Volleyball contenders to vie for dominance
Even though some leagues competed in the fall (Catholic Central, Southeast Conference and Patriot League to name a few), the Fall 2 season will have the rest of the teams vying for displays of power in a shortened season.
Needham — the 2019 Division 1 champion from the Central/West section — may not get to compete in a state tournament due to the pandemic, but the players are ready to compete for the Bay State title. Ellie Streeper a junior libero, senior outside hitter Karen Nie, and senior right side hitter Lila Carr are just a few players to watch out for on the Rockets.
Bay State Conference rival Natick should be a factor. The Redhawks return five senior starters: Alison Fahy, Allison Harless, Lauren Pole, Ella Young and Sophie VanArsdell.
Hopkinton will be a tough team to beat in the Tri-Valley League. Despite losing three players to graduation, they return strong leadership with six seniors, including captains Cadyn Boyce and Cassie White. Setter Rachel Leeret and MB Millie Senseney are experienced third-year varsity players, while Hannah Quinlan and Mirabella Paolucci bring strength to the passing and hitting game. Junior returnees include Kate Powers, Sam Berenson, Melanie Gildea and S Cathryn Leighton and all are expected to make considerable contributions this season. Lincoln-Sudbury will be led by senior Liz Lentino and junior Mariana Gaviria. Concord-Carlisle will also be strong in the Dual County League.
In the Division 1 South, Barnstable will field seven seniors to compete against other Cape Cod squads. With the experience of Sidney Higgins, Phoebe Gibson, Vanessa Jones, Caroline Kiehnau, Emily Mulcahy, Greta Nickerson and Emma Tilton, the Raiders should be a fun team to follow. North Attleboro and Oliver Ames will be two squads at the top of the Hockomock league after making runs at the sectional crown.
Winchester brings back a strong club that finished as the state runner-up out of the Division 1 North with senior captains Tia Fiorentino and Grace Thompson leading the way and standout sophomores Lauren Tian and Kate Jiang making contributions as well. Also, in the Middlesex League, Woburn graduated nine seniors and brings back seniors Lily Mahoney, Joana Zeqo and Kellie Collins. A huge sophomore class with Katie Concannon, Brianna Liu, Kara Silver and Hannah Norwell among others will be welcome additions to the Tanners. Masconomet brings back just three senior starters in outside hitter Paige Richardson, libero Sophia Varinos and defensive specialist Robyn Seymour. Senior outside hitter Sarah Reblin joins the starters this year as well for the Chieftains.
The Division 1 Central/ East champion Boston Latin will be led by juniors Hailey Rooney, Holly Sullivan and Christina Zhu as they try to be one of the top teams in the Dual County League. King Philip and Newton North will also return tough squads to compete in the Hockomock and Bay State, respectively.
Canton, the 2019 Division 2 champion, returns 11 players, including senior middles Liz Bickett and Shannon Malloy. Senior Jackie Morrissey is back at the setter position after a strong junior season. She is joined by senior setter and captain Olivia Chinsen, who was sidelined early last season with an ACL injury, to try and win the competitive Hockomock. Ashland has a deep bench supporting seniors Kendel Zee, Lauren Marci, Claire Marci and Maddie Klepper.
From the Division 2 North, Danvers will be the team to beat in the Northeastern Conference, returning all but two players from their state runner-up squad. Carly Goodhue, Lily Eldridge, Megan Murphy and Shayla Saad will be players to follow for the Falcons. Lynnfield will start sophomore sensation Ella Gizmunt, who might be one of the top three athletes in Pioneers’ history both athletically and academically, as well as senior captain Ava Buonfiglio. Melrose, of the Middlesex League, will return a strong team with Emily Hudson, Autumn Whelan and Chloe Gentile leading the way. For Dual County’s Bedford, senior Michaela Schmidt is a player to watch.
From the Division 2 South, Old Rochester returns 13 players after finishing as sectional runner-up against Dennis-Yarmouth. Seniors Kailee Rodrigues, Lexie Vander Pol, Meghan Horan, Shelby Carmichael and Meaghan Dufresne lead the South Coast Conference elites.
In Division 3, Rockland is in rebuild mode after finishing as the state runner-up against Frontier as they lean on Julia Elie and Darcy McGuirk. Case made it to the South sectionals; senior captain Alyssa Storm and senior Hannah Pelletier will help them compete in the South Coast Conference. Senior libero Meghan Oliver will lead a tough Fairhaven squad in SCC play.
From the Div. 3 North, Ipswich has six returners under first-year coach Staci Sonke. Seniors Jillian Gregory, Anna Mossler and Louisa Roesler lead a deep and talented team in the Cape Ann League.