Last year marked a successful volleyball season for high schools in the area, highlighted by Smith Vocational’s run to the MIAA Division 5 state title game.
With the season already in its second week, the Vikings are not the only team with raised expectations as teams such as Easthampton and South Hadley return the majority of their squads.
Amherst has a new coach but brings up a lot of talent from a strong junior varsity team.
Take a look a who’s returning and what to expect from each team this fall:
Amherst:
The Hurricanes have a new coach taking over the program this season, though she will be a familiar face to most of the team.
Elizabeth Ezekiel moves to varsity after coaching the Amherst junior varsity team last year. Several players who helped the jv squad go 18-0 will follow her to a varsity team that went 14-7 last season and a Round of 32 appearance in the MIAA Division 2 state tournament.
The team returns its top two setters in senior Olivia Nolan and junior Rosalie Davis.
Seniors Mariam Ben Nekhi and Macey Pariseau will be counted on as defensive specialists while junior Ava Kelly steps into the libero role.
After contributing last season as a freshman, Tansy Warwick steps into a larger role as a sophomore.
Belchertown:
After a tough 6-12 season in his second season at Belchertown, coach Chris Shea hopes a big junior class that got varsity experience as sophomores can take the next step.
Setter Olivia Skora led the Orioles in assists last season and will be integral in making sure the offense runs smoothly. She was one of six sophomores on last year’s team, with the group growing to seven as juniors. Cassidy MacLean has the most kills among the returners. Shea believes she should be a force in the middle of the court.
The two seniors on the team, libero Kaiya Cavanaugh and opposite hitter Klara Shaink, are both captains and will be key pieces.
Easthampton:
Molly Jacobson returns for her 20th season leading the Eagles. Despite a 6-14 last season, her team qualified for the MIAA Division 4 state tournament, losing to Minuteman Regional in the preliminary round 3-2.
With five seniors and six juniors, the hope is the team can build from last season and be one of the top teams in their conference.
Libero Summer Routhier and middle hitter Camilla Corsello are two seniors expected to be big contributors for the Eagles. Meanwhile after making the squad as a freshman last year, sophomore outside hitter Eliza Scott-Smith will get an expanded role.
Granby:
The Rams started last season 10-1 and qualified for the MIAA Division 5 state tournament, falling in the first round in five sets to Charlestown.
Coach Emil Herrera Concepcion’s team expects to be one of the top teams in the Metro Conference with several players returning.
Holyoke:
The Knights started off strong last season with an early 5-3 record before a cold stretch of 1-9 to end the year. Coach Paula Conway hopes to avoid the same fortune by returning a squad of all upperclassmen (six seniors, five juniors).
Senior Kelcy Brunelle led the team in kills last season and will be the main point of attack again. Her connection with fellow senior and setter Tatiana Gonzalez will be a key for success on offense.
Nemesis Torres Sanchez will see an expanded role as the libero.
South Hadley
Coach Brooke Connor pulled a team together with no seniors last season to finish with a winning record and get the Tigers to the state tournament. Now with essentially the same team back, South Hadley looks to be one of the top teams in the area.
Senior Grace Matyszewski and her sister Tierney, a sophomore, were first and second on the team in digs last year. Grace also led the team in kills. Senior setter Maya Lamirande returns after tallying over 100 assists a year ago.
Smith Voc
The Vikings made a historical run in the state tournament last season, making the program’s first ever championship game. A loss to Hopedale in the Division 5 final ended the Cinderella run.
After losing just a handful of seniors from last year, Smith Voc returns the majority of its young core that led it to the finals.
Libero Hecmarie Diaz-Lopez will be a key piece on defense. She secured over 500 digs as a sophomore and has to reach the 1,000 mark as a junior.
Irelyn Marcoux is one of two seniors on the team. Her and junior Ednaliz Cruz will be two players to watch out for on the front line.
While the Vikings fell short in the Western Mass. Small Vocational Schools, and state tournaments, the standard has been raised where qualifying for the tournaments is a stepping stone to bigger goals.
“This season has big shoes to fill,” head coach Ashley Clark said. “Going all the way to state finals last year has set a high bar for the team and will put some pressure on the players to push themselves in hopes of making another run.”
