Melrose (10-5) booked its ticket to the postseason with a convincing 3 - 0 win over the visiting Stoneham Spartans, 25-16, 25-11, 25-13. It also kept Melrose in contention for another Middlesex League Freedom Division title, where they trail Burlington by a game.
Coach Scott Celli continues to adjust the lineup, with Emma Randolph full-time on the outside, and Emily Hudson and Claire Albuja holding down the middle. All three had solid first set action. Kiki Kiernan was back at the setter controls for the first two sets and the back row mostly saw Nicole Abbott, Mary Kate Mahoney, and Erin Torpey (also outside) on the defense. Grace Davis held down the opposite spot.
Stoneham hung around for the early second set, leading 8-7. But Melrose rampaged with an 18-3 run, highlighted by a lengthy service run by Nicole. Emily and Emma dominated around the next, pairing up as a formidable blocking pair.
Melrose substituted liberally for the final frame as everyone saw action. Sophomore Sam Dewey had several strong moments in the middle and Marie Maher looked solid in the back row. Freshman setter Autumn Whelan held the fort to the end. Leah Heafey spent time in the back row and unofficially Sofia Centrella had a pair of kills.
Coaches Conversation:
I had a lengthy conversation with Melrose Coach Scott Celli. Coach Celli said that the team played competitively at Arlington Catholic yesterday in a well-attended "playoff type" atmosphere. "Sometimes our youth shows."
I mentioned that the team still had a few weeks to build momentum for the postseason and he felt the team would be competitive in the North. We discussed the potential to clean up a few mistakes here and there and the value of more experienced players stepping up in big moments.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment