Melrose (23-1) reproduced a version of "Havlicek Stole the Ball", the triple overtime game against the Suns in 1976, and game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. They traveled to Nashoba Regional High School and emerged bloody but victorious in a streetfight against West Champion Longmeadow, which lost its fifth consecutive state semifinal with a predominantly senior lineup.
There were the usual suspects in the heroine category, but critical play from key substitutions as Coach Scott Celli did a masterful job of offense-defense substitution down the stretch.
After parading into the gym and introductions, the teams got into it early, with ties at six of the match's first seven points. Melrose included a six point run to lead 12-7 behind a Jen Cain service run. The Lady Raiders extended the lead to 20-12, led by Sarah McGowan, only to have the Lancers come within a point at 20-19, when they made a pair of costly service errors to give Melrose the lead at 22-20. The teams traded points, but at 23-22, Jill Slabacheski cashed in a pair of winners to seal the deal at 25-22.
Longmeadow was gaining strength however, with a powerful front line of Megan Houff, Jen Hurwitz, and Amanda Brock, supplemented by potent service from Kaitlin Corbett. Leading 8-7 in the second, Corbett went on a service spree and the West champs led 12-7. Melrose closed within two at 14-12, 17-15, and 18-16, but the Lancers kept denying Melrose offensive opportunities, and five service errors cost Melrose dearly as Longmeadow won 25-18.
Melrose seized the lead early in set three at 2-0, but a 6-1 run gave the Lancers the edge. Melrose fought back, winning eight of the next eleven points, with Sarah McGowan piling up kills (5) early, and Rachel Johnson starting to dominate defensively. All that being said, from a Melrose lead at 14-13, Longmeadow went up 21-15, and the die was cast for a Longmeadow 25-17 rout.
And it was do or die in set four. Longmeadow broke to a 4-2 lead before a costly service error put Melrose on the attack. Five consecutive kills, reminiscent of "the comeback" at Central gave Melrose an 8-4 advantage, only to see Longmeadow take a 13-9 edge with a 9-1 run. Melrose could have folded its tent, but a brilliant run by Rachel with a handful of kills in Block City, took the starch out of Longmeadow and Melrose went up 18-15. But the Lancers weren't done as Houff bombs brought them up 20-19 and within five points of a trip to Algonquin. But from 20-19, it was the unlikely hero Kayla Wyland who had a very solid game with a kill, and a pair from Sarah to put the Lady Raiders in the drivers seat (25-22) headed to a decisive fifth set. It took fourteen kills to win the set, including five from Sarah, four from Rachel, and two apiece from Jill and Kayla.
The fifth set began fortuitously, with Alyssa DiRaffaele, again immense in the back, serving and Sarah in high gear as Melrose raced out to a 4-nil lead. Sarah had three of the first seven points and the teams switched sides with Melrose up 8-4. But Longmeadow continued to press, scoring five of the next six points, interrupted by a Wyland winner. With Melrose up 10-9, perhaps the key point of the match happened after Celli substituted in Sydney Doherty. Sydney came in cold and Brooke Bell delivered a 'cheddar biscuit' to Syd who ate it up with an outside attack winner to expand the lead to 11-9. With Longmeadow refusing to go quietly at 13-12, Kayla had the point of her career, a cross court topspin 'jumbo shrimp' to put Melrose ahead 14-12. With sophomore Jill MacInnes serving, Melrose got a return in play and Longmeadow made a defensive error to ice the victory and trigger an explosive celebration as Melrose returns to its first state title game since 2005.
Game analysis: Melrose won because they had many players who stepped up in the big moments. Brooke Bell, the model of consistency, set boatloads of nectar for the front, who responded with key attacks. Sarah McGowan had her usual dominant performance, using craft as much as cram to pile up kills. Alyssa was the steadying force in the back row. Jen Cain was her usual consistent self with half a dozen kills and solid defense, and Jill Slabacheski came through when it mattered.
But the game changer was the confidence that Coach Celli inspired in his players when some struggled, leaving them in to fight through it, and the substitutions made to get more offense with critical attacks from Sydney Doherty and Kayla Wyland during their rotation.
Five set matches haven't always been kind to Melrose. They had five set state semifinal losses to Marlboro in 2003 and Case in 2004, before getting wins over Central and Andover in 2005, only to lose in the 2005 final, 3-2 to Medfield. This would have to rank with the 2003 D2 North Championship (over undefeated AC) as arguably the biggest win in Melrose volleyball history, earning a trip to the title game.
And this comes just two years after graduating one of its best teams ever, with seven seniors, and two All-State players including Colleen Hanscom and D2 Player of the Year, Hannah Brickley. Melrose didn't rebuild, it reloaded.
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