Melrose rolls at 7-1; shuts out state champ Frontier, 3-0
Published in the September 30, 2016 edition
MELROSE VOLLEYBALL was all smiles on Saturday when they beat Div. 3 State Champ Frontier, 3-0. Pictured from left: Kaitlyn MacInnes, Cat Torpey, Erin Torpey, Lydia Lombardo, Julia Symonds and Saoirse Connolly. (Steve Karampalas photo)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE — The Melrose Lady Raider volleyball team resumed their winning ways by beating reigning Div. 3 State Champ Frontier, 3-0 on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Melrose Middle School gym in sets of 25-15, 25-13, 25-15. The win helped improved Melrose to 7-1 overall as they compete this week in back-to-back games, including a marquee match up against Notre Dame.
“We were very fortunate to have Cat [Torpey] back in our lineup – she made a difference for us,” says Melrose head coach Scott Celli. “We were happy to play Frontier. We always want to play the best teams and build our schedule that way,”
Frontier was a new opponent for Melrose and a team that is a perennial Div. 3 State champ, thus it was important for Melrose to not only sport their best defense but power up their front row in lieu of senior captain Victora Crovo, who is only now returning from injury. Thanks to Torpey (8 kills) and Saoirse Connolly (13 kills) Melrose kept well ahead of Frontier who brought to the floor hitters Lauren Davenport and Selayna Bathurst.
“They come at you, they have some tough hitters up front,” said Celli. “I thought our defense played well against them.”
That includes the work of Kaitlyn MacInnes at libero. “She’s the head of our defense and the best defender in the league,” says Celli. “She plays incredibly hard, not just on the court during games but in practice and that really can make all the difference.” Celli also credited the tough back row defense of Katie Donovan and Jill Mercer, along with setter Lily Fitzgerald, who had 19 assists and went perfect on the serving line, along with MacInnes.
Crovo is expected in uniform this week, though possibly in limited play. In her absence Melrose has seen Torpey take command up front with Saoirse Connolly also coming up big in hitting, along with under-the-radar hitter Lydia Lombardo. “Lydia’s been a force on the outside and has improved her game,” says her coach.
Celli is also excited about the efforts of his new freshmen Emma Randolph, Erin Torpey and Mary Kate Mahoney. “The future is bright with these three.”
On Tuesday the team traveled to Watertown to face the 1-5 Raiders and walked away with a 3-0 win in sets of 25-10, 25-8, 25-15. Leading the attack was Saoirse Connolly with 10 kills while Lily Fitzgerald tallied 21 assists. Melrose helped their cause by serving flawless at the line.
With a tough Notre Dame slated for this week (Thursday, post deadline) and Arlington Catholic schedule for Oct. 10, Celli wants Melrose at full capacity as they reach the mid point of the season.
“We want to get Victoria healthy and play the way we can. Because when we focus and play well, we can compete with anyone.”
