Scarborough head coach John Roberts praised several of his players – including Taylor Marinko – after their three-sets-to-none victory over visiting Gorham on Thursday evening, Sept. 17, but was quick to add that the win belonged to the team as a whole:

“Today was really about just playing together as a team. We’ve been struggling a little bit; we’ve been working super-hard in practice, so the girls are getting down a little bit. So today I wanted them to focus on playing together as a group, enjoying being with each other, and they went out and made a ton of great plays.

“My middle, Taylor Marinko, is doing a really good job; she’s played against some of the best middles in the state, the last couple matches, and I think she’s showing she’s a really good middle. I don’t know if people know her name, but she’s doing a great job.”

Rams head coach Nicole Rizzo also felt her girls succeeded in performing as a unit. “They all did relatively well,” Rizzo said. “There wasn’t one key girl that made more contribution than all of them. They’re good at giving feedback to each other on the court.”

The Rams grabbed early leads in each of the three sets, but proved unable to hold on to any particular opportunity. They began the first up 1-0 and then 2-1, but the Storm quickly picked up steam aplenty, cruising to 7-3, then 13-6 and 15-9. Gorham threatened a comeback mid-set, pulling within two on an ace at 17-15, but Scarborough pulled away again for the 25-18 win.

“Our core of passing is really good,” said Roberts. “We’ve got a lot of kids that are buying into the importance of passing, and defense, and those kids really stepped up. We were in-system a lot of the time tonight, getting the ball right to our center. There were only little stretches where we weren’t getting really good passes.

“The combination of our passing and having a middle that’s being aggressive and wanting the ball draws the block away from some of our other hitters and they’re able to put the ball away because they’re one-on-one.”

The Rams kept closer throughout the second set, starting on top at 2-0 then 4-2. The teams tracked one another to 6-6, 7-7, 8-8 and 11-11 before the Storm were finally able to ratchet open some breathing room at 21-15. But Gorham charged back beautifully, pulling within one at 21-20. Scarborough hashed the last four points of the set, though, taking it 25-20.

“We try to focus on the next play,” said Roberts. “That’s a real focus in practice and in games. We’ve been down before and come back, and been down before and lost.”

The Rams commanded still more strongly at the beginning of the third, opening 5-2. The Storm washed over them after that, however, scoring 14 unanswered points for 16-5. The set, and the match, began to look out of Gorham’s reach. Still, they encouraged one another to battle for every point, earning seven more for themselves before Scarborough closed the evening at 25-12.

“Our communication was better in the second set,” said Rizzo, “and we kind of just fell off [in the third]. We’re working toward being a mentally tough team, being able to work through errors. It’s a work in progress.”

“[We] were trying to make plays, and trying to be aggressive,” Rizzo said of the third set, “and were thinking too far ahead of what was going on. But they stuck it through, and in my last timeout, I told them to leave everything you had on the court, and I think that they did a good job.”

“They didn’t let the ball hit the floor hardly at all,” Roberts said of his squad. “A lot of scrappy running all over the court. Those are the plays that, if anything, I think I’m most proud of…never giving up and giving great effort.”

Scarborough jumps to 4-1 on the W. The Storm are currently ranked second in Class A, behind Falmouth (4-1) but ahead of Yarmouth (5-0). The Heal Points are tight, though, and Scarborough’s lone loss was a 3-2 fall to the Clippers, so competition on the court is clearly stiff. Reigning State Champs Cape Elizabeth occupy fourth, at 3-2.

Gorham, meanwhile, slips to 2-3. The Rams are 10th in Class A, one slot back from Deering (3-2), but one in front of Cony (2-3).

“Some days are better than others,” Rizzo said of her squad. “But there’s only one way to go, and that’s up from here.”

Scarborough’s next matchup is a home bout with Falmouth on Tuesday the 22nd, when Gorham likewise welcomes Biddeford.

Jordyn Cowan returns a ball for the Storm in their 3-0 victory over Gorham on Thursday.Jillian Harvey defends for the Storm against the visiting Rams on Thursday.Taylor Marinko looms large at the net for the Red Storm on Thursday. Coach Jon Roberts nodded to Marinko as one of the team’s linchpins after their 3-0 W over Gorham.Kristen Curley volleys for the Rams at Scarborough on Thursday.Gorham’s Cassidy Landry returns a ball against the Red Storm.Anna Smith unwinds into her serve for Gorham at Scarborough on Thursday.