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GORHAM — It wasn’t the start to the season that the Gorham volleyball team anticipated, with two losses in its first four matches. So the Rams got together to find a solution.

“It definitely shocked us. We weren’t ready for it,” senior outside hitter Lauren Dunbar said. “We had talks as a team, we had talks with coach, and we kind of just said ‘What do we need to do to improve?'”

Thursday provided a return to form for the two-time defending Class A champions. Gorham quickly took control of a state final rematch with Biddeford and never relinquished it, winning in three sets, 25-13, 25-19 and 25-7.

The Rams are 4-2, while Biddeford fell to 0-4.

“This was kind of our first game where I feel like we played really good volleyball,” said Dunbar, a force all night with seven kills and two aces. “We finally came out, pushed hard and worked together.”

Key moments

• After Biddeford took a 4-0 lead in the first set on three Jaynelle Barrett aces, the Rams quickly responded. With Luna Button serving and Ava DeVinney contributing two kills, Gorham took nine straight point after the possession change for a 10-4 lead.

• The Tigers rallied late in the second set, as two kills by Maeve Donovan and another by Brynn Wilkinson keyed a run of five straight points that narrowed a 21-12 deficit. Gorham struggled handling the next Biddeford serve, but libero Addyson Simcock came up with a clutch return to salvage the point and quell the momentum.

“Every new point is a new game, and you have to treat it that way,” Simcock said. “We know we’re going to get in ruts. … We were like ‘OK guys, we’re playing volleyball, let’s go.'”

• The Rams’ trio at the net of Dunbar, reigning Varsity Maine Player of the Year Liana Edwards and Abigail Stevens led the way in the third set with three, three and two kills, respectively, as Gorham clinched its victory.

“Lauren was on fire today,” Edwards said.

That’s more like it

• After losses against Scarborough and Thornton Academy, the Rams put forth the kind of organized, efficient performance that led to back-to-back Class A titles. Gorham defended serves well and was able to get into a rhythm on offense.

“We have been starting games slow, and it’s been a problem,” Gorham coach Emma Tirrell said. “The girls have been working on thinking about coming out hard, and even though we didn’t quite do it the first few points, it was a huge deal that we figured it out.”

Coming together before the match helped.

“We had a team talk yesterday. We’re just going to stay really calm and confident, we’re going to swing at everything, we’re going to be (tight knit),” Edwards said. “It turned out great.”

Looking to bounce back

• Thursday continued an uncharacteristically slow start for Biddeford, but coach Andrew Glenn pointed out there’s time for the Tigers to find their stride.

“It seemed from when we started to play that we were a little shaky mentally,” he said. “We’ve played some really good teams this year, and we played them much better than we showed tonight.”

Individual statistics

• Gorham: Lauren Dunbar (seven kills, two aces), Liana Edwards (six kills, one ace), Ava DeVinney (five kills), Abigail Stevens (five kills), Adyson Hutchins (five aces).

• Biddeford: Maeve Donovan (six kills, one ace), Brynn Wilkinson (five kills), Jaynelle Barrett (three aces).