There were no pitchers, batters, or strikeouts during Doherty’s and Liberty’s girls volleyball match on Thursday, but the Spartans did have a closer. 

Freshman outside hitter Brenna Moerman scored the final two kills of the match and the final kill of the second set to help the Spartans prevail over host Liberty 25-21, 25-23, 25-22. 

Despite falling in straight sets, Liberty didn’t make it easy on the visitors. The Spartans and Lancers were tied at 20 points in the first set, 21 in the second, and 19 in the third. Doherty stayed poised during the tense moments of all three. Junior libero Jane Rodriguez’s serves guided the Spartans to victory in the first set, and they got key plays from Moerman, senior outside hitter Jadelyn Figueroa, and junior Isabella Marquez in the second and third. 

When Moerman’s kill ended the second set, the well-traveled visiting Spartans’ student section serenaded Liberty’s home crowd with chants of “she’s a freshman.”

“I knew I needed to put it in and have a safe play, but still one that can have a chance to get the point,” Moerman said. “Sometimes, the (responsibility) can be a lot, but I always get through it. Earlier in the sets, I’m in my head but the team always gets me out of my head and so I’m able to come back.”

It’s difficult to overstate Moerman’s impact. The Spartans are undefeated through three matches. And prior to the start of Thursday’s match she entered play with a team-high 34 kills, with Figueroa second with 19. 

Even more impressive, the number on the back of her jersey matches her age. 

“Brenna is exceptional. To be 14, to never even see a high school court, and just step on as a varsity starter. She carries herself like she’s been here for four years,” Spartans coach Hannah Snow said. 

But Moerman isn’t the only freshman capable of stepping up in big moments for the Spartans. Fellow rookie and setter Isabella Tessier helped Doherty flip the script on Liberty in the second set. Following the first-set loss, the Lancers found a rhythm and raced out to an 8-4 advantage as Doherty struggled due to a lack of communication. Tessier was dynamite for the Spartans with her serves, helping Doherty engineer an 8 to 1 run to take control of the set. 

“It’s just really fun playing with them, because if you know you can’t get it, you have the trust that they can get it. When you’re not in, you’re not scared the team is going to lose points. You have trust in them,” Moerman said.   

Through three matches, the Spartans have yet to drop a set. But this is the second-straight season Doherty has started with a 3-0 record. Last year, the Spartans lost momentum in a tournament following the hot start. In her third season at the helm of the program, Snow believes this year’s team is the best one yet. 

“I think going into the tournament, we’ve got a different mindset this year,” she said. “We know what we need to do, we’re playing together. We’re the strongest we’ve been in three years teamwork-wise and camaraderie-wise. They know what they need to get done. I expect big things on Saturday.