5th seeded Weston stuns top seed Melrose to end season
CROVO SISTERS Victoria (left) and Stephanie proved tough front row blocking but the Lady Raider volleyball team fell last Thursday in the sectional semifinals of the MIAA D2 North playoffs, 3-0 (Steve Karampalas photo)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE — For the first time in over a decade the Melrose girls’ volleyball team failed to advance to Division 2 North finals.
On Thursday, Nov. 6 the Melrose Lady Raiders (22-3) fell to fifth seeded Weston in the Div. 2 North Quarterfinals at the Melrose Middle School Gymnasium, 3-0. It was an early exit for Melrose, who won the state in 2012 and has clinched the Middlesex League every season for over 10 years. But it appears the landscape of Div. 2 North volleyball has changed with the emergence of Weston, an upstart program now seven years in existence. This was the Wildcats’ first sectional appearance and first meeting with Melrose, known as an elite team in Massachusetts, who once again boasted another 20 plus win season this fall.
Melrose had to contend with a tough Wildcat team including monster hitter Athena Ardila, who delivered 19 kills for Weston.
After the game Melrose head coach Scott Celli referenced Weston’s clean and aggressive play.
“They played better then we did, that’s the bottom line,” Celli said. “They played better in all aspects of the game. We started off strong in game one and then all of sudden they got a couple kills and we started playing soft,” he added. “You can’t do that against a good team and that’s what we did.”
One could not have asked for more from Melrose senior captain Allie Nolan, who had 27 assists and both hands full setting up attackers while Melrose’s back row struggled. Overall, the Lady Raiders offense was sluggish; hitters missed a number of easy shots and the team overall was often not able to distinguish balls that were in play or out. But it was Weston’s Ardila (a national volleyball player) who proved the biggest threat to Melrose, though the Lady Raiders were able to somewhat contain her in sets two and three.
“Their big hitter was really a non-factor in the match,” Celli said. “We blocked her real well. It was the other five people on the court that beat us. It wasn’t her. As great as she is, I thought we controlled her for most of the match. She got her kills but didn’t get (her usual) 25-30 kills. So I think we did a good job with her. We just didn’t do a good job with everybody else.”
Overall, Melrose’s hitting was sporadic, with sophomore captain Victoria Crovo delivering 10 kills and senior captain Meri Lessing tallying nine over the course of three sets.
“We prepared well for Melrose,” said Weston coach Fabian Ardila. “They’re always such a great team to play. They’re so strong defensively that we knew what we had to do coming in and they did a wonderful job defensively. It wasn’t easy, by far, but it was a fun day.”
Melrose started off on the right foot in the first set, taking a 7-0 lead while Weston got their bearings but soon the Lady Raiders were off balance from a strong Ardila who helped Weston take the win in sets of of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-20 .
“In Game 2 we started playing better, we just could never get the lead,” Celli said. “Same thing happened in Game 3. We started strong and again when they came back we just struggled to maintain any momentum. They made more plays then we did. That’s why they’re going on to play Saturday night and we’re not.”
Among the highlights in the first set was a strong service run from senior Stephanie Crovo and impressive block kills from 5’6″ Allie Nolan, who, along with Victoria Crovo, helped put out the fire Ardilia lit during the set. While Melrose missed eight kills overall, Nolan, Victoria Crovo and Hannah Mulcahey all contributed three kills but it was not enough to prevent the 25-21 Weston set victory. Melrose never took a lead in the second set, falling to deficits of 7-2 and 10-4 but managed to climb back into the game at 11-15 and 17-20, thanks in part to Victoria Crovo and Hannah Mulcahey’s hitting. A Weston service error locked the game at 22 before a serving ace and Ardila kill ended the set at 25-23 and Melrose fell 0-2. Marisa Cataldo had a quality game in set 3, helping Melrose stay toe-to-toe at 5-5 and 8-8 with seven overall kills, while Allie Nolan fought for every point with well executed corner shots. But Ardila continued her attack helped with strong serving from Weston’s Emma Lucas and together they closed the door on the Lady Raiders, 25-20, handing Melrose their earliest playoff exit in several years.
Melrose’s front row may have been hampered by the ankle injury to 6’0″ Cat Torpey, who has been out the last two games. Fortunate for Melrose, the sophomore Torpey will return next season to pick up where she left off.
Thursday marked the end of the high school volleyball careers of senior captains Meri Lessing and Allie Nolan. Nolan finishes her career with 1,125 assists while Lessing finishes with 478 MHS kills. Other seniors saying goodbye are serving whiz Stephanie Crovo, libero Amanda Cain and back row specialist Ashley Harding.
According to Celli, there will be work to do for next season but Melrose always has a niche for reloading. Most of their front row offense returns, though Melrose will need to resupply their setter and defensive positions. Freshman Lily Fitzgerald looks to be the heir apparent setter after an impressive debut this year.
“We’ll still be good,” Celli predicts. “We had kids on the bench today that could play at this level that you didn’t see tonight. We’ve got a strong bench and a bunch of those kids are going to be starting for us next year. So we have a bright future.”
Still, there is no easy way to lose seniors, particularly his senior captains who are among the last members of the Div. 2 State Champion team in 2012. “Meri and Allie were great leaders for us this year,” Celli said. “They worked hard each and every day. They molded the team after them, both with their consistency and their leadership. It’s just too bad it had to end this way.”
At the end of the day, the lesson for the MHS volleyball team may be that you don’t get to win a state title every year. Not even the best can do that.
“We’ve only had one year in the program’s history that won our last game,” he added. “We’ve had plenty of teams that have lost their last game. We just need to be better.”
Editors note: On Saturday, Nov. 9 Weston became Div. 2 North Champs after beating Arlington Catholic 3-2. They advance to North State Sectionals to play Minnechaug this week.
