These trend-setters shape team’s success
Setters have vital roles on a volleyball team. Involved in almost every play, they represent the heart of the court, the connection between defense and offense, running the point.
For Newton North, Barnstable, and Needham, the top three teams in this week’s Globe Top 20 girls’ volleyball poll, their setters have had different paths leading to where they are now, shaping the identity of their teams.
Sasha Selivan, a freshman at No. 1 Newton North (16-1), has years of experience playing both indoor and beach volleyball. She sees her future in the indoor game, but playing beach, including training with the national beach volleyball team, has given her opportunities to broaden her skills.
“[Beach] definitely helps me be faster on the court, to be able to adjust to certain sets so I could have enough of a vertical to swing over the net and have it be an effective hit,” she said. “It helps my stamina, I don’t get tired running down balls or jumping every point.”
The 5-foot-9-inch freshman is a strong hitter, but her vision and ability to jump set make her a force. Selivan can catch a defense off guard, jump-setting a short ball to a nearby hitter or sending the ball over herself.
The Tigers graduated Globe All-Scholastic hitter Abigail
Wright from last year’s Division 1 championship team. Selivan’s elite skills and versatility are a major reason Newton North is still a top contender.
“Sasha is special. She’s a really special player,” said Newton North coach Nile Fox. “She’s been training, playing at the highest level. We’re not the biggest team or the tallest team, so we try to go fast. She’s really good with it.”
The Tigers’ only loss was a fivesetter against Barnstable (14-3), where senior Sadie Wellbeloved facilitates another of the state’s quickest offenses.
She started at the junior varsity level in eighth grade, working with coaches and predecessor Laura Cogswell to be ready to start as the varsity setter last fall.
Her longevity in the program and constant communication with her teammates have fostered a fast-paced passing game. The 5-8 senior spreads the ball around and makes passes across the net, even out of system, utilizing the team’s hitting depth.
“The adrenaline really kicks in and helps me with that, those long sets, everyone’s tired,” Wellbeloved said. “Making a great play really helps me keep going and helps the whole team. Keeping up, staying fast and ready.”
Longtime Barnstable coach Tom Turco trusts Wellbeloved to direct the offense, sometimes taking a backseat at practice to let her run the unit.
“I just like the demeanor she has on the court,” said Turco, who recently earned his 750th career win. “Never shows any frustration, and not only is she a really great setter but she’s a great leader on the court as well. She’s just a worker.”
The Red Hawks have been dominant in October. Barnstable’s win over Newton North was part of a nine-game win streak, which was a response to a sweep by Needham, a statement win for the Rockets (12-3), who unlike the others, do not start a natural setter.
In searching to fill that crucial role in 2021, Needham coach Courtney Todesco noted that incoming freshman Lizzie Tam had great passing skills.
“Lizzie naturally had good hands,” Todesco said. “This is a kid who moves well, reads well, understands the game . . . where the matchups are with the blocker, the flow of the game. Her knowledge of the game coupled with natural talent.”
The 5-6 sophomore, also the aces leader on a strong serving team, draws from her back row experience as a passer.
“As a [defensive specialist/libero], you have to have good control and placement,” she said. “I think that helped me place the ball as a setter.”
In this case, a setter’s best friend is also her sister. Sam Tam, a three-time Globe All-Scholastic hitter, is an offensive weapon, and the chemistry between the two helps them find each other on the court.
“It’s a lot of fun having that sister bond on and off the court,” said the 5-11 senior. “It’s been fun having that translate onto the court as well and I think that’s made us closer because we have a lot more to talk about now.”
In close competition for the Division 1 title, it could come down to the setters to determine who comes out on top.
“They have to balance the attack to get points, but they also have to sense a hot hitter and they have to be able to read defense and block,” said Turco. “They have to understand what type of defenses teams are playing and if there’s particular attacks that can get the job done.
“Just the fact that they’re involved in every single play makes all setters’ role just incredible.”
Set points
■ Their 10-6 record isn’t eyecatching, but a young Brookline team has been surging and the Warriors know on their best day, they can beat just about anyone. A month ago, they delivered Needham its first loss (four sets), and in the past week they came away with five-set wins over No. 14 Weston and No. 10 Natick.
“I’ve known that these players can amount to this,” said
Brookline coach Caitlin Sobolewski. “[It’s] getting them to the level where they can believe it.”
Eight underclassmen receive playing time for the No. 13 Warriors, including sophomore Emilie Ferdinand and freshman Noga Naveh, who rank as the top two on the team in kills, and sophomore libero Bella Bacon, who leads in digs and receptions.
“They’re really gaining confidence and growing into their roles and expectations I set for them at the beginning of the season,” Sobolewski said.
■ Prior to the season, the question was if Franklin or Attleboro would be the best in the Hockomock. Then Canton beat every team in the league.
The No. 4 Bulldogs (16-0) don’t have stars from the top club teams, but their inseparable bond has paid off. Led by senior hitter Jess Wright and sophomore setter Erin Bigham, they’ve only dropped four sets all season.
“We’re a blue-collar team. The kids are working hard. It’s a great team personality-wise,” said Canton coach Pat Cawley.
■ On Monday, Peabody coach Lisa Keene earned her 300th win with a sweep of Swampscott.