SACO — The differences between a seasoned, contending volleyball team and an up-and-coming, but still green squad are often small and subtle.

But one of the big contrasts comes in the ability to finish out sets, to play the big points well and turn tight leads into comfortable ones.

In the first set Thursday night, longtime contender Biddeford and second-year program Thornton Academy found themselves tied at 17-17, with an early advantage in the match there for the taking. That’s when the Tigers’ experience and composure took over.

After Thornton won nine of 10 points to overcome a 16-8 deficit and tie the set for the first time, Biddeford won the next six points on the way to a 25-18 first-set win, catapulting the Tigers to a straight-sets 25-18, 25-9, 25-20 victory over the rival Golden Trojans in a Class A match at Linnell Gymnasium.

With the victory, Biddeford stayed undefeated on the season as it improved to 3-0, while Thornton fell to 1-2.

Biddeford had come out of the gates firing, opening up an early 9-2 advantage in the first set and extending it to 16-8 thanks to some quality serving by Faith Tourigny and a kill from Kendra Cote.

But after playing some inspired volleyball ”“ featuring kills by Hannah Maddix, Allison Cannon and Ashley Howe ”“ to get the first set back level, the Trojans made four crucial errors during the Tigers’ late run, the type of inconsistency that Thornton coach Keith O’Leary knows comes with a fledgling program.

“Being our sophomore year, we’re trying to turn that corner as far as passing, serving, setting, talking. But even more, it’s the character of the team and expecting to win,” O’Leary said. “At 17-7, when the game gets tight, that’s where the skill set starts to go down and the experience becomes a factor.”

After letting the Trojans back into the set with some sloppy play, Biddeford also had a say in finishing out the set strongly, with Jocelyn Moody racking up three kills ”“ including on the set-deciding point ”“ off of three beautiful assists from setter Kayla Fournier, who had a match-high 16 assists in all.

“We just had to get our act together and get that basic pass down,” Biddeford coach Ruth Shaw said. “We had to get it to the setter so we can get it out to Jocelyn or to Kendra. We were just flailing with the ball rather than getting it right to Kayla. They sharpened up their pass and that brought us back.”

Biddeford continued to play at a high level into the second set, again opening up a quick lead at 8-1 thanks to some strong serving from Bri Collard. But this time the Tigers kept it up through the whole set, winning it 25-9 as Cote compiled seven of her match-high 11 kills in the set, using her 6-foot-2 frame to control the middle.

“Kendra’s been dominating up the middle and tonight she was really smart, too,” Shaw said. “She’s really turning into a dynamic player.”

“Cote was phenomenal,” said O’Leary.

The third set was much tighter, as Thornton again found its form due to some strong play from Maddix, Howe and Julia Chasse. But with the score at 15-14, the Tigers won five straight points thanks to an Alisha Proctor kill followed by four-straight Trojans errors. It was an advantage Biddeford didn’t give up on the way to a 25-20 third-set win to complete the victory, with a kill by Bri Collard ”“ the Tigers’ 28th kill in total ”“ capping things off.

“They’re intense,” O’Leary said of the Tigers. “They always believe that they can win because they have that tradition of winning. But most of all, they can hit. Their offense is nasty; it’s a juggernaut. They have all kinds of weapons coming at you and they play their systems well.”

Despite the loss, O’Leary said he’s pleased with his team’s steady improvement from last fall, when his team went 1-17 in its first year at the varsity level, to now; as is Shaw, who saw the Trojans play plenty last year when her daughter Olivia was a senior on the team.

“Last year it wasn’t so much volleyball as survival. Now we’re playing volleyball,” O’Leary said. “We still have our peaks and valleys, but we’re poised for a couple more wins this year. The girls have really matured and fallen in love with the game and taken it seriously, and that’s the start of a good thing.”

“They’re much improved; their serves were really nice, they went for everything,” Shaw said. “They definitely have taken the next step and I think you’re going to see them win a little bit this year.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or cdunbar@journaltribune.com.