Mount Carmel looks to rebound against rival Dominican

“It opens the door for us, it gives us the opportunity,” Chatellier said. “I told the girls yesterday in practice a door has opened for us, but we have to make sure to run through and not let the door close.”

By the same token, Mount Carmel coach April Hagadone knows the stakes have changed for today’s match at Mount Carmel’s gym. The one time two-game cushion her Cubs had has vanished, and its place resides pressure.

But in losing, Hagadone found a positive.

“We learned what it felt like to lose,” Hagadone, pictured at left, said. “Sometimes, that’s a positive, that we’re not unbeatable. We are beatable. I think they know that now.”

That’s a dangerous formula for Dominican to play against. Chatellier said the key for her team is to play together and to play relaxed.

“We did play very well the first time,” she said. “The second time we kind of played scared and didn’t give ourselves the opportunity to win. This time, if we just play and enjoy ourselves and shake off the nervousness, we’ll be fine.”

In Mount Carmel’s loss to Chalmette − which ended 16-14 in the fifth game − the Cubs were missing middle hitter Paige Gantar with a stomach virus. Hagadone hopes she’s back in time for today’s match.

Mostly though, Hagadone knows today could have been so much different if her team had beaten Chalmette. It will be her first home match against Dominican as head coach. She’s looking forward to seeing the atmosphere and to seeing how her team responds to a little adversity.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times, but it’s hard to beat a team twice,” Hagadone said. “They’re really out to get you. It would mean a lot to the girls. It’s a friendly rivalry because all of the players pay with each other in the offseason.

“This is the game of the year for them. They live for this.”