Practice makes perfect for Lyman

Seniors on the Lyman Memorial volleyball team are used to success in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Small Division, but it hasn't always been that way.
The Bulldogs captured their second Small Division title in the last three years on Wednesday afternoon with a 3-0 win in Putnam. But this group also remembers when it finished 4-6 in the Division just four short years ago.
The difference between then and now; practice.
"I think that most of our players are doing something in the offseason," senior Kyla Bielert said. "Everyone's doing club ball or something over the summer that helps you get in shape for the season. Our coach (Stephen Lewis) has also adjusted to the times, making sure he's up to date with everything that can help us out."
Fellow senior Kena Perry said it's a world of difference between what is now and what was when Lewis first came on board.
"There's been so many big improvements since four years ago," Perry said. "It's fantastic how the girls are working in the offseason to get better. It's turned things around."
Putnam coach Curt Hull knew his Clippers didn't really have much of a chance against the Bulldogs on Wednesday. That was not only due to their youth, but also their commitmentto the game and most times, it's not their fault.
"A lot of our girls don't have the ability to travel distances to go play in leagues outside of the season ," Hull said.
"The family doesn't have the financial wherewithal to send them to those leagues and every girl on the Lyman squad is playing in those leagues - that makes a huge difference., " Hull added.

Just the beginning for the Wildcats

You had to like the camaraderie shown on Monday night in Norwich.
The Coventry girls volleyball team hung around and shared the Senior Night celebration with their Norwich Free Academy counterparts after the Patriots had just beaten the Wildcats, 3-0.
It's not like the result was unexpected as Coventry had posted 86 consecutive wins coming into the matchup between the defending Class S champion Patriots and Class LL champion, Wildcats.
Both teams have bulked up for the final week of the regular season with NFA set to play East Lyme on Wednesday and RHAM on Friday. Coventry was also bulking up its schedule as the Patriots still have to play Southington, Avon and Ellington.
"This is the best stretch of volleyball, in terms of opponents, that we have played- ever," Coventry coach Matt Hurlock said.
What's even tougher for Coventry is that they will be playing those teams on the road and most of them, like NFA, will be celebrating their Senior Nights.
"NFA is much improved," Hurlock added as his team beat the Wildcats, 3-0, earlier in the season. "We saw them at the beginning of the year and we played the way we play and it wasn't even a ballgame. They went on a run and dominated the ECC and they're going to be a tough out in the (Class) LL tournament."

A look ahead to Tuesday

Montville and New London will battle one another to decide who remains in Bristol and who comes home.
That's the result of Montville's 4-3, 10-inning loss to Branford in the winner's bracket of the American Legion State Tournament earlier this morning.
The Norwich Bulletin will cover that game in Bristol this afternoon with John Shishmanian coming along to provide the photos.
Joe Perez will continue our coverage of Jewett City's quest for a Little League softball state championship. Jewett City faces a must win tonight at 6 p.m. when they play Milford at Waterford South Little League. Milford won the first game between the two, 4-3, in nine innings on Sunday.

A look ahead

Jewett City's Little League softball All-Star team begins its quest for a state title tonight at 6 p.m. in Waterford as they open a best-of-three series against Milford at the Waterford South Little League complex.
The series is starting a day later than planned thanks to a rainout earlier in the week in the Section II finals. Jewett City coach Archie Drobiak was concerned that if the series had started yesterday, as originally planned, his pitching rotation would have been compromised. (Little League softball pitchers must have a day of rest between outings). Thus, the first game was pushed back to tonight, we do plan to have complete coverage for you in Monday's Norwich Bulletin.
The Connecticut Defenders are back at home and Joe Perez will be on hand to report on today's game.
Matt Stout also has a look back at yesterday's WNBA All-Star game especially the lady of the day, Most Valuable Player Swin Cash.

What tomorrow brings

You can call this a little preview of what to expect in Saturday's sports pages of the Norwich Bulletin.
Joe Perez will be in Rocky Hill tonight covering the Little League softball 11-12 year-old Section II championship. Jewett City takes on Vernon in the game slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. (You can check Thursday's sport section for directions to the park). A win for Jewett City sends them to the state championship against the Section I champion. That series is slated to begin Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Waterford South Little League complex. It's a best two-out-of three series for the state title.
Matt Stout and I have been working on a special preview for the WNBA All-Star game that takes place tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena. We'll have a complete rundown of the members of both teams as well as several features.
We'll also have the results from Montville's rain-delayed American Legion play-in game (Montville trailed Stamford 5-1 in the fifth inning when it was suspended) and our weekly NASCAR page.
We hope you enjoy.

State championship odyssey

I always love to see where state championship Saturday will take me, because it's always an adventure.
This year is no exception as I begin this Saturday at Palmer Field in Middletown where the New London Whalers are playing the Knights of Ellington for the Class M baseball championship.
I love Palmer Field, it's a great baseball venue, I just hate getting here. Coming from my home in Killingly, there's only one route that's even semi-direct and it's two-lane blacktop all the way on Route 66. It's a great road through the middle of the Connecticut countryside, but you don't get any where very fast.
From here, provided the weather doesn't go downhill, it's off to West Haven for the Class L girls softball championship game between Waterford and Darien at 3:30 p.m.
We finish off tonight at 7 p.m. in Stratford at DeLuca Field as Fitch meets Masuk for the Class LL girls softball state title.
Matt Stout, meanwhile, is headed to Trumbull to cover St. Bernard's Division II girls lacrosse state championship match with Immaculate at 3 p.m..
We'll keep you up-to-date as time, and facilities, permit.

Montville leading, 3-1, in M quarterfinals

You almost wonder if both Montville and Ellington had proms last night.
Neither is playing the smoothest of baseball right now in their Class M quarterfinal meeting at ECSU in Mansfield.
The Indians have already committed three errors in the game, but have managed to build a 3-1 lead through three innings.
Montville scored one in the first on a RBI ground out by Tyler Seeley. After the Knights answered with a run in the top of the second, Montville added two more in the third off Ellington lefty Brian Francolini.
Jesse Sutherland singled hard past short to score J.P. Morales who had reached on an error. Sutherland came home on a triple by Alec Brown.
Derek Wilcox (8-0) is pitching for the Indians.