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The Winchester High volleyball team (12-1) faced two of the state’s best – Franklin and Oliver Ames – the last couple of weeks, and it ended up as a split decision. But for those determining the MIAA power rankings, they saw a group of girls who don’t back down from anybody.
Following the 3-0 loss to Franklin, the Red & Black went on to win three straight matches, including a showdown encounter against Division 2 powerhouse Oliver Ames, and as a result the powers that be awarded them with the top seed in Division 1, according to the Oct. 9 statewide standings.
Since then, however, Brookline (10-1) took over the top spot, with Winchester dropping down to second after the Oct. 13 rankings came out.
During this stretch, the Winchester girls started it off with a trip to Franklin on Sept. 30 to face the Panthers, currently the fifth-ranked team in Division 1, but by the end of the match the home team came away with a convincing 3-0 victory. Both teams have identical 12-1 records.
Coach John Fleming’s crew then came roaring back to shutout host Reading (Oct. 2) and visiting Burlington (Oct. 6), 3-0, before going up against aforementioned Oliver Ames (12-1), currently second to Reading in the D-2 rankings, at home on Oct. 8.
The Winchester girls then proceeded to pin the first loss on those Tigers from the South Shore, 3-1. Before the match, the Tigers were first in the Boston Globe overall statewide rankings, while Winchester was third.
“We started out playing great, scoring the first seven points in the first set, but we knew (Oliver Ames) would play better,” said Fleming. “We went on to win the first set pretty convincingly, before dropping a close second set. We then had to come back from big deficits in the third and fourth sets. At that point, I was really impressed with the poise that our players showed, when they were in a big hole. This match was definitely our biggest area of growth since that Franklin loss, where we were not able to bounce back as well from mistakes.”
Fleming singled out Hazel Lovins after coming up “huge” with 27 kills against the Tigers. He also thought Maddie Crooks once again had a fine all-around game, especially on defense.
“She also served well, and had a big night offensively with 16 kills,” the coach added.
Defne Mergen distributed the ball well, keeping the Oliver Ames defense on its toes, while Kaiyal Kumaran had one of her best games of the season, according to the coach. Maggie Angevine picked up eight kills.
Fleming was the first to credit Franklin after the team’s lone loss of the season to date.
“Franklin is clearly one of the best teams in the state,” he said. “Give them all of the credit in the world. They were simply relentless on both offense and defense. We had trouble settling into our offense, because they were so aggressive in their own attack. Anytime that we were able to stay in our system and get great looks, they often made great plays themselves to keep the ball alive.”
But the Red & Black quickly regained their winning form against the Rockets.
“This was a really good road win for us,” said Fleming. “Reading, a well-coached team, was undefeated at the time, and was second in Division 2. They have a really good group, and should make a deep tournament run. We knew that they would be excited to play us. The match had very competitive sets, but we were able to hold on each time to shut them out.”
Lovins once again played well, with Fleming adding that she has “found her rhythm.”
The veteran Winchester coach also singled out Crooks, who had “a few big-time swings.” He then mentioned that Izzy Bormann is back in the mix, adding to the team’s offense and blocking game.
After getting back on track against Reading, the Winchester girls were ready to welcome Burlington to town. The Red Devils (8-4) are the seventh-ranked team in Division 2.
“I thought Karen (Huai) was terrific once again at the service line, coming up with five aces,” said Fleming, after the Burlington game. “We also tried her out in a new spot during the third set, and she played well there, as well. Having that ability to play multiple positions is huge for the team (down the road).”
The coach once again thought that the entire team played well. Specifically, he mentioned that Liv Thompson served well, and had “a few great swings,” while Ella Centurelli did a nice job on defense in the back row, and also had the game-sealing kill.
Despite being sick, Bella Comes once again came in off the bench to serve up the ball very well, and Molly Doyle made a few good plays on both offense and defense, according to the coach.
With seven matches left on the regular season schedule, starting with the Oct. 13 home encounter against Belmont, the Red & Black will finish up this week against host Wilmington on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 5:30 p.m.
Joe McConnell is a longtime, award-winning sports editor for numerous North Shore publications. He has been covering Winchester sports for the News since November 2024 and is currently its Sports Editor. He can be reached at editor@winchesternews.org.
