Melrose continued its winning ways with a hiccup along the way in a 22-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-13 road victory.
Burlington came in at 7-4 and came from behind trailing 20-16 to win the first set with a 9-2 closing run. They had also gone out to an 8-5 lead, ergo Melrose had a 15-8 streak in the middle of a "barbell-shaped" game.
Melrose struggled with serve receive at times, and not even six Sarah McGowan kills in the first frame was enough.
The Lady Raiders escaped the Inferno beginning in set two, expanding a 7-6 lead to 14-6 during a Brooke Bell run, as Jen Cain provided extra mustard with a trio of kills. Melrose had the lead up to 24-12 before the Red Devils blazed back to 24-16 before Melrose closed it out in a service error-free set.
Melrose didn't control the match from there. Burlington again went out fast, opening an 8-nil and 10-2 lead before Melrose went on a 14-1 run behind service from Amanda Commito and six consecutive kills led by Rachel Johnson (3), Jen (2) and Brooke. From 16-11 Melrose controlled the match with more kills and a Cain ace. Melrose had thirteen kills in the stanza including three apiece for Rachel and Kayla Wyland, and a pair from Brooke.
Set four saw Melrose go out 4-0 and never look back. Melrose had another 10 kills, and three aces from Alyssa DiRaffaele. Rachel Johnson had another three kills along with three for Sarah, and Jill Slabacheski had a pair. Melrose struggled with four service errors.
Game analysis: Melrose continues to have high ambitions for not only a league title but a deep playoff run. Outstanding teams have the capacity to dominate and play excellent volleyball against not only the best teams. As far as I know, this is the first time Burlington has won a set from Melrose, which shows that the Red Devils have improved and deserve credit. If the Lady Raiders want to reach their full potential they need to ramp up their game down the stretch.
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