Norwich Tech Rallies, Reaches New Height with State Quarterfinal Berth
November 10, 2016
NORWICH — Deb Krodel tried to slip away from her husband during the celebration after what was the biggest win in Norwich Tech volleyball history on Wednesday, presumably to attend to some pressing coaching matter.
Tim Krodel tugged her back to him.
“You’re in this, too,” he said.
In the postseason of their 19th year coaching the Warriors, Tim and Deb Krodel stood side by side inside the gym as students and fans celebrated Norwich Tech’s first CIAC quarterfinal appearance in program history on the same night the Warriors established a new program record with their 20th win, a 3-2 victory in Class S over Bolton that had all the emotions and momentum swings that come with a 11-25, 25-21, 25-23, 14-25, 15-9 win.
No. 7 Norwich Tech (20-4) will travel to take on No. 2 seed and defending champion Coventry at 6 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals.
The Krodels were aware of the historical significance, but they did their best to downplay it to their players.
“We never once mentioned to them what we had never done before,” Tim Krodel said. “All we kept talking about was all of the things that we have accomplished.”
Which is an impressive list: an undefeated divisional record en route to the Constitution State Conference East Division regular season crown, followed by the CSC tournament championship and Monday’s first-round win over Oxford, the first time the Warriors had beaten a public school in the state tournament.
Wednesday was the second.
“We tried to downplay all of these moments so they could just play the game,” Tim Krodel said. “Don’t let the moment take over. Don’t make the moment bigger than the game. It’s still 6-on-6. Everything is the same. Just enjoy it.”
The Warriors pressed early, dropping the first game before rallying to win the next two.
“Give credit to Bolton,” Krodel said. “They didn’t look past us, which is easy to do. A lot of teams say, ‘Who are we playing next?’ ”
Said senior Madison Bodley: “Our first game Monday we lost, too, so it was in the back of our mind that we could do it again. We were able to learn the techniques that they used in the first game and we kind of used that to our advantage in the second game.”
No. 23 Bolton built a six-point lead in the second set before the Warriors scored six straight points to tie it at 19.
“That allowed them to believe they could play,” Krodel said. “There’s always going to be some doubt when you haven’t ventured into this territory yet. I’m sure they had some doubt in Game 1.”
Bodley (18 kills, nine digs) had three straight kills toward the end of Game 3, but Bolton built a 12-point lead to win Game 4 and force the decisive fifth game, when Bolton put the first point into the net.
“That allowed the energy to shift,” Krodel said. “If she put it down, doubt may have crept into our heads again. In those short games to 15, crazy stuff can happen.”
Instead, the Warriors ripped off five straight points and capped off the win with Bodley’s final kill.
“You have to keep your mental focus,” Bodley said. “If we keep our mental composure, we can play with any team. We just have to find it within ourselves.”
Vanessa Gumbs had seven digs and six kills and Chloe Guzman added 14 assists for the Warriors.
Tim and Deb Krodel started the program in 1990, with Deb serving as the program’s first head coach, and all these years later they’re enjoying the best season in program history, only two years after they won just four games.
“We haven’t changed at all,” Tim Krodel said. “When were 4-14 we were the same coaches as we are now. … We kept seeing them improve every single day and we knew they were committed to the game and they loved the game.”
