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It was a comeback for the ages or a stunning collapse, depending on which side you were on. The Greenwich High School girls volleyball team trailed two games to none to Fairfield Ludlowe with the Class LL state championship slipping away. Greenwich dug deep and came all the way back from the brink of elimination to win the next three games and take its first-ever Class LL volleyball championship Saturday evening at Glastonbury High School (24-26, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-13).
Senior co-captain Kelsey Goodwin was the star offensive player for the Cardinals, coming up with 20 kills, 13 service points and five digs. Maya Brounstein sparked Greenwich off the bench and helped lead its incredible comeback.
Greenwich had the early advantage, jumping to a 24-19 lead. But Ludlowe stormed back, led by Maddie McCaffrey, who was named tournament MVP. Ludlowe controlled the second game. Then a shrewdly called timeout by Cardinals head coach Steve Lapham in third game changed the momentum.
It started to unravel for the Ludlowe players as Greenwich got into their heads. The Falcons gave up 16 unforced errors in the final three games. Greenwich clung to a 14-13 lead in the fifth and deciding game when Ludlowe committed a service error and iced the championship for the Cardinals.
Saturday's championship match was the third time Greenwich and Ludlowe tangled, with the Cardinals winning in the regular season and the Falcons coming out on top in the FCIAC semifinals. It was the second year in a row that Ludlowe lost a heartbreaker in five games in the Class LL championship.
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