, 12-15, 15-7, 9-15, 15-8).
That 2002 loss was the last time a Bristol Eastern girls volleyball team hasn’t reached the quarterfinal round.
In that run of 14 straight quarterfinals, which has continued this postseason, the baton was passed from former head coach Gail Ericson to Stacy Rivoira. There have been three state championships — 2005, 2006 and 2012.
How does it happen?
Well, it starts at the top with Rivoira. She is a great coach, and she expects nothing but consistency from her players. A 3-0 loss can leave Rivoira concerned, because she knows there were mistakes in that victory that could come back to bite her team against a tougher opponent. Rivoira also has good assistant coaches.
Eastern has also had good players, and several have moved on to play at the college level. For example, Western Connecticut State University senior Karissa Smith — a key cog on the 2012 title team — was named first team All-Little East Conference. Post University sophomore setter Brianna Root is a big reason why her team is 24-4 this season.
Go further back, and there’s all-state players like Stefani Aboagye (2004-05), Taylor Losey (2004-05), Audrey Boutin (2005-06), Sara Plourde (2005-06, 2006-07) and Liz Pacyna (2008-09).
The stars stand out, but there needs to be a full team on the floor for success to happen. Bristol Eastern has been great at playing as a single unit.
When someone graduates, another player is expected to step up. This year, senior Mikayla Martin leads the Lancers with 300 kills while sophomore Aliana Rivoira has 136. Sophomore Paige McLaughlin leads in digs with 305. For assists, the top players are Rivoira (296) and senior Jessica Kenney (235). There’s also several Eastern players who can pick up a service ace when the team needs it.
The Lancers will need to be solid in every aspect of the game on Saturday in the Class L state quarterfinal match at Farmington. Rivoira would expect nothing less from her team, and more often than not, Eastern volleyball is solid.
That’s how you make 14 straight quarterfinals and win three state championships.
2016 statistics obtained from Bristol Eastern girls volleyball’s MaxPreps page.
