Melrose renewed its rivalry with Arlington Catholic in the Division 2 North finals and overwhelmed AC 25-21, 25-17, 25-9. It was Melrose's tenth consecutive appearance in the sectional title game and the Lady Raiders captured their fourth consecutive sectional championship and their seventh in the past ten seasons.
Melrose got off to a slow start in set one, as they went with a different rotation to match up against AC's biggest hitter. As the match proceeded, the decision proved an unqualified success. Melrose's blockers, Rachel Johnson, Kayla Wyland, and Sarah McGowan shut down the AC offense and Melrose, led by Brooke Bell's setting, pounded away on the Cougar defense.
AC went out 2-0 and had ties at four through eight. Melrose went up 10-8, only to see AC lead at 14-12 and 16-14, but Melrose assumed the lead at 17-16 and never trailed again in the MATCH.
With Melrose leading 21-20, perhaps the key point of the contest ensued with a Bell crosscourt set to Annalisa DeBari who delivered a down-the-line strong side kill to give Melrose a 22-20 edge. A McGowan-Bell double block followed to put Melrose up 23-20 and Melrose never looked back.
Melrose had fourteen set one kills, led by Jen Cain with five including the coup de grace and another five for Sarah McGowan. Kayla Wyland, who was outstanding on the match also added a pair.
Melrose carried the momentum into set two, going up 2-1, 9-2, and 18-8 behind a flurry of McGowan and Rachel Johnson kills. The Lady Raiders seemed to lose focus for a bit as AC rallied to 18-13...but a Scott Celli timeout re-energized the team, which then finished on a 7-4 run to capture the frame.
Sarah added another five kills, and Rachel, Kayla, and Brooke each pounded in three. The back row defense of Amanda Commito, Jill MacInnes, and Allie Nolan came on strong as well.
Set three was simply a rout. After leading 3-2, Melrose went on a 16-3 run to open a 19-5 edge, and the trip to the State Semifinals Tuesday in Billerica was booked. Cassidy Barbaro had a magnificent night serving, fired in a series of rocket serves including four aces to seal the Cat-astrophe for the Cougars.
Melrose was able to substitute out McGowan, Cain, and Bell for well-deserved curtain calls and Maeve Moriarty got a late kill on a great push to the corner.
Game analysis: "The race is not always to the swiftest or the battle to the strongest, but it pays to bet that way." - Damon Runyan
Melrose used more talent, more consistency, and relentless advantage at the net to seize a berth in the next round. As dominant as Sarah McGowan was, abetted by great setting and solid back row play, Jen Cain excelled in the first set, and Rachel Johnson and Kayla Wyland stepped up huge to declaw the Cougar offense.
Great credit goes to Cassidy, who has emerged as a key figure as a designated server in the latter half of the season, always working hard and remaining positive over three years of varsity play.
Melrose faces Canton Tuesday at Billerica as Canton defeated Medfield 3-2 to advance in the Central Division.
The Boston Globe interviews Sarah McGowan and Brooke Bell after today's win.
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