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The Winchester High girls volleyball team made it all the way to the Division 1 Elite 8, before being eliminated by Newton North, the second seed, 3-1.
The Red & Black girls were the seventh seed after going 19-1 in the regular season. They then defeated North Andover (3-0) and Needham (3-0) easily in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Newton North ended up advancing to the championship match, only to lose to Franklin, the fifth seed, in a close encounter, 3-2.
It’s time to turn that proverbial page, and Coach John Fleming had no shortage of players, when the tryout season began on Aug. 24. A total of 64 girls showed up, looking to earn a spot in the program.
Naturally, there’s no shortage of optimism as the regular season is about to begin at home against Stoneham on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m.
“Our expectations are high again after last season,” said Fleming. “We had a great season, but our goal is to raise the bar even higher. We hope to be a very competitive group that plays and practices with max effort, lots of enthusiasm and positive energy.”
Senior setters Bella Comes and Defne Mergen, and senior outside hitter Maddie Crooks are this year’s captains. Senior outside hitter Hazel Lovins returns after being one of the leaders on last year’s squad. She’ll provide that necessary varsity experience to help produce another successful season.
Middle hitter Viviana Cella, outside hitter Ella Centurelli, and right-side hitters Karen Huai and Liv Thompson round out the seniors on the varsity roster.
While there are enough veterans to put them over the top in matches this year, Fleming has a couple of youngsters, who will provide depth to go along with much hope that the winning will continue well into the future.
“Our two youngest players – freshmen Noomi Melhorn and Maggie Angevine – have been a surprise so far,” said Fleming. “Noomi Melhorn, the younger sister of one of last year’s captains Johanna, has had a tremendous tryout. I hadn’t seen her play much, but she has certainly passed the test at a high level (in the early going), while (Angevine) just moved to town from Atlanta, and (has already demonstrated) that she’s a talented setter / right-side hitter.”
But like any season, it all comes down to the competition, and Fleming foresees that the Middlesex League should be stronger this year. He cites Reading being stronger, because it returns most of last year’s team, while also mentioning that Woburn has two big-time middles, and Melrose has looked better over the summer, despite being a young team one year ago.
The Winchester girls scrimmaged Bedford, N.H. at home on Aug. 31 after they participated in a jamboree in Salem, N.H. two days earlier. Bedford actually won that exhibition tournament, but the Red & Black got even with them in Monday’s tuneup.
“We played pretty well in pool play during that all-day (jamboree) in Salem,” Fleming said. “We won our first playoff game, but fell way behind in the next round against Pinkerton Academy, and never were able to climb back into it. Bedford ended up winning the tournament, so it was fun to get a chance to scrimmage them again on Monday, and beat them, 3-0. We were able to try a few different lineups, which was helpful, and were also much better in serves and serves receive.”
The Red & Black had another play day, this time at home, on Sept. 4. A total of 12 teams participated, which served as the final warmup, before the home opener against aforementioned Stoneham on Sept. 8. They will then be at Woburn to face the Tanners two days later at 5:30 p.m.
Joe McConnell is a longtime, award-winning sports editor for numerous North Shore publications. He began covering Winchester sports for the News in November 2024 and is currently its Sports Editor. He can be reached at editor@winchesternews.org.
