HANOVER, N.H. - Hanover girls volleyball came into Thursday night riding a five-match winning streak and playing in front of its home crowd. Gilford, which had been on a roll of its own, brought both runs to an end.
The Golden Eagles beat the Bears 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the tournament at the Hanover High School gym, ending Hanover’s season at 13-3 and sending Gilford to the semifinals.
It was a meeting of two teams on winning streaks. Hanover had not lost since a 0-3 setback against Oyster River on Oct. 9, and it had dropped only four sets during its five-match streak, which included a 3-1 road win at Hollis Brookline on Oct. 14, a 3-0 sweep of Fall Mountain on Oct. 19 and a 3-1 win over Merrimack Valley to close the regular season on Oct. 23. Thursday’s loss also ended a three-match home winning streak.
The Bears opened the tournament with a 3-1 home win over Milford on Tuesday, their second win over Milford this fall after a 3-2 decision on Oct. 6. Sage Farger ran the offense with 29 assists and added 16 digs in that match, and Casey Wilkinson anchored the back row with 19 digs and two aces.
Defense was the plan from the start. With several experienced front-row players gone from last year’s team, coach Avery Kretschmar said before the season that this group would have to win with defense. “Focusing on being scrappy, aggressive serves and strategic plays will be key for our success. We are focusing on making the smart play, not the most flashy one, to earn points and win matches,” Kretschmar said.
It worked for most of the fall. Hanover’s only losses before Thursday came in straight sets against Somersworth on Sept. 28 and Oyster River on Oct. 9, and the Bears finished with one more win than last year’s 12-5 team, which also saw its season end in the quarterfinals.
The result flips last season’s script against Gilford. Hanover beat the Golden Eagles twice in 2025, 3-0 on Sept. 26 and 3-1 on Oct. 24, but the two teams did not meet in the 2026 regular season until Thursday.
Gilford improves to 13-3 and has won four straight, including a 3-0 sweep of Coe-Brown in Tuesday’s opening round. The Golden Eagles, who also swept Oyster River on Oct. 14, play in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. against the winner of Friday’s Somersworth-Kingswood quarterfinal. Somersworth handed Hanover one of its three losses this fall.
Other relevant play on Thursday, October 29:
Laconia 0 at Oyster River 3 Oyster River, the defending champion and one of the teams that beat Hanover this fall, swept Laconia and meets Hollis Brookline in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Hollis Brookline 3 at Souhegan 1 Hollis Brookline, which Hanover beat 3-1 on Oct. 14, won on the road to reach the semifinals against Oyster River.
That wraps up the day for Hanover High School sports. We’ll see you next time!