The Chelsea High volleyball team came through with its biggest win of the season, 3-1, over CAC archrival Northeast Regional this past Tuesday.
The victory moved Coach Lisa Ceccherini’s Lady Red Devils into sole possession of first place in their division of the CAC with a perfect 4-0 mark.
The contest started out as if it would be anything but a Chelsea “W” as Northeast took the opening game by a wide margin. “We lost the first game big time,” said Ceccherini, “so we had to regroup and adjust our strategy. Instead of trying for the big hits, we took what they gave us.”
The change in playing style paid immediate dividends as the Red Devils rallied to take the second game to even the match at 1-1 and then kept up the momentum by capturing the third game by a wide margin.
“We continued to get stronger and gain confidence as the match went on,” said Ceccherini, who cited the serves and hitting of Captain Erin Kelley in the second game as being a crucial factor in the turnaround.
The coach also noted the fine passing of sophomore Cristal Rodriguez, the hard hitting of Deina Mejia, and the hustle and defense of Karolyn Moni as being keys to Chelsea’s success in those two games.
However, in the fourth game Northeast regrouped and refused to go down without a fight. Chelsea fell behind early and then rallied to take a small lead. But the game’s outcome came down to the final points as the teams battled through ties of 23-23, 24-24, and 25-25 until the Lady Red Devils finally prevailed, 27-25, to claim the match.
“We showed some toughness at the end, which was good to see,” said Ceccherini. The coach lauded the overall play of the junior trio of Shuly Sejour, Jacqui Lopez, and Jessyka Quinones. “It all starts with the first pass,” said the coach. “That pass has to be made well for everything else to be successful.”
The Lady Red Devils face a busy week. They host Greater Lawrence today (Thursday), travel to Shawsheen tomorrow, and then journey to Presentation of Mary Tuesday.