Woburn came to Melrose undefeated, with two top hitters (Laurie Doherty and Julie Miller) and nine seniors. But that wasn't enough as Melrose outlasted the Tanners 25-15, 25-19, and 25-23.
The win keeps Melrose undefeated (3-0) heading into Thursday's match with Notre Dame (Hingham) and drops Woburn to 3-1.
Melrose jumped out of the gate leading 11-1, but Woburn was able to regain some sanity as they rallied down the stretch to narrow the score to 25-15. The Lady Raiders defense was terrific throughout, especially senior captains libero Jill Mercer and setter Lily Fitzgerald. Nearly as impressive were sophomore defenders Nicole Abbott and Mary Kate Mahoney.
Woburn turned the tables in set two, leading 11-5 before a Scott Celli timeout chilled the momentum. Melrose closed with a 20-8 run, galloping down the stretch to win by six.
Woburn again came out hot in the third, leading 7-3. Melrose responded with ties at 12 and 13, and later at 19 and 23. But Melrose won the set with a key rainbow kill from Lily Fitzgerald and a late error.
Game analysis: Woburn seemed a little "out of the moment" early as they are still a young program in the league. But they combined solid blocking up front and excellent libero play to make the match competitive after the first half of the first set. They are going to win a lot of Middlesex League games and be in the post-season. Melrose won with superior defense and big game experience while the hitting was a little off.
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