Melrose opened the 2023 campaign at home with a 26-24, 25-12, 25-19 win.
Woburn put up stiff resistance with solid serve receive and Melrose had some inconsistency in the first set. Credit Woburn forcing Melrose to win points.
Melrose and the Tanners battled to 11-11 before a Leah Fowke service run got the lead to 20-11. Woburn clawed their way back to even the score at 24 after trailing 24-21.
Abby Dennison had a couple of key kills late during the set to keep Melrose in front.
At 24 all, Manon Marchais put down a key spike and leading 25-24, Maggie "Pocket Rocket" Turner delivered an ace to capture the set.
Melrose sped out to a 7-2 lead in the second set, capitalizing on serving force. The serve is the only play that you control completely.
At 13-6 Melrose had a costly 'campfire' and Coach Scott Celli reminded the team to call the balls.
At 14-8, sophomore Sabine Wenzel showed off her blocking potential with a stuff block from Michaelangelo's ceiling.
Melrose cruised to a 25-12 set win playing with more force.
The third set was tightly contested early and led at 15-13 when Sadie Jaggers had a key tip attack.
Classic "dig, set, spike" action here at 16-14 with a Marchais kill.
For the most part, the third set belonged to Sabine who had at least six kills during the stanza. Here she uses her length to block and strength to use the block as a tool.
Match Notes (First Look): Having watched Melrose for over twenty years, I have a different perspective. Every team has lions and tigers. They're hard to deal with. But a team whose cats and dogs become jackals has got it going. Become a predator.
1) Sample size. One match in sweltering heat doesn't define a season. It's good to win and every match shows strengths and areas to improve.
2) Serve Pro. Melrose's big edge was in service as multiple players (Leah Fowke, Maggie Turner, Grace Gentile, Gigi Albuja) had moments on the line.
3) The Good Hands people. Leah Fowke showed range and soft hands with some memorable sets off 'chase down' balls. For overall consistency, she would be my player of the match.
4) Front and Center. Sadie Jaggers adapted well to her transition outside and Sabine Wenzel showed her potential as both a blocker and attacker and her play is more than about length.
5) Young guns. Neither Sofia Papatsoris nor Abby Dennison brought a wealth of experience but both had important kills, especially Dennison in the first set.
It's premature to comment too much about the defense as Woburn didn't mount a strong attacking game to equal their defense.
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