A powerful Lynnfield team defeats Melrose, 3-0
Published November 16, 2018
STONEHAM—There’s a new sheriff in town in the Div. 2 North volleyball field.
Lynnfield High, in just their second year in the division, beat #11 seed Melrose in the Div. 2 North Semifinals on Nov. 8 at Stoneham High, 3-0, while on the path to their Div. 2 North victory, clinched on Saturday over Burlington.
The Pioneers won in straight sets of 25-22, 25-21 and 25-13 thanks to a hard-to-beat tandem of Sam DeGeorge and Melissa Morelli, a power-hitting blocking duo that made Melrose’s day miserable. Melrose was led in kills by Emma Randolph (10) and Erin Torpey (8).
“I give [Lynnfield] credit,” said Melrose coach Scott Celli after the game. “They were just the better team today and we had no answer for them. They handled a lot of the stuff we did. They’re a very good defensive team, maybe the best we’ve seen this season.”
THE LYNNFIELD Pioneers ended Melrose’s playoff run in the Div. 2 North semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 8 at Stoneham High. (Dan Pawlowski photo)
Set one was competitive, with the teams tied at 3 behind hitting from Melrose’s Randolph. But Lynnfield had Melrose rattled in the back row with quality serves and the Lady Raiders misfired on a few kills to see them fall behind, 9-5. Lynnfield committed their own misfires and let Melrose climb back into the game. A block-kill by Claire Albuja and equalizer by Erin Torpey tied the set up 18. But some heavy pounding by Lynnfield’s DeGeorge took the set out of Melrose’s hands and made it a 23-19 deficit. Despite a great kill by Grace Davis and a block kill from Randolph, Melrose lost the set, 25-22.
Set two saw Melrose and Lynnfield tied early, thanks to hitting from Emily Hudson and Erin Torpey, but Melrose hit a few balls out of play and soon the Pioneers were up 12-10, thanks to powerful hitting from Morelli. Erin Torpey found the floor for Melrose a few times but Lynnfield’s Morelli remained on a tear. The Pioneers took the second set, 25-21. Lynnfield took a greater lead in the third set, outpacing Melrose 4-1 and 6-3 before Melrose tied it up 8-8 on a Torpey kill. But Morelli and teammate DeGeorge continued to hit hard up front and Melrose fell behind, 13-11, and never caught up. They ran out of steam and watched Lynnfield (and DeGeorge) run away the game in a final score of 3-0.
“We never really got into a flow,” Celli surmised. “They served well and made it hard for us to pass.”
And while it was a disappointing loss, particularly one year after going to States, Melrose was able to clinch their 17th ML championship this year. And there were no “senior tears” after the game because there are no seniors, which means an equally talented Melrose team will return next season. Expect the Lady Raiders to be back in playoffs, fighting once again for the Div. 2 North crown.
“We’ll be a different team next year,” says Celli. “We’ll be a year older with a bunch of seniors. I’m sure they’ll have a different feel about how they approach these games, especially games in the tournament, where they know it’s over if they don’t win. But I’m proud of what they did this year. They did a wonderful job against some top quality competition. And we’ll play all those teams again next year.”
