Quick Six

Melrose hosted Burlington today and dispatched the Lady Red Devils quickly in straight sets, 25-8, 25-8, and 25-12. The victory moves Melrose to 6-0 and 4-0 in the Middlesex League.

Burlington is not the most recent expansion team in the ML. Those honors go to Watertown (last season) and Winchester this season, which tend to dilute the overall level of play in the league. Fortunately, Melrose's trips to Bishop Feehan and Barnstable later this season will elevate the competition severely.

Sometimes the number of kills in a game reflects the team's excellence, but a small number may also illustrate the difficulty the opposition had in returning routine plays. Melrose had 4, 10, and 10 kills today, with Hannah Brickley dominating with six in set three and Laura Irwin with five in set two.

But even with the consistency of Hannah and Laura, one player stood out today, Annmarie Wiesen. Annmarie had her best overall game with stout defense and several blocks, a number of assists, and a few kills as well. The improved play of juniors Siena Mamayek and Wiesen have stood out lately.

In the back row, Jess Farr didn't get a lot of tough chances, but the libero handled them well. We didn't have a chance to speak to Coach Scott Celli, but are sure he would say the team played well and 'play the schedule'.

Newsworthy. The JV has a large base of athletic, talented prospects and several may be called up for practice experience with the varsity. Through the years, numerous freshmen have progressed quickly enough to contribute to the team, including but not limited to Erin Hudd, Paula Sen, and Hannah Brickley.