Can anyone stop Needham?
Rockets haven’t lost a match since 2018
How the MIAA’s switch to a statewide playoff system could impact the girls volleyball world is an unknown.
But two things seem clear — the usual contenders are still expected to be in the hunt for state titles, and Needham has utterly dominated Div. 1.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
The last time the Rockets dropped a match was Nov. 1, 2018, when Needham fell to Shepherd Hill in the opening round of the Central/West tournament. Since then, the Rockets have gone on to win a Div. 1 title in 2019, only to follow that run up with a perfect 12-0 season against Bay State conference competition during the Fall II campaign.
Needham has lost key contributors, such as former Div. 1 Player of the Year Karen Nie as well as Lila Carr, but the Rockets will welcome back senior captain Ellie Streeper and Antonia Thommes, who are expected to shoulder responsibilities this year.
“I definitely have high expectations,” said Needham coach Courtney Chaloff. “I, of course, like to set goals with the team, and kind of see where we want to go. We probably have our hardest season schedule that we’ve ever had. We’ve got Barnstable on there, we have Lincoln-Sudbury on there, we have Newton South on there, and of course, the Bay State Conference in and of itself is a pretty tough league to be in as well. I just expect us to compete hard, and take it day by day.”
Winchester met Needham in the 2019 state finals and has transformed from a Div. 2 program searching for relevance into a Div. 1 juggernaut. During Fall II, the Red and Black also went 13-0 and took the Middlesex League title.
But Winchester lost eight seniors to graduation; they’ll turn to Lauren Tian for leadership this fall.
“There’s a lot of new faces that will be on the court trying to gain some experience,” Winchester coach John Fleming said. “But I think our expectations are pretty much the same. We want to go into every game and really compete, and think we have the opportunity to compete against everyone we’re playing. We don’t necessarily have a goal that states: ‘We’re going to do this or that.’ But I think we will be competitive, and will try to maintain the level of success that we’ve had over the last few years.”
Elsewhere in Div. 1, Barnstable is expected to remain in contention. Under Tom Turco, Barnstable captured 10 straight South sectional titles between 2010-19, then won the Cape and Islands League (Atlantic Division) title this past winter. Laura Cogswell, who finished second in the commonwealth in assists last season, will be returning this fall, as will Lindsay Jones.
Boston Latin is hoping for another breakout season behind outside hitters Hailey Rooney and Holly Sullivan, setter Kyri Stavros and middle blocker Christina Zhu.
For three years, the Hockomock League has been controlled by four schools; Franklin now is the primary team to watch at the Div. 1 level. Cailyn Mackintosh (31 aces during Fall II) is expected to lead the way, as are Meghan Linkkila (31 aces, 56 digs) and up-and-coming sophomore Taylor Lacerda (74 kills, 60 digs, 20 aces).
Kya Burdier racked up 197 assists to go with 47 kills and 99 digs for Haverhill. The senior captain is hoping to have a similar run for the Hillies, along with outside hitter Summer Zaino (53 kills).
The Quincy Presidents captured the Patriot Cup title last November with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Duxbury, and turned heads with a victory over Barnstable to start the 2021 season. Annika Schmitt (127 assists, 71 kills, 44 digs) and Mona Ly (177 service receptions, 126 digs, 68 kills, 34 aces) will power things offensively, with Bridget Hoare, Emma Galvin and Colleen Moran also contributing.
Bishop Feehan, ConcordCarlisle, Lawrence, LincolnSudbury and Newton North also remain potential players for Div. 1 supremacy in their own right.
In the Div. 2 field, the Hockomock League remains well-represented. It should be easy to pencil in Canton as a program poised to continue its run of success. Patricia Cawley’s group took home a state title in 2019, then fell to King Philip this past winter in the conference semifinals. The Bulldogs will attempt to rebound behind senior captains Taylor Reynolds, Sydney Gallery, Tayla DeGraw and Anna Verille. Watch out for the emergence of sophomore outside hitter Jess Wright as well.
“It is going to be a brand new look,” Cawley said. “It probably is going to take us a little bit to gel, and give (our players) some experience, where they have the confidence to go out. I have some good athletes. I have really hard-working kids, very mature seniors who are very good leaders. So I think with time, hopefully in the next few weeks, we’re going to really up our game and hopefully by tournament time… we’re going to be peaking.”
King Philip dropped to the Div. 2 level following their victory in the Hockomock Cup championship. Junior captain Ahuuna James (124 kills last season) is expected to bear the brunt of the load offensively for the Warriors, along with help from Stella Bailey and Liv Carey.
Oliver Ames also dropped to Div. 2, and will lean on Hadley Rhodes (257 assists, 66 digs and 52 kills), Madelyn Homer and Sarah Hilliard.
Danvers cruised to an undefeated Fall II season and a Northeastern Conference title, and the Falcons remain tough behind senior captains Tess Vontzalides and Alexia Simpson, as well as two junior starters in Maxine Lapine and Emma Callahan.
Thanks to the return of Molly Murphy (113 digs, 77 kills), Burlington remains a team to watch from the Middlesex League, as is Melrose. Other favorites to contend for the Div. 2 title include Dartmouth, Duxbury, and Hopkinton.
The biggest surprises this year could emerge from the Div. 3 crowd. Its biggest heavyweights from the previous few seasons dropped to Div. 4. Ashland, Austin Prep, Bedford, Cardinal Spellman, Dennis-Yarmouth, Fairhaven and Old Rochester are the early picks to make noise come tournament time.
After making a trip to the Div. 3 semifinals back in 2019, Ipswich was one of the two big schools to drop to Div. 4 for this season, along with Rockland (which won the championship that year). The Tigers return to a full season schedule with a loaded roster, as Claire O’Flynn (41 kills), Elizabeth Linkletter (88 digs, 36 aces), Meghan Wallace (52 kills), Kendra Brown (98 assists, 50 digs) and Carolyn Bailey (55 digs) are all coming back.
Case and Lynnfield are both expected to be in the hunt as well.