After a long, 16 month hiatus, high school girls volleyball returns to the Recorder area Wednesday.
All eight local schools — Athol, Franklin Tech, Frontier, Greenfield, Mahar, Mohawk Trail, Pioneer and Turners Falls — will compete in the Franklin County League. The eight sides will play each team at least once, ultimately totaling 12 matches apiece over the course of a month. The season is slated to end on April 19.
Frontier enters the season as the clear team to beat, as the Red Hawks won the MIAA Division 3 state title the last time they took to the floor back in 2019. There’s plenty of experience back with eight seniors returning to the lineup as well.
Mahar and Turners both qualified the Western Mass. Div. 3 tournament in 2019, the only other schools in Franklin County to do so. Both will be tough outs again this season.
Here’s a closer look at each team (2019 record in parentheses):
Coach: Donna Lajoie
Donna Lajoie cleaned out her garage this past summer, throwing out all her volleyball coaching equipment thinking she’d never need it again.
That proved to be a premature decision as Lajoie is back leading the Athol program after coaching the girls for 17 years until 2011 and coaching the Athol boys volleyball team until 2016.
“It’s going well so far,” Lajoie said. “It’s been a while but it’s nice to be back. I didn’t realize I’d be coaching again but I’m psyched it all came together and I’m back.”
Lajoie takes over a squad led by senior setter Lexi Forte, who is expected to bring leadership to Athol.
Alyssa Logan is one to watch at the libero position while freshman Laney Florentino is someone Lajoie sees a ton of potential in.
“We’re lucky, we have 25 girls on the roster,” Lajoie said. “We have a ton of girls and what a nice group. They’re so happy to be playing. It’s a really young team that’s growing.”
Coach: Jade Cuevas
Franklin Tech returns a boat load of talent from last year’s roster. Coach Jade Cuevas said she is prioritizing two goals — accomplish a strong teamwork connection and instill confidence within themselves individually as well as an entire cohesive team.
Cuevas said she sees the opportunity for the Eagles to be particularly competitive on the court, as their roster has a unique combination of power and finesse to aid them this season.
“We have a lot of height and some offensive power that we haven’t had since I began coaching here,” lauded Cuevas. “I am really looking forward to watching this team play to their fullest potential.”
In 2019, Franklin Tech began to gain some momentum as a unit and blossomed into a solid team by the end of the season. The Eagles flirted with a postseason berth. Cuevas emphasized how she really wants this year’s team to continue that trend.
“Last year was a great start to their development as a team,” Cuevas said, “and this year I hope t hey can all realize that they are able to compete with all of our opponents that w e play.”
The Eagles’ balance, e xperience and depth will unquestionably play a key role in the success they aim to have this year. Seniors Mackenzie Martel and Margaret Charlton, juniors Emily Ryan and Renee Reed and sophomore Faith Smith are all solid talents who will be major contributors.
Coach: Sean MacDonald
The Red Hawks are no strangers to success, and with eight seniors leading the squad this year — including back-to-back All-State outside hitter Olivia Deane — that trend of success will likely continue.
Due to the fact that almost half of MacDonald’s roster will be competing in their last year of high school volleyball, his biggest goal for the season is to ensure his seniors maximize the opportunity they were given to play.
“We’re going to do our best to give the seniors the best experience we can,” MacDonald said. “We really want to focus on what we are doing on our side of the net and perfect our game as a team and each player individually.”
With a bigger roster than normal — Frontier is carrying 18 players this season — MacDonald will be faced with a challenge that he has never had to encounter of not exceeding the game day roster maximum of 15. This rule was put in place on account of the coronavirus pandemic.
Because there is no postseason to look forward to, the Red Hawks are using this condensed season as a time to prepare for next season, which begins in just five short months.
“We’re carrying more people right now than we have in the past,” MacDonald said. “We usually carry this many around tournament time, but with eight people graduating, we want to build cohesiveness within the next group that will be returning next year.”
A whopping 46 players comprise the Frontier roster. Out of those 46, MacDonald has great expectations for the entirety of his senior class, especially the aforementioned Deane, along with Reilly Isler, Olivia Rosewarne, and Charlotte Doulette.
Coach: Lisa Moore
After months of just being able to practice, Greenfield is anxious to finally take the court against another opponent.
With four seniors, the Green Wave are ready to be competitive in a tough Franklin County League.
“They’re still trying to get their feet wet,” Greenfield coach Lisa Moore said. “It’s a weird experience. Everyone is working hard but we’re still trying to get that fire lit. They need a little competition. They want to have the feeling of what a game is like.”
Korynne Callahan returns as a middle hitter, with Moore describing her as quick and powerful. She’s also a senior captain.
Cassie Mattei is another senior who is an outside/utility player. She’s a steady passer who makes good decisions as a server and is a good hitter and leader for the Green Wave.
Gianna Conte is another senior captain who will be a big contributor for Greenfield, while Morgan Bardwell will contribute as a setter. Karisma Santana is an athletic middle hitter, Aisha Pruitt-Gonzalez is a strong setter and Kelsey Richardson is another athlete playing outside.
“Everybody is back in the fold,” Moore said. “They’ve done a good job so far. They’re a good group of kids and are happy to be playing.”
Coach: Sarah Woodward
Mahar returns a solid bulk of upperclassmen in 2021. Led by their six seniors, the Senators look to enjoy the time they have on the court while learning more about the game of volleyball, according to head coach Sarah Woodward.
Because of the late start to this volleyball season, several field hockey players decided to join the team for this year.
With field hockey and volleyball not taking place in the same season this year, Woodward was able to recruit several field hockey players to her squad during this Fall II season.
“They are excellent athletes that will help our team out in so many ways,” Woodward said.
Alongside having fun and attempting to win as many matches as possible, the Senators are also looking to develop their younger players, as Woodward surveys the talent she will have back next year to continue to build their program.
“We have a lot of younger players on our JV team which is exciting to start building our program back up after our seniors graduate this year,” Woodward stated.
As for players to keep an eye out for, Woodward sees seniors Madison Harrington, Quincey Drew, Keanna Thompson and Makayla Mathurin, and sophomore Saylor Kegans as potential breakout stars for the Senators heading into the season.
Coach: Olivia Dubreuil
Mohawk Trail coach Olivia Dubreuil knows her team well; after all, she was teammates with some current players just a few years ago.
The Warriors return three starters — Octavia Crawford, Elly Patnode and Alex Lilly — from last year. All three are juniors and have been long time contributors for Mohawk Trail, and Dubreuil will be relying on them this season.
“We’ve always been a close-knit group,” Dubreuil said. “We have a ball together and it works out really well.”
One position the Warriors are trying to work around is setter, as the squad continues to find the right player to fill that role. One player who’s stood out at practice is Sophia Guy, and the junior is playing volleyball for the first time. Dubreuil believes she’ll be an asset this year.
“We have a few kids back who we hope will step up and take the next step with their skills,” Dubreuil said. “We want to get better every year. I don’t care if we don’t have the top hitter in Western Mass., I just want all them to build some skill and teach them and for them to get better.”
Coach: Robin Tibbetts
First-year head coach Robin Tibbetts takes over a roster that is returning key contributors from last fall’s team.
Emily Tibbetts and Lillian Faille, both returning seniors, are co-captains for the Panthers. Tibbetts will be the setter while Faille will rotate at different spots.
“Lily has a ton of power on her spikes,” Robin Tibbetts said. “She’s one to watch this year. Emily is our setter but she can also switch and hit as well.”
Juniors Jane Potee, Alana Redeker and KK Lounder also return for Pioneer, with eighth grader Kristine Given expected to crack the rotation.
“What we’re trying to do is make sure morale is up,” Robin Tibbetts said. “The kids have been locked inside so long, getting to go out and play is great. Our biggest goal is to have fun and make sure everybody gets on the court.”
Coach: Kelly Liimatainen
A common theme this year is that each school is thankful to have the possibility of playing during the pandemic. This theme continues with Turners Falls.
For a team that is noticeably low in numbers, it can be quite challenging to navigate through a pandemic year without any delays or setbacks. Thunder coach Kelly Liimatainen is not necessarily concerned about those challenges. Instead, she’s rather anxious to see how her unit responds to the adversity this season may bring.
“I am really looking forward to coaching this great group of kids,” Liimatainen said. “They work very hard day in and day out, and I am very excited for them to have the opportunity to play this year. We are extremely low in numbers, so players will have to adjust to many different positions and play out of their comfort zone.”
While many coaches are continuing to pursue victories, Liimatainen is pushing for her team to maximize and enjoy their time out on the court with each other. In light of the fact that the Thunder have an undeniably small squad this spring, building team chemistry for future years is a very important goal.
“I hope to make the best out of each and every practice and match, while building resilience, strength, and an even stronger team bond,” stated Liimatainen.
Three underclassmen to watch out for on this young and upcoming Thunder team are Emily Young, Taylor Greene, and Madison Liimatainen.