Melrose surged to the Freedom Division lead, remaining undefeated (6-0) whitewashing the undefeated Burlington Red Devils 25-23, 25-15, 25-20.
Burlington was the most accomplished opponent on the Melrose schedule to date, but Melrose got reinforcements back with the return of Junior Elena Soukos and Sophomore Chloe Gentile.
Melrose controlled the first set but Burlington rallied to tie at 23. But the Lady Raiders got a set for Elena and she hammered a winner home. A Burlington error capped the set.
The second set was all Melrose with relentless attack from all angles. Melrose erupted to an early lead and never looked back. Elena was strong throughout and got lots of help from the Hudson sisters (Emily and Abby), Chloe, and sophomore Gia Vlajkovic. Sophomore Emma Desmond came off the bench to add "solid and reliable" play according to Coach Scott Celli.
Burlington won the first two points of the final stanza before Melrose rallied back, but the Devils would not go quietly. They led 15-10 when a Celli timeout changed the complexion of the set. Elena got hot from the outside and Chloe had some impact blocking. The game was tied at 20 but Melrose closed out the home team with superior play.
Lady Raider Notes: Every excellent team gets "signature wins." With a State Championship and eight sectional titles, Melrose has earned many. Today's win was an example, going in and shutting down an undefeated team on the road.
Images courtesy of Jen and Mike Gentile: Click to enlarge
No comments:
Post a Comment