Melrose (20-2) hosted a strong Winchester (16-6) team and dominated "box to wire" en route to a 25-10, 25-16, 25-18 win. The victory advances Melrose to the sectional semifinals Thursday against the winner of Bedford and Stoneham.
Melrose and Winchester were tied after 2 points and Melrose never trailed in the contest thereafter. Early on it was the Meri Lessing Show up front, but she got by with a little help from her friends, with scintillating performances from senior Jill MacInnes in the back, junior Allie Nolan at setter, and sophomore Marissa Cataldo having her best performance as a Lady Raider.
Melrose led 6-1, 10-5, and 16-6 and sprinted to the finish with a 9-4 close. Meri had four kills in set one, Allie had three, Annalisa Debari two, and Victoria Crovo and Marissa each had one. Melrose had a lone service error of the match in the first set.
The second set saw Melrose jump out to a 4-0 lead and never look back, leading 10-3 until Winchester fought back to 16-14, only to see Melrose go 9-2 down the stretch after a critical time out to win 25-16. Meri hammered in another five kills, Allie delivered four, and Maave Moriarty racked up service points early and late.
Melrose left no doubt in the final stanza, leading 9-1 and coasting as Winchester never threatened. Melrose led 22-11, only to see the Sachems go 7-1 before a Cataldo kill and a final Winchester receive error finished the match. Allie had another three kills to go into double digits, Meri had two, and Marissa had another trio for Melrose.
Game notes: Melrose played their best volleyball of the year, never trailing and playing very aggressively throughout. As usual, Jill MacInnes was outstanding in the back, but the supporting cast played their best roles. Very few balls hit the floor, and Melrose made a handful of mistakes and limited their service errors to a solitary wide serve in the first set.
LATE information: Bedford tops Stoneham 3-2 to earn the right to face Melrose Thursday.
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