MHS Setter Ruth Breen recently reached 500 assists to the season. She and the MHS volleyball team start their post season tonight. (Jennifer Gentile photo)

 


16-4 Melrose starts playoffs at home tonight 

 

By JENNIFER GENTILE

MELROSE—The Melrose High girls’ volleyball team wrapped up their regular season on the strongest of notes, sweeping the entire Middlesex League 16-0 and are riding an 8-game winning streak as they open their playoffs tonight at home at 6:30 against the winner of Stoughton/Holyoke (post deadline).

Melrose has drawn #6 seed in the Div. 2 bracket and can expect to have at least 2 home games this week should they prevail in round 1.

The girls haven’t lost a game since Oct. 8th (against Frontier) and they don’t plan to again, frankly. Of course, the road to a State Finals is a tough one and Melrose will be looking at fairly unfamiliar rivals, King Phillip and Duxbury, as their biggest blocking point to what would be a presumable state final against unbeaten Westborough, who as #1 seed, falls on the other side of the bracket as a heavy favorite, and is the same team who knocked out Melrose in state semifinals last season.

Melrose wrapped up the regular season last Friday evening at home with a Freedom League win over Stoneham, 3-0.

Melrose senior Ava McSorley went on a remarkable 15-point service run to start the game. She served flawlessly over the night, along with senior Ruth Breen, and helped Melrose take a very easy 25-11 first set win. Melrose would win the next sets 25-8 and 25-10 on the kills of Gia Vlajkovic (12) and Chloe Gentile (8). The occasion was made even more memorable for setter Ruth Breen who recorded her 500th season assist, with a 22-assist evening.

Don’t let Melrose’s 16-4 record fool you. Three of those losses come at the hands of the #1 ranked teams in Div. 1, Div. 2 and Division 4. Having a high degree of difficulty has prepared Melrose to not only sweep their ML rivals, but ready them for what they hope will another state final run.

But first, they need to get past the winner of Stoughton and Holyoke, who arrive at the Melrose Middle School gym at 6:30 this evening. (Schedules are subject to change.)

For those who can’t make it in person, check MHS TV on Youtube for streaming at tinyurl.com/MelroseLive.

Fan admission will remain free.