Saints Volleyball Wins Second Straight NEPSAC Title!

Another extraordinary postseason run by Varsity Volleyball led to a repeat of last year’s New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class C championship, making it back-to-back titles for the team.

After a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 semifinal win against Hamden Hall Country Day School at home, Canterbury traveled to The Taft School the next day to take on number-one seed Mount Saint Charles Academy from Rhode Island. Four exciting sets later, the Saints were once again Class C champs! 

Head Coach EJ Soifersmith P ’27, ’27 could not have been prouder not only of the girls but of the entire Saints community for their support. “The championship was at a neutral site, but it felt like a home match,” EJ said. “We had our usual parents, and then we had extended family, many faculty, and 45 students who came to cheer—three and a half fan buses! Our crowd was loud and a great example of Saints supporting Saints. The girls absolutely felt that love during the match.”

EJ’s trademark warmth and enthusiasm shone through when she talked about her team. “They all worked hard and wanted this so bad. We were the eighth seed earlier in the season and gradually moved our way up to that two seed,” she said. “They just kept getting better and bonded as a team, which is what you dream of as a coach.”

The collective leadership of EJ, Assistant Coach Greta Massey (Canterbury’s Assistant Director of Admission), and Team Captains Addison Lau ’25 and Hanna Gleason ’25 was instrumental in guiding the team to success. “We had amazing seniors, and Greta is such a positive person and the secret ingredient for our team,” EJ added. “She has been coaching with us for two years, and in both of those seasons, we won the championship.” 

More Saints in the Postseason
Our Varsity Field Hockey team also earned a postseason berth with outstanding effort and dedication all year. Despite an opening-round loss to a tough New Hampton School team in the NEPSAC Class C tournament, it was a truly outstanding season for the players and coaches.

Kudos as well to our Cross County athletes, who ran well at the NEPSTA Division III Cross Country Championships held at Canterbury. Bradley Bozzuto ’25 finished a very close second overall out of 153 Boys’ varsity runners with a personal best time of 16:12. “I am extraordinarily proud of the team’s performance this year. Our top seven runners all ran personal bests at New Englands,” Bradley shared. On the Girls’ side, Chloe Carroll ’25 topped the Canterbury team, finishing in 22:25.

As the fall sports season comes to a close, Volleyball’s second straight championship is something our campus will be buzzing about for a long time to come. “Their playoff run was inspirational,” said Interim Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars Padraic McCarthy ’94. “Congratulations to the team and coaches. That is how you defend a title. Put another banner in Pigott!”