Greenwich High volleyball team’s season ends with tough five-set loss to Darien in CIAC Class LL Tournament semifinals

By David Fierro on November 17, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

**Photo by David Fierro**: Greenwich High varsity volleyball players react during a match against Darien in the FCIAC final.

Greenwich High School’s girls volleyball team’s 2024 season ended with a 3-2 loss against rival Darien in a tight, back-and-forth match in the semifinal round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament on Nov. 13, yet the Cardinals’ 2024 season was still one that featured a wealth of winning moments.

The Cardinals finished their highly successful 2024 season with a record of 23-3, advancing to the championship match of the FCIAC Tournament and semifinals of the Class LL Tournament. Of Greenwich’s three losses, two were to Darien, which proceeded to win both the FCIAC and Class LL tournament titles.

Darien captured the FCIAC Tournament title with a 3-1 win over Greenwich in the championship match, then claimed the Class LL Tournament championship by edging Glastonbury, 3-2 in today’s (Nov. 16) state title matchup.

In the Class LL semifinals, Darien won the close match by set scores of 18-25, 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 15-11. Senior setter/captain Sarah Bernann amassed 46 assists, 16 digs, two kills and one ace for the Cardinals. Joy Houdre, a senior libero/captain, tallied 35 digs, three aces and two assists.

Greenwich varsity volleyball players react after winning a point against Fairfield Ludlowe in the Class LL quarterfinals.

Sophomore Kayah Armstrong helped power Greenwich’s offense in the state semifinal against Darien, recording a team-high 21 kills to go along with five digs and one block. Alina Sarkissian, a senior captain, totaled eight kills, five digs and three blocks, while sophomore Heidi Zieme had 15 digs, seven kills and one ace for GHS.

Bailee Dayon, a freshman, had 15 service points, including six aces and 10 digs for the Cardinals. For the season, of Greenwich’s 20 victories, 20 came by a score of 3-0. Coached by Marianna Linnehan, Greenwich began the season with seven straight victories, before losing to Southington. After that, the Cards won 14 consecutive matches leading up to the FCIAC Tournament final.

The Class LL Tournament saw GHS, which was seeded second, receive a first round bye. In the second round, they swept Norwich Free Academy in the semifinals, 3-0, then topped Fairfield Ludlowe, 3-0, in the quarterfinals. Bernann, Cameron Clark, Houdre, Talia Muir and Sarkissian were the Cardinals’ group of outstanding senior athletes.