Greenwich High School’s varsity volleyball team has followed an ultra-impressive pattern so far this season.

Following 3-0 victories at home against Ridgefield and Norwalk, respectively, the Cardinals sport a sparkling record of 16-0 and of the 16 wins, 15 of them have come by a score of 3-0.

Now that’s what you call a dominant season.

The Cardinals, who advanced to the championship match of the FCIAC Tournament and made it to the CIAC Class LL Tournament semifinals in 2024, were victorious against a formidable Ridgefield High School team on Oct. 13 and defeated Norwalk on Oct. 15 to continue their season of perfection.

Greenwich swept Ridgefield, winning the match by set scores of 25-19, 25-20, 25-22. Though the Cardinals won in three sets, each one was close and they had to remain focused throughout.

Junior middle hitter Kayah Armstrong recorded 13 kills, 10 digs and two blocks to help pace Greenwich’s offense. “I saw the score and nerves were high,” Armstrong said following Greenwich’s triumph versus Ridgefield. “It was an opportunity to get more aggressive. When I saw the ball in the air, I was trying to swing as hard as I could.”

Heidi Zieme, a junior outside hitter, registered 15 kills and 10 digs to also lead the Cardinals’ offense. Many of Zieme’s kills were timely, halting the Tigers’ rallies and runs in the match.

“Our main thing was energy, we had to keep on pushing through all the points and I think that was our main thing,” Zieme said after the Ridgefield matchup. “They were a strong team and I think we got humbled. We definitely came into  the game thinking that we were cool, calm and there was nothing to worry about. But they definitely humbled us and we had to keep our energy up. That’s how we won the sets. It’s definitely good to be tested.”

Junior setter enabled the GHS offense to flow, posting 30 assists to go along with four aces. Sophomore libero ignited Greenwich’s defensive effort, tallying 20 digs.

Zieme’s ace gave Greenwich a 12-9 lead in the first set and later in the set, a kill by sophomore Sammie Tommasino made it 13-11 in favor of the Cards. Ridgefield rallied to take a 16-15 edge, but GHS took the lead for good by winning three straight points.

Consecutive kills by Zieme got Greenwich’s quick spurt going. In the third set, Greenwich was behind late, 21-20, but finished strong to take the set. Armstrong’s kill put the hosts on top, 24-22.

“I thought we had a lot of serve receive errors and miscommunication, we can’t come into games just thinking that we’re going to win because of our ranking and undefeated,” Cardinals coach Marianna Linnehan said. “So, I think that it was a good lesson for us. Ridgefield didn’t give up anything either. They stayed on us the entire time, so it didn’t make it easier for us.”

Greenwich needs to win its final two matches to earn an undefeated season, which of course, would be an outstanding accomplishment.

“I feel like it’s last year, but I think we’re mentally focused right now,” Linnehan noted. “We’re focusing on pushing through to the end.”

Said Armstrong: “For the past couple of years, I saw the varsity teams lose to them. We had a lot of energy which was really fun. We have great chemistry because we’ve been playing with each other for so long. We have trust in each other.”

In Greenwich’s 3-0 victory over Norwalk, Armstrong had 10 kills, one block and one ace, senior Klara Toczydlowska added 10 kills, 10 digs and five aces and junior setter Karolina Zientek contributed 20 assists and four aces for the victors. Also in the winning effort, senior outside hitter Aleena Jacobsen had four kills.

Greenwich visits Fairfield Warde on Oct. 20, then caps its regular season with a home match versus Brien McMahon on Oct. 22. Then it’s playoff time for the Cardinals, who are the No. 1 ranked team in the state in the CIAC in Class LL.

“Hopefully, we get to the finals and the thing that’s going to get us there is staying mentally strong,” Zieme noted. “Last year, we were a young team. We have to push and take the mentality that we’re a good team and we’re strong individual players, into the playoffs.”