Melrose battles back into state final

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

It took five thrilling sets, but Melrose is back in the state final for the first time since 2012 — when it won it all.

After four back-and-forth sets, Melrose (23-2) dominated the fifth set, 15-6 to take down Minnechaug, 3-2, in a Division 2 state semifinal last night at Fitchburg High.

“It’s momentum,” Melrose coach Scott Celli said. “This game is built on momentum and we had the momentum at the end. It was back-andforth all match.”

Melrose rolled out quickly to a 2-0 lead by winning the first two sets by identical 2523 scores. Minnechaug (167) did not go quietly, with its serving propelling them to victories in the next two sets.

The Red Raiders came back from a three-point deficit in the fourth set to knot it 22-22, but the Falcons came back to win the third set with a finishing 3-0 run, 25-22. In the fourth, Melrose held a 23-19 lead, but a 7-1 run by Minnechaug gave it the set, 26-24, to force a decisive fifth.

Sophomore Emma Randolph led the Red Raiders with 24 points on serve and eight blocks, including the first three points in the fifth set to build an early 3-1 advantage.

The sophomore may have led the way, but the senior captains closed out for Melrose. Lily Fitzgerald totaled 45 assists and Saoirse Connolly notched 20 kills, including four in the final set.

Westboro 3, Duxbury 2 — It played out almost entirely like the first meeting this season between these two, except the Rangers put on a different ending in the Div. 2 state semifinals.

It was another five-set thriller, except this time Westboro completed its comeback after dropping the first two sets to earn a 3-2 victory at Taunton High. The win puts Westboro (202) in Saturday’s state final against Melrose, while Duxbury’s season ends at 23-2.

“We just had a breakdown and we stopped playing as a team,” said Duxbury coach Pam Thomas. “They played well all match. I’m very proud of them.”

Strong play by Rachel and Rebecca Melampy, along with Caroline Curley, staked the Dragons out to a 2-0 lead with 25-17 victories in the first and second sets. But Duxbury couldn’t put Westboro away in the third set, which had the teams deadlocked on 11 different occasions.

The Rangers went with a balanced attack led by Alexia Austin’s 13 kills to stave off elimination with back-toback 25-23 wins in the third and fourth sets. Westboro rode the momentum into the final set and Alexa Vassilakis’ kill gave the Rangers a 15-8 victory.

Division 3

Bourne 3, Hopedale 1 — It wasn’t easy, but the Canalwomen (25-2) advanced to the Div. 3 state final with a 20-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-22 victory over the Blue Raiders (21-3) at Algonquin High in Northboro.

Alyson Hickey and Kameryn McAnaugh led the way in sets two and three. When it appeared the Blue Raiders were on the verge of forcing a tie-breaking fifth set, up 20-14 in the fourth set, the Canalwomen rattled off an 11-2 run to win the match.

Hickey finish with 44 assists, passing the 2,000 career mark, while McAnaugh chipped in 15 kills.

Frontier 3, Notre DameTyngsboro 0 — The Red Hawks (16-6) proved the old adage that nothing beats experience, sweeping the Lancers (23-1) by scores of 25-14, 25-14, 25-17 to earn an eighth consecutive Div. 3 state finals appearance.

Consistency has been key in the Red Hawks’ run, as they swept their fourth straight playoff foe. Leading the way for Frontier was junior captain and outside hitter Lauren Davenport, who racked up 19 kills, each one seemingly a more booming strike than the last. Ella Deane had 37 assists.