Winchester Terminated, 3-0

"...and it absolutely will not stop, until you are dead."

Melrose hosted Winchester tonight, and dispatched their Middlesex League opponent 25-13, 25-5, and 25-16, although the score didn't reflect the scope of the rout. Melrose (19-2) fulfilled their destiny, a rematch of the 2009 Division 2 North championship, as they host North Reading (19-2) Wednesday. Melrose played some its best volleyball of the season, with solid defense, and relentless offense from all angles.

The Lady Raiders fell behind early in the first game, 6-3, with some early match jitters. This may not come as surprise, with five of its top players sophomores, with limited playoff experience. But after a Winchester service error, to make the score 6-4, Melrose settled down and ran off a 19-4 run with a plethora of pummelings, with a trio of kills from Athena Ziavras and Sarah McGowan and a pair from Rachel Johnson. Melrose also add six aces in the frame, including a pair apiece from Jill Slabacheski and Alyssa DiRaffaele.

The second stanza saw Melrose run out to an 8-0 lead behind a Slabacheski service run. The teams had several spirited volleys during the set, but each time Melrose took the point. Winchester narrowed the lead to 11-3, but from there Melrose hammered their way home 14-2 to win the game with twelve kills. Athena had five more kills, Sydney Doherty three, and Rachel another pair.

Melrose gave the near capacity crowd what they wanted in the third set, after Winchest took the opening points. From there, Melrose continued to hit furiously with the kills spread around including three each for Athena, Jill, and Sarah, and one for Kayla Wyland and Rachel. Brittany Adelman had a kill and played some excellent defense to put Melrose up 24-10. Melrose got both of its freshmen, Cassidy Barbaro and Rachel Ardizzoni some playoff experience while closing out the game. Barbaro made a great get off a serve-receive, and the match ended on a Winchester service error.

Game analysis: Melrose won its quarterfinal Division 2 North match for the ninth consecutive year and played its most dominant individual set in the second. The match allowed the young Lady Raiders to put the playoff nervousness behind them as they prepare for North Reading. The keys to the match included defense that got to everything and offense rivaling Houston's famous Phi Slamma Jamma.

If Melrose can play Wednesday's game at the same level that they played tonight, they can advance to the Division 2 North finals for the eighth consecutive season.