Published in the November 16, 2016 edition
THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM proudly displays the Division 3 North sectional trophy after the Pioneers defeated Notre Dame 3-0 Nov. 12. Front row, from left, junior Makayla Maffeo, senior captain Rebecca Albanese, senior captain Olivia Pascucci and senior Camie Foley. Back row, from left, head coach Michelle Perrone, senior Katie Nugent, freshman Sophia Wilkinson, sophomore Samantha DeGeorge, junior Ali McPherson, junior Elana Kotler, senior Laura Mucci, junior Emory Caswell, senior Jessica Badger, junior Maxine Boyle and freshman Melissa Morelli. (Dan Tomasello Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
WILMINGTON — It’s incredibly difficult to stop a dynasty and the volleyball team is no exception to the rule.
The third seeded volleyball team won its seventh straight Division 3 North sectional title after the Pioneers defeated number one seed Academy of Notre Dame 3-0 at Wilmington High School Nov. 12.
“This never gets old because you have a different group of seniors every year,” said Pioneers head coach Michelle Perrone. “That is what makes it special.”
Senior captain Olivia Pascucci echoed Perrone’s point of view.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Pascucci. “Coach Perrone runs such a great program every single year.”
Senior captain Rebecca Albanese agreed.
“I am glad we were able to keep her streak going,” said Albanese.
The Pioneers and Lancers repeatedly exchanged leads during the first set. The locals took an early 7-5 lead, but Notre Dame clawed its way back into the set and went on a 9-6 run to take a 14-11 lead halfway through the first set.
Lynnfield came roaring back after Pascucci had some key serves. Notre Dame had a 16-15 lead when the Pioneers went on a 10-4 run to win the first set 25-20.
“I don’t think we were sure what to expect,” said Albanese about the locals’ performance in the first set. “We got it together at the end.”
Senior Katie Nugent agreed.
“I think we were little nervous because it was such a big game,” said Nugent.
Notre Dame jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in the beginning of the second set. Lynnfield came back and managed to tie the set at 10. After taking a brief 11-10 lead, the Lancers went on a 4-1 run, forcing Perrone to call a timeout.
The Pioneers responded by going on a 7-1 run and took an 18-15 lead, forcing the Lancers to call a timeout. After senior Laura Mucci had some key serves, Lynnfield finished the set by going on a 7-2 run to win the second set 25-17.
“The second set was a turning point for us,” said Perrone. “We talked during one of the timeouts about keeping momentum on our side of the net. After the timeout, we started to get our offense going.”
The Pioneers dominated the third set from start to finish. Lynnfield jumped out to an early 9-4 lead and had a 16-5 lead when Notre Dame called another timeout.
Senior Came Foley and Pascucci had some key serves down the stretch, which allowed the Pioneers to go on a 9-2 run and win the third set 25-7.
Perrone commended the Pioneers’ performance against the Lancers.
“The team played terrific today,” said Perrone.
The Pioneers previously defeated Notre Dame 3-0 in the 2014 Division 3 North finals. The Lancers came into the match with a 22-0 record.
“We didn’t play Notre Dame during the regular season this year and we usually only see them in the state tournament,” said Perrone. “They are a great opponent and are well coached, so we always have to make sure that we are doing what we need to do on our side of the net in particular our serving, our passing and our defense. We worked on that throughout the season to counter balance our height issues.”
Perrone credited the Pioneers’ victory over Notre Dame to the team’s serving.
“We served very well today,” said Perrone. “I was very happy with our serving.”
Pascucci agreed.
“Our serving definitely helped us pull through,” said Pascucci.
Nugent led the Pioneers with 14 kills, three digs and two aces.
“Katie had a lot of key kills for us,” said Perrone.
Foley had 13 digs.
“Camie had some nice digs,” said Perrone.
Freshman Melissa Morelli finished with 11 assists, six digs and two aces.
“Melissa played great today,” said Perrone.
Perrone commended Pascucci’s resiliency against Notre Dame after the outside hitter made some early mistakes.
“Olivia came back with a spitfire at the end,” said Perrone. “She stayed with it and didn’t let those mistakes get to her. She finished very strong.”
Perrone also praised Albanese and Mucci’s performance against the Lancers. Albanese finished with nine digs
“I thought Rebecca played great today,” said Perrone. “Laura had some fabulous serves at the right time today. She was key in finishing in the last couple of sets.”
The Pioneers faced Division 3 South champion Case in the Division 3 state semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 15, taking place after deadline.
“They are a very good Division 3 team,” said Perrone. “It’s going to be a battle.”
When asked what the Pioneers need to do win the state title, Perrone commented, “We need to maintain momentum and communicate our side of the court.”
Albanese concurred with Perrone’s sentiment.
“We have to come out with more energy the next time,” said Albanese. “What is most important is we have to keep every ball on the court. We have to be able to move on defense and we have to make smart plays.”
