Barnstable Patriot
November 25, 2011
Three (13?) cheers for volleyball team
Patriot Staff
The state champion Barnstable High School girls volleyball team will be saluted by the 13-member town council near the start of its Dec. 1 meeting at town hall, which begins at 7 p.m.
There is no truth to the rumor that a court will be set up in the meeting room, as it's well known that the council works without a net.
11/19/11 Central Catholic v. Barnstable
Barnstable Enterprise
November 25, 2011
A Perfect End To A Perfect Volleyball Season as Red Raiders Topple Central Catholic to Claim 14th State Title
Tom Moran
The target the Barnstable High girls volleyball team wore on its back all season long as the reigning Division 1 state champion was proven to be nothing more than a fashion accessory after the Red Raiders claimed their second straight and 14th overall D1 title with a 3-0 win over Central Catholic last Saturday in Northborough.
The North Sectional champion CC Raiders were probably the best team the Red Raiders had faced all season but in the end, even Central Catholic's best was no where near enough to keep the Barnstable girls from running their record to 23-0 and becoming the first undefeated Division 1 state champions since 2006. The Red Raiders, who lost just four games all season long, added this one to their shutout total by registering the 25-12, 27-25,25-14 victories.
Central Catholic earned the right to be on the other side of the net from the Red Raiders by defeating both Andover and Lincoln-Sudbury, two teams that fell to Barnstable in its run to the 2010 title, only to find out, as did both sets of Warriors last season, that being there and being able to do something with the chance are two completely different things.
The CC Raiders gave a very good accounting of themselves and, for a very brief period of time, even looked like they might have what it took to make their third trip to the D1 finals a story with a happy ending.
Unfortunately for Central Catholic, they found out that when it comes to state championships and happy endings, the Red Raiders wrote the book.
"I can't say enough good things about this team," said BHS coach Tom Turco. "How they played this match today, flying all over the floor, diving over chairs, that's how they practiced every day. This is a team that has left its mark on the Barnstable volleyball program."
And while the play of Barnstable's front line players was again exceptional, it was defensive prowess displayed by the Red Raiders' back line that was the difference in the match, something that was not lost on Central Catholic coach Gannon Paris.
"They're a good team and we're a good team but they played the game on both sides of the net," he said. "Their defense was the difference."
That defense made its appearance on the first exchange of the match when a hustling get by Barnstable's Stephanie Martin helped the Red Raiders claim the first point.
In a preview of what would be a match-long battle at the net, BHS middle hitter Kaylee Deluga and CC outside hitter Hunter Tuck got both sets of fans going with alternating power shots through the opposition's defensive alignment.
After outside hitter Carolyn Morin came off the Barnstable bench and made an immediate impact with a pair of kills, Tuck kept her team even with a nice run at the service line.
The Red Raiders opened up a lead as Deluga ripped down two more kills and then teamed with outside hitter Regan Bristol for a block that put Barnstable in front 13-10.
Setter Kayla Crook added to that lead with a four-point run at the service line that extended the lead to 16-10 and, after Bristol blasted a kill through two CC defenders, a kill by Lynne Hibbard, an ace by Anna Strock, another kill by Kaylee Deluga and a diving touch shot by libero Nikke Deluga put the Raiders from Lawrence in a hole from which they would not escape.
Central Catholic tried to mount a comeback only to have that denied outright by Morin, who first bested a much-taller Tuck at the net by tipping in the block of her initial kill attempt and then rifling a shot through the heart of the CC defense for the game-ending point.
With Kaylee Deluga dominating the play at the net and Crook and Nikki Deluga teaming up for the match's most spectacular point, the Red Raiders broke quickly from the gate as the second game got underway.
When her shot from the right side was blocked by CC's Alex Borelli, Kaylee Deluga shifted gears and went with a soft toss to get the job done after which Nikki Deluga and Crook brought the packed house to its feet with a Sports Center highlight.
Deluga put the play in motion by getting to what looked to be a sure CC point and keeping the ball alive along the left sideline. Crook ran the ball down and, while diving over the CC bench, get it back to Deluga, whose off-balance, punch shot caught the Raiders on the other side of the net out of position and fell in for the point and a 4-1 BHS lead.
Cousin Kaylee took over from there, combining with Bristol to block a Tuck kill attempt, going solo to block a Tuck tip try, going cross-court and backline for consecutive kills before finishing off the one-woman blitz with an ace from the service line that upped the BHS lead to 9-3.
Just when it looked like the Red Raiders were about to break the match wide open, the CC Raiders wrested control of the contest from their Cape-based rivals.
Tuck and frontline mates Claire Foggo and Amanda Williams suddenly ruled the skies, knocking down kills and blocking Barnstable shots to power an 11-2 scoring run that gave Central Catholic its biggest lead of the match to that point, 14-11.
Back came the Red Raiders behind Kaylee Deluga and Bristol, running off six straight points to go back in front 17-14 only to have the North Sectional champs respond with a 6-0 run of their own to regain their three-point advantage (20-17).
A Barnstable timeout had the desired effect as Crook found nothing but floor with her toss shot and Hibbard followed with a booming kill that pulled the Red Raiders to within 20-19.
Tuck countered for Central Catholic, matching kills by Hibbard and Morin, before Kaylee Deluga's well-timed tip over a trio of CC defenders snapped the 22-all tie.
The CC Raiders answered in kind as the hustle of Alexis Michal resulted in a miracle-get-turned-point and one of Barnstable's few ball handling mistakes put Central Catholic back in front 24-23.
Barnstable pulled even at 24-24 but only for a few seconds as Central Catholic found itself in position to win the game after a too-long BHS serve put the Red Raiders on the short end of a 25-24 score.
Turns out the girls from Lawrence weren't in position to win after all as the Red Raiders responded to their first real challenge of the tournament by showing Central Catholic how championships are won, rattling off three quick points to pull out the 25-25 decision.
The biggest point of the game-winning run was the first that came courtesy of Morin, who put the perfect finishing touch on an extended rally that showcased the hustle and desire of both teams by ripping a kill through a pair of CC would-be blockers.
Cole followed with a heads-up tip-in over Borrelli before the CC Raiders did themselves in with a net violation that gave the Red Raiders a 2-0 lead.
The second game might not have produced a win for Central Catholic but it certainly didn't hurt team morale as the CC Raiders went right back after the defending champs as the third game got underway.
Points came one at a time for both teams as diving gets and some very intense play at the net yielded points for both teams with Hibbard coming alive with a pair of kills while Borrelli and backliner Mary Foggo came through with scoring shots for Central Catholic as the teams evenly split the contest's first 24 points.
Tuck made a bid to give her team the lead only to have her shot from the left corner resoundingly rejected by Hibbard and Kaylee Deluga and, just like that, it was time to start warming up the bus for Central Catholic as Anna Strock came off the Barnstable bench and hit the CC Raiders with an eight-spot.
A Hibbard cross-court kill, an ace, a tip-in by Morin, a block, a toss shot and a kill by Kaylee Deluga and a second ace by Strock left Central Catholic staring at a 21-12 deficit.
Making Strock's stay at the service line even more impressive was her defensive play in the back corner of the BHS defensive alignment as the junior made repeated running gets that allowed her team's offense to stay in high gear.
And that, as they say, was that as Kaylee Deluga, Hibbard and Morin delivered kills and Lexi Malakhoff's serve was returned into the net, launching a Barnstable celebration that included both players and fans.
For Kaylee Deluga, her play in the title-clinching match was a near carbon copy of her performance in every match this season as the senior middle hitter finished her night and her BHS career with 15 kills, six service points, 28 serve receives, seven digs and five blocks.
After spending the previous two days battling some cold-flu-like thing, Aine Cole showed up when it was time to be counted, coming up with one kill, eight service points and two blocks.
The Red Raiders also got huge performances from both Hibbard and Morin, who stepped up their performance levels as the importance of the matches increased.
Hibbard had a breakout tournament, establishing herself as an offensive and defensive presence with lots of hops and a power shot that can take your face off while Morin, who also was a real defensive star in this match, showed off both her vertical leap and scoring prowess with several timely kills. Morin finished with eight kills and eight digs while Hibbard came through with seven kills, five blocks and two assists. Regan Bristol also did her part, complementing three kills with four blocks and two digs.
Kayla Crook continued her march toward the BHS assist record, tossing up 31 helpers to go with nine service points and five digs.
For libero Nikki Deluga, it was another night at the office, making all the big defensive plays that don't show up on the stat sheets but do translate into a winning team effort. Nikki paced the BHS defensive effort with 14 digs and also had a dozen serve receives to her credit.
Stephanie Martin also had a very productive evening, coming up with six digs, all of which were highlight quality and both Lexi Malakhoff and Hannah Andres gave the Red Raiders standout two-way efforts.
The Red Raiders got their biggest boost from Anna Strock, who kick-started their match-deciding scoring run with her eight-point stay at the service line that included a pair of aces and was made even more impressive by her outstanding defensive play over that same span. In what was her best outing of the season, the junior wound up with 13 service points, including a pair of aces, and nine digs.
Barnstable Patriot
November 25, 2011
Raiders reign again
Kathleen Szmit
Barnstable wins 14th State Championship
What do you get when you combine 35 kills, 55 digs, 33 assists, and 43 service points? You get the Barnstable Red Raiders 14th Div. 1 State Championship victory.
That's right, the Red Raider girls varsity volleyball team has done it again, defeating Central Catholic 3-0 to claim their 14th state title under the leadership of head coach Tom Turco.
Though held more than an hour-and-a-half away at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Barnstable fans packed the stands to watch their team battle to victory with scores of 25-13, 27-25, and 25-14 to claim the coveted State trophy, proving once again why they are ranked No. 1 in the state.
Barnstable burst onto the court in Game 1, trading points with Central Catholic (also the Raiders) before taking off on a scoring run that brought them to a 15-10 lead, and ultimately the 25-13 victory.
In Game 2, however, Catholic Central set out to remind fans on both sides of the Tomahawks gym why they had made it to the state finals, putting Barnstable behind 9-3 at one point.
Barnstable's determined Red Raiders fought back from a 3-point deficit to take a 17-14 lead, but Central Catholic surged ahead again 20-17, upping the excitement of the match tenfold.
The Central Catholic Raiders seemed on the verge of a Game 2 win, leading 24-23, when a seemingly out-of-bounds call on Barnstable was reversed, giving Barnstable the point, and a much-needed boost.
After Central snagged the next point to eke ahead 25-24, the Red Raiders claimed the next three to win the game and lead the overall match 2-0.
Game three saw stellar performances from each member of Barnstable's team as the Red Raiders blasted away from a 12-12 tie to score eight unanswered points in what became the 25-14 win to sweep the match, their victory sending fans into thunderous applause.
As impressive as their commanding play were Barnstable's stats, with senior Kaylee Deluga driving in 15 kills, six service points, seven digs, and five blocks, while cousin Nikki Deluga recorded 14 digs, one kill, and one ace.
Carolyn Morin wrapped up her career with the Red Raiders with eight kills and eight digs, with fellow senior Lynne Hibbard slamming in seven kills and netting five blocks and Aine Cole with one kill, and eight service points. Lexi Malakhoff had six service points and one dig.
Continuing to demonstrate how bright the future looks were juniors Kayla Crook and Anna Strock. Crook added another 31 assists to her ever-increasing total, along with nine service points and five digs, while Strock contributed nine digs, seven during Game 3, 13 service points, and three aces. Regan Bristol had three kills, two digs and four blocks, and Stephanie Martin had six digs, and Hannah Andres three and one service point.
Turco had high praise for his players. "The highest compliment you can give a group of players is that they're competitive warriors," Turco said after the win. "That's what they were tonight, that's what they've been all season, and that's the type of players I have in this program. I'm real proud of them."
Barnstable-Hyannis Patch
November 20, 2011
Number 14 - Red Raiders Volleyball Team Crowned State Champions
For the 14th time since the program's inception in 1982, the Barnstable High School girls volleyball team was crowned Division 1 State Champions last night after defeating Central Catholic in three straight sets, 25-13, 27-25 and 25-14.
Sean Walsh
The late Vince Lombardi summed it up perfectly over 40 years ago when he said that in order to achieve success in anything in life, one must "pay the price."
For the newly crowned, 14-time State Champion Barnstable High School girls volleyball team, "sacrifice," head coach Tom Turco said, is the essence of how his girls ended the program's ninth undefeated season since 1995.
After dispatching Central Catholic (19-3) last night at Algonquin Regional High School in Northboro in three straight sets - 25-13, 27-25 and 25-14 - the Red Raiders were crowned, yet again, the Massachusetts Division 1 State Champions.
"Last year was like the Magical Mystery Tour for us," Turco explained. "It was a testament of will power. This year, on paper, we had the best team, we knew it and everyone else knew it. All the other coaches said we were a lock to win this out...the girls weren't cocky, they were confident."
Last year, New Bedford was favored to win, but Barnstable took the state title anyway. This year, Barnstable eliminated New Bedford, among other teams, en route to yesterday's title game and the Red & White finished at a perfect, 23-0. It is the school's 8th state championship in the past nine seasons. Turco credited his team's ability to stay focused on the immediacy of each moment during the season, never losing sight of the "team's goals" and being willing to put in the "commitment" to reach those goals.
"X's and O's are easy and they are also secondary to the central approach to the game," he said. "It's about getting everyone on the same page, the coaching staff, the kids."
Senior captain Kaylee Deluga once again led the Red Raiders yesterday with a magnificent performance, tallying 15 kills and 7 digs and was 11-13 on service points with two aces. Fellow senor captains Lynne Hibbard and Carolyn Morin followed with 7 kills and 8 kills, respectively, while junior outside hitter Regan Bristol finished with 8 kills. Kaylee Deluga's teammate and cousin Nikki Deluga finished with 14 digs on the night, while Kayla Crook had 31 assists.
Statistics, however, were also secondary to the fulfillment of the team's goals, Turco pointed out, but he did add that Anna Strock's 9 digs - 7 of which came in the final set - were "pretty impressive."
Turco noted that Central Catholic was the "hardest serving team we faced all year."
But when asked to summarize his feelings about bringing home yet another piece of hardware to the BHS hallways trophy cases, Turco was self-deprecating and candid, as is usually the case with the most winning coach in school history. Since he took over the girls volleyball program in 1988, and established a boys program in 2006, Turco has amassed a 603-89 cumulative record, with well over 500 wins in girls volleyball.
"We never felt we were entitled to anything," Turco said. "But we also knew we were the biggest game on everyone's schedule."
Cape Cod Times
November 20, 2011
Raiders win 14th state volleyball title
GEOFF CONVERSE
NORTHBORO - Mission accomplished!
Barnstable's unbeaten volleyball team has been playing the entire 2011 season with a big bull's-eye on its back as the Raiders sought a repeat of last year's Division 1 girls volleyball state championship.
Saturday night, in an almost sold-out gym at Algonquin Regional High, the Red Raiders withstood another challenge - this time from North champion Central Catholic - to prevail 3-0 and clinch the state championship for the 14th time and for the second consecutive year.
Though it looks as if Barnstable breezed to the crown, Central Catholic (19-3) came within a point of winning the second game and changing the complexion of the match.
But after taking the opening game 25-13, Barnstable's poised squad withstood that second-game challenge, holding on for a 27-25 win, then cruising to a 25-14 win in the final game to clinch the match, the title and an unbeaten 23-0 season.
"That is one solid team," Central Catholic coach Gannon Paris said of the Cape squad. "They have so many offensive weapons you can't just focus on taking away one person with your defense. I really think if we could have come away with that second game it might have been a different match."
Senior Kaylee Deluga recorded 15 kills, seven digs, five blocks and 13 service points, including a pair of aces to lead Barnstable.
Also finishing strong in their final game for the Red Raiders were Carolyn Morin with eight kills and eight digs, Deluga's cousin Nikki, who had one kill, 14 digs and 14 service points and one ace, and Lynne Hibbard who had seven kills and five blocks.
Junior Anna Strock was immense in the final game in the back, recording seven of her nine total digs in the match and running off eight of her 18 service points that included three aces - one in an eight-point stretch that took Barnstable from a 13-13 tie to a 21-13 advantage.
"She was tremendous in that final game," Barnstable coach Tom Turco said. "She just kept coming up with these digs and keeping the ball alive. What a defensive effort on her part."
Another top performance was logged by junior Regan Bristol, who had three kills and five blocks. Junior setter Kayla Crook recorded 31 assists and also had a kill.
Barnstable came out smoking in the opening game, never trailing and never letting Central Catholic get itself untracked.
The middle game was another story with the Cape team jumping out to a 9-3 advantage and appearing to be well on its way. Central Catholic showed why it won the North title, charging back and outscoring Barnstable 11-2 to take a 14-11 lead.
Barnstable also showed some resiliency by surging to a 17-14 lead behind Aine Cole, who served five straight winning points. But the North champions responded with a run of their own, grabbing a 20-17 edge.
The teams traded points and with Catholic leading 24-23, an apparent side out by Barnstable that would have given Central Catholic the win was reversed and declared in bounds, tying the match at 24.
The North champions won the next point to take a 25-24 lead, but then the Red Raiders rallied for the next three points to take the game and a huge, 2-0 advantage in the match.
"These girls don't feel the pressure," Turco said. "I feel the pressure, but they don't. They just go about taking care of business. They are very confident of their abilities and they maintain a calmness when things get tight."
The win makes Barnstable the first undefeated Division 1 state champion since the school's 2006 squad. It also cements this team into school lore as to one of the greatest teams ever to don a Barnstable uniform.
"This is a tremendous group of girls," Turco said. "Winning is what they do, it's not who they are. The highest compliment I can give them is that they maintain their poise in every type of situation. They have earned this championship and all that goes with it."
Boston Globe
November 20, 2011
Barnstable adds No. 14 to dynasty
Liz Torres
At the end, Barnstable coach Tom Turco and setter Kayla Crook smiled brightly and held up 14 fingers - for 14 championships.
ģIt's a tradition of winning but winning isn't who they are. Who they are is a hardworking group of gutsy players,'' said Turco.
Last night at Algonquin Regional in Northborough, Barnstable's dynasty grew by beating Central Catholic, 3-0 (25-13, 27-25, 25-14), in the MIAA Division 1 championship.
"The biggest compliment any coach can give you is that you're warriors and they're warriors," said Turco.
However, the shutout did not come easy.
In the final set, Lynne Hibbard (seven kills) and Kaylee Deluga exhibited the power and tactics that are trademarks of the Red Raiders' reign. And Carolyn Morin (eight kills) delivered a rocket at the back row to set up game point at 24-14.
"I just want to slam the ball every time and that's my mind-set,'' said Morin. "I work on my jump, too, and I'm sure that helps."
And with everything on the line, Crook and Colleen Koen put up a double block to end the match, 25-14. Crook contributed 31 assists and an ace.
The second game was a point-for-point affair with Central Catholic utilizing double blocks to shut down the Barnstable offense. Central Catholic's Amanda Williams and Alexis Michal stopped Deluga to take an 18-17 lead.
ģIn the second game, we were nervous because it got really tight and we quieted down so we knew we needed to change that,'' said Hibbard.
Barnstable regained the lead, but Michal's stellar recovery with a punch for the save made it 23-23. Morin's hit down back tied it again, 25-25. Then two Central Catholic errors handed the game to Barnstable.
"They were on elimination point for that [second] game, and they fought," said Turco. "This whole work ethic thing is contagious and I'm proud of them.'"
In the first set, Barnstable plowed through Central Catholic for 10-point lead. As Barnstable moved to close with power-hitter Morin, Central Catholic put up three double blocks before Morin broke through with a hit to make it 24-13. Morin closed the game with a hit.
ESPN Boston
November 20, 2011
D1 Volleyball: Barnstable 3, Central Catholic 0
Bruce Lerch
NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- Maintaining success year after year at the high school level in Massachusetts is something only a few teams have been able to accomplish, especially in an era where more and more talented athletes are emerging in every city and town across the Commonwealth.
The Barnstable girls volleyball program is one of those that seems to have the state championship formula figured out. The Red Raiders laid claim to their 14th Division 1 state title, sweeping Central Catholic by scores of 25-13, 27-25 and 25-14 Saturday evening at Algonquin High School.
"The highest compliment you can give you a group of players is that they are competitive warriors," Barnstable head coach Tom Turco said. "That's what they were tonight and thats what they've been all season. Thats the type of players I have in this program so I'm proud of them."
Barnstable (23-0) was led by Kaylee Deluga, who recorded 20 kills. Lynne Hibbard added 10 kills and Carolyn Morin had seven, all the beneficiaries of a strong passing night courtesy of junior setter Kayla Crook, who had 33 assists.
Central made them work for it, and a 5-1 stretch early in the first game left the two squads deadlocked at 8-8. That's when Barnstable took over. With Crook spreading the ball around amongst Deluga, Regan Bristol, Hibbard and Anna Strock, the Red Raiders scored eight of the next 10 points, and put together a pair of smaller runs to close out the opener.
The second game was one Central Catholic needed. The Raiders got contributions from Hunter Tuck, Amanda Williams, Alexis Michal and Claire Foggo while taking Barnstable's best punches to take a 20-17 lead.
When Barnstable fought back, the Raiders hung tough and the two teams found themselves tied five times until Barnstable managed to string together consecutive points on a Morin slam and a net violation that ended it.
"That was a good fight. That's what I'll remember my girls for. I'm proud of that," Central head coach Gannon Paris said. "We stood toe to toe for them for a good 35-40 minutes. You want to capitalize on those things and when you have a chance to beat a team like that in a spot like that, you need to capitalize."
Central wasn't able to, and while they were able to keep it close in the third (tied 12-12 midway through), Barnstable simply had too many weapons to overcome and the Red Raiders broke it open with a 9-0 run. The Red Raiders attacked relentlessly from the outside as Crook set up both Deluga and Hibbard for a combined 13 kills.
Explained Crook, "Whenever the hitters go up I always look to my right to see if there's any spots open for them and I'll tell them in between plays then just try and get the ball to my hitters and let them take care of it."
Deluga also pointed to her more defensive-minded teammates as one of the Red Raiders biggest keys.
"They have some really good hitters but we have some really good blockers. We have Lynne and Regan up there at the net and they were on blockers really well. We had good block coverage by our libeiro, my cousin Nikki (Deluga). We had good defense, we dove for balls and Kayla made an awesome play off block and ran into the stands."
Added Hibbard, "Blockwise I think we did very well. We were able to match up with their hits very well. Defense-wise we were picking up tips amazingly. The back row did a great job of picking up all the hits from the middle."
Barnstable Patriot
November 18, 2011
Raiders return to finals
Kathleen Szmit
Girls volleyball vying for state title
When November comes to Barnstable, there are a few things that happen almost with certainty: the weather gets colder, holiday decorations hit the stores and the girls varsity volleyball team gets set to bring home yet another state championship trophy.
After its 3-1 defeat of Brookline Nov. 16 at Bridgewater-Raynham, the Red Raiders will travel to Algonquin Regional High School in Northboro to take on Central Catholic on Nov. 19 for their 14th Div. 1 State championship under the tutelage of head coach Tom Turco.
The Raiders' defeat of Brookline wasn't unexpected, but did come with a bit of drama and a dropped game. Senior Kaylee Deluga was sidelined for a portion of the final game due to dehydration issues, and B-R actually bested Barnstable 25-22 in the third game of the night.
The Red Raiders, however, weren't letting victory slip away, battling back to take the evening's final game 25-15 in a whole team effort.
Games 1 and 2 were won with scores of 25-14 and 25-18 respectively.
In spite of her difficulties, Kaylee Deluga shined, posting 18 kills in the match, 20 service points and 28 service returns.
Deluga's teammates were also stellar, with sister Nikki Deluga adding 13 digs; Aine Cole, eight kills and five blocks; Carolyn Morin, seven kills and 10 digs; Regan Bristol, seven kills and five digs; Steph Martin, nine digs; Anna Strock, 22 service points; and Kayla Crook, eight digs and another 44 assists.
The victory was a continuation of success for the Raiders, who claimed the Div. 1 South Sectional title Nov. 13 against North Attleboro with scores of 25-11, 25-17, and 25-16.
Bristol slammed a team-high 13 kills in the match, while Kaylee Deluga added 11. Crook contributed 37 assists, with teammates Lynne Hibbard adding nine kills and Cole five.
Game time in Northboro is set for 5 p.m.
11/16/11 Brookline v. Barnstable
The Barnstable Enterprise
November 18, 2011
Red Raiders Defeat Brookline 3-1 To Advance To State
Tom Moran, Jr.
Although it was a little harder than it should have been, the Barnstable High girls' volleyball team put itself in position to win a second straight Division 1 state championship by outlasting a game but overmatched Brookline squad 3-1 in state semifinal round action Wednesday at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
After building a 2-0 lead without really breaking a sweat, the Red Raiders stumbled in the third game before getting back on course and recording the 25-14, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15 decision that not only upped their record to 22-0 but also put them on a collision course with Central Catholic in tomorrow's state finals at Algonquin Regional High School at 5 PM.
Central Catholic earned its shot at the Red Raiders with a 3-2 win over Central West winner Lincoln-Sudbury.
Although the Warriors made a match of it with their third-game win, the Red Raiders simply had too much firepower up front and defensive excellence on the back line for the Central East sectional winners to contend with and were never in danger of coming out on the short end of the score.
After the Warriors recorded the match's first point, the Red Raiders used kills by middle hitter Kaylee Deluga (another monster performance, both offensively and defensively) and outside hitter Lynne Hibbard and then a combined block by the same duo to take a lead (3-2) that they would not give up.
Hibbard and Deluga teamed up again to deny Brookline middle hitter Nica Kovalcik before both recorded solo blocks that helped the Red Raiders open up a 10-5 lead.
The rest of the Red Raiders' front line got in on the scoring action as outside hitters Regan Bristol and Carolyn Morin and middle hitter Aine Cole knocked down kills to extend the BHS scoreboard advantage to 16-8.
The Warriors stayed close thanks to the play of middle hitter Maya Midzik but the Red Raiders went to their big gun and Deluga delivered, closing out the first game with a long toss-shot that was followed by a game-ending backline kill.
Bristol and Deluga teamed up on a block to open the second game but the Warriors countered with a pair of kills by Midzik to grab a 4-3 lead and then used a three-point service run by outside hitter Marie Fleming to turn an 7-8 deficit into a 10-8 advantage.
Deluga continued to bedevil the Warriors, banging down a kill, teaming with Regan on yet another block and then ripping a kill through the best defensive efforts of two Brookline defenders to even the count at 12-all.
Hibbard followed with a pair of kills and Morin and Bristol did likewise just moments later to run the Barnstable lead to 23-16 before Deluga powered another game-ending kill through three Warrior defenders.
The give-and-take of the second game carried over into the third game with the Red Raiders grabbing the early lead and the Warriors finally getting some rhythm to their attack and coming back to even the score at 6-6.
Barnstable answered with a scoring run of its own to go back in front but some spirited play by the Warriors let them put together a 6-2 burst that forced BHS coach Tom Turco to call his first time out of the postseason.
"We weren't doing the small things that we have to do to be successful," noted Coach Turco. "We weren't getting to free ball and when we did we weren't making good passes to our setter."
A Deluga kill preceded two kills by Bristol and another Deluga/Hibbard block that seemed to put the Red Raiders in complete control.
That was not the case however as the Red Raiders turned in perhaps their worst stretch of volleyball so far this season, a stretch that allowed the Warriors to erase a 20-15 deficit and go on to tighten things up with the 25-22 win.
That proved to be the Warriors' last gasp as the Red Raiders were all business as soon as the fourth game got underway.
Kills by Morin, Deluga, Hibbard and Cole were the catalysts as Barnstable roared out to a 10-4 lead.
Although it was still early, the thought of another Brookline comeback was put to rest by the great back line play of libero Nikki Deluga and backline mate Stephanie Martin.
Deluga was a defensive whirlwind from start to finish, making spectacular diving gets on an almost regular basis while Martin made the most of her playing time and came up with two diving saves on the same play that ended with a Hibbard kill and a 17-9 Barnstable lead.
Blasts from the wings by Hibbard and Martin found nothing but floor to move the Red Raider lead to 23-15 before Cole and Kaylee Deluga put the Warriors back on the bus with consecutive cross-court kills.
Making a mighty contribution to the Barnstable victory was the service trio of Anna Strock, who couldn't have picked a better time for her best outing of the season by coming through with 22 points from the line, Hannah Andres with 11 service points and Lexi Malakhoff with a nine-point effort.
Nikki Deluga set the tone and led by example as the Red Raiders again proved that the best offense is a good defense as the senior libero had 13 digs and got plenty of support from Morin with a season-high 10 digs, Martin with nine digs, Kaylee Deluga and setter Kayla Crook with eight digs apiece, Strock with seven digs and Malakhoff with four digs.
The Barnstable offense was again impressive as Hibbard and Cole accounted for eight kills apiece and Bristol and Morin came through with matching seven-kill performances.Crook took sharing to a new level and added some touch from the service line as she complemented her 44-assist performance with 14 points from the service line.
Cole also had a big night serving the ball and came through to the tune of 15 service points.
And that leaves Kaylee Deluga, who was again the standard by which all other players were measured as the senior middle hitter fired in a team-high 18 kills, delivered 19 points from the service line and teamed with cousin Nikki to handle the team's serve receive game.
The Deluga girls combined to handle 52 Brookline serves (28 for Kaylee, 24 for Nikki) and had just one serve receive error apiece over the course of the match.
Cape Cod Times
November 17, 2011
Barnstable volleyball: On to the state finals
GEOFF CONVERSE
BRIDGEWATER - To the surprise of few, Barnstable's unbeaten volleyball team advanced to Saturday's Div. 1 state final by topping Central/East champion Brookline Wednesday night at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
What was surprising was that after cruising through the first two games of the match, 25-14 and 25-18, and getting a 21-15 lead, Barnstable dropped the third game of the match, 25-22, only the fourth time this season the Raiders have lost a game.
However, the South Sectional champions regrouped and breezed to a 25-15 win in the fourth game to record a 3-1 victory and maintain their perfect record thus far in 2011, improving to 22-0. Brookline ends its season at 21-3.
Kaylee Deluga had another tremendous match for the Raiders despite having to sit out some of the final game suffering from dehydration.
She came back in and fittingly was a part of the final two points that included a kill, one of 18 she recorded on the night. Deluga also had 20 service points, and 28 service returns.
But there is more to this team than the senior middle hitter.
The efforts of Aine Cole (eight kills and five blocks), Nikki Deluga (13 digs), Regan Bristol (seven kills and five digs), Carolyn Morin (seven kills and 10 digs), Anna Strock (22 service points), Stephanie Martin (nine digs) and Kayla Crook (eight digs and 44 assists) all enabled the Raiders to move on to their 15th state final, of which they have won 14, including last year.
"Nobody skated into the final four," said Raiders' head coach Tom Turco. "You have to expect some tough games and to their credit, they turned it around on us in that third game."
Up to that point, Barnstable had exhibited complete dominance despite a valiant effort by the Warriors' Maya Midzik, who almost single-handedly put Brookline on her back and carried them to the win in Game 3.
Brookline scored nine straight points to grab a 24-21 advantage and of those nine points, the senior outside hitter recorded two blocks for points and four kills.
"We had to key on her," Turco said. "In that stretch, we didn't do the small things right that you need to do to win games. But, I'm not going to complain too much. We did a good job most of the night and we're moving on to the finals."
The Raiders will be facing West winner Central Catholic Saturday at Algonquin Regional High School in Northboro.
Overall, Barnstable was dominant in all phases of the game. The ability to anticipate many of the kill shots by Brookline, digging them out and turning them into Raider scoring opportunities was impressive.
The numerous finishing spikes that resulted in points for the winners and the multitude of blocks at the net were indicative of the Raiders dominance.
"That's a good team that beat us tonight," said Brookline coach Michael Franks. "I don't think our offense was as good as it has been tonight, but Barnstable may have had something to do with that. I'm really proud of our kids, they never quit trying and that has been a trait of theirs all season long."
Also playing well for the Red Raiders was Lynne Hibbard (eight kills and four blocks), who had the kind of game needed when Deluga was on the bench being attended to by the trainer.
"She had a great game," Turco said. "I was happy to see that.
"This was a solid team effort," Turco said. "We have one more to go. These kids have worked hard and set a goal to win it all."
And that just may happen again Saturday afternoon.
Barnstable teammates Carolyn Morin (5) and Lynne Hibbard (10) celebrate with Aine Cole (22) and Lexi Malakhoff after beating Brookline in the Div. 1 semifinals Wednesday at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
- Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times
Boston Globe
November 17, 2011
Red Raiders roll on
Undefeated Barnstable punches ticket to state final
Liz Torres and Nick French
There are three characteristics every champion needs: skill, strategy, and senior leadership.
Barnstable demonstrated all three in its 3-1 win over Brookline in the Division 1 state semifinals last night at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
"They're hungry. They know that's how Barnstable plays," said coach Tom Turco, whose Red Raider squad won by scores of 25-14, 25-18, 22-25, and 25-15.
"We were really prepared and that's one of our best assets," said Barnstable senior Kaylee Deluga. "We have some really good camaraderie on our team. It's always been like that for Barnstable."
In the clinching game, the Red Raiders (22-0) built an 8-point lead behind senior Aine Cole and Deluga, who collected a pair of kills.
"There's a focus and intensity that these girls have. The heart, the desire, the drive, those things, those don't disappear," said Turco.
Deluga had 28 service receptions and 18 kills to up her season total to 286.
"She brings so much to the table. Defensively, service-wise, and on service receive," said Turco. "I would not trade [Kaylee for] anyone in the state."
Her cousin, senior Nikki Deluga, collected 24 service receptions. Senior setter Kayla Crook added 44 assists. She has 405 assists on the season.
Barnstable will face Central Catholic in the Division 1 final Saturday at 5 p.m. at Algonquin Regional.
Boston Herald
November 17, 2011
Barnstable still on serve
Tom Layman, Adam Kurkjian and Sean Brennan
Barnstable will make its 15th appearance in the state final under coach Tom Turco thanks to a 3-1 (25-14, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15) victory against Brookline in the Division 1 state semifinals last night at Bridgewater-Raynham High.
Kaylee Deluga had 18 kills and eight digs, Kayla Crook dished out 44 assists and Lynne Hibbard and Aine Cole each added eight kills for the Raiders, who will meet Central Catholic in Saturday's final.
"We all came together really well and we knew where we were supposed to be," Hibbard said. "We were on the ball with our hitting and our blocking."
The Raiders (22-0) came out with a balanced attack at the net in the first game and rushed to a 6-2 lead after a Deluga kill en route to a 25-14 win.
The teams were knotted at 12 in the second game before the Raiders went on a run behind the serve of Cole. Deluga then slammed home the final point of the 25-18 victory.
In Game 3, Jamie Francona (44 assists) and Maya Midzik (18 kills) fueled a vicious 9-1 run down the stretch to keep Brookline (20-3) alive.
The Raiders, though, responded in the clincher as Hibbard took over at the net.
"We just knew that we had to step up the intensity and we didn't talk as much as we should have," Hibbard said. "We knew that we had to come together as a team because we wanted it, and we got it."
ESPN Boston
November 17, 2011
Volleyball: Barnstable 3, Brookline 1
Tom Layman
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- There's something in the water when it comes to Barnstable girls' volleyball.
The Raiders used a swarming defensive effort - where it looked at times there were eight or nine red jerseys on their side of the court - and a powerful display at the net by Kaylee Deluga (18 kills) and Lynne Hibbard (eight kills) to take out Brookline 3-1 (25-14, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15) in the Div. 1 state semi-finals last night at Bridgewater-Raynham High.
Barnstable (22-0) will now play Central Catholic in the state finals in hopes of securing a 14th championship trophy.
"I'm proud of my girls, they rose to the occasion," said Raiders coach Tom Turco, who has been at the helm for 24 seasons. "You have to give these girls credit."
Turco's crew was able to establish a presence at the net early in the first game. Hibbard had three blocks for kills in the early stages and Deluga showed off her ability to put away points with a big, sweeping lefty strike in the 25-14 win for the Raiders.
The key for Barnstable was limiting the Warriors' key outside hitter, Maya Midzik, from causing havoc on the Raiders back-line. And for two and a half games - including a 25-18 second game victory - the Raiders were able to keep the Warriors (20-3) threat under wraps.
"The thing about their offense is that they don't just go to her exclusively. They trust their other hitters, but we had to key in on her," said Turco. "I thought we did a good job and we adjusted our defense outside the block more and came up with some key digs. She's not going to hit into blocks, she's going to hit around the blocks and to our kids credit they did that well."
Midzik and the Warriors did get things together when it looked like the Raiders would wrap up the clean sweep late in the third game. With the Raiders leading 21-17, Brookline went on a 9-1 run to take a 25-22 victory and extend the match.
The Warriors did most of their damage off the serve of Marie Fleming, as Midzik put away four keys points in that stretch, including a loud kill to complete the comeback.
"We executed our game plan," said Warriors coach Mike Frank. "That was probably the best eight points we played all night, in a row anyway. We didn't quite execute what we wanted to do."
The Warriors had all the momentum going into the fourth game, but the Raiders calmly got back to the defense at the net and the ability to withstand the rushes from Midzik and the other outside-hitters to grab a lead at 3-2 and never look back.
Hibbard starred again as she teamed up with Regan Bristol to record a few blocks and form a wall at the net, and the back-line did it's job in funneling the ball to their attacking offensive players to finish off the match with a 25-15 win.
"We just knew that we had to step up the intensity and we didn't talk as much as we should have," said Hibbard. "We knew that we had to come together as a team, because we wanted it and we got it."
CAPE COD TIMES
November 16, 2011
Raiders eye another state title
JEN McCAFFREY
There's not much that the Barnstable volleyball team hasn't already accomplished. Just two games separate the Red Raiders from their eighth state title in nine years and their 14th title in 18 years.
Barnstable (21-0) will take on Central/East champion Brookline (20-2) tonight at 7 in the Div. 1 state semifinal at Bridgewater-Raynham High.
The Raiders kept their perfect record intact as they claimed their 17th Div. 1 South Sectionals title after three consecutive 3-0 wins over Walpole, New Bedford and North Attleboro.
Barnstable has only dropped three in-match games the entire season, two of which came in a 3-2 win over Frontier Regional.
But head coach Tom Turco said his team, despite its success, isn't getting ahead of itself.
"We're entitled to nothing other than the fact that we know every opponent we play is going to be on their 'A' game," Turco said. "This is a state semifinal. There are only four Division 1 teams left and we're one of them."
While Brookline isn't a volleyball powerhouse like Barnstable, it has reached the Central/East Sectionals each of the last five seasons. This season marked the first time in that span the Warriors made it past the quarterfinals.
Brookline had a breakout season this year, finishing with a 17-2 regular-season record. The third-seeded Warriors knocked off Boston Latin in the Central/East Sectional quarterfinals before winning consecutive 3-2 decisions to upset the top two seeds, North Quincy and Newton North, in the semifinal and final, respectively.
"We've done our homework and we know they have some really good players and have a fast offense - a lot of quick sets in the middle," said Turco, now in his 24th year as head coach.
The Raiders are prepared for a feisty Brookline team, which happens to include a senior setter named Jamie Francona, the daughter of former Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
Barnstable is banking on its experience in big games to limit any distractions.
"They know there is only one game ahead of us," Turco said of his team. "When we ended practice (Tuesday), I didn't say much aside from, 'Get your homework done, get a good night's sleep and eat right.' They don't need to be told to be ready (today)."
That attitude might be what gives the Raiders their next Division 1 state title.
11/12/11 North Attleborough v. Barnstable
The Barnstable Enterprise
November 18, 2011
Failure To Launch
Tom Moran, Jr.
For the third time in the space of a year, the Red Raiders tagged North Attleboro with a 3-0 loss with the latest installment coming last Saturday in the South Sectional finals at Pembroke High School.
After defeating the previously undefeated Red Rocketeers in the sectional semifinals in 2010, the Red Raiders topped them again in regular season action before dismissing them from this year's title chase with the 25-11, 25-17, 25-16 victories.
Although the Red Rocketeers went into the match as the South's number two seed, once the ball was put in play it didn't take long for the Red Raiders to let them know that their third encounter was going to end up exactly as the previous two had ended.
North Attleboro had the first serve and Barnstable had the first point as outside hitter Regan Bristol went down the line for the kill and a 1-0 Red Raider lead.
BHS middle hitter Kaylee Deluga then powered a shot through a pair of NA defenders and Bristol banged in another kill to push the Barnstable lead to 5-1.
The Rocketeers countered with one of their only extended offensive runs of the evening and cut the BHS lead to 6-5 on a tip in by outside hitter Kelsey Weymouth only to have the Red Raiders counter with an 8-1 scoring run that pretty much broke the game open.
With Lexi Malakhoff at the service line, the Red Raiders made their rivals pay for every mistake with a kill by middle hitter Aine Cole pushing the lead to 14-6.
The Red Raiders controlled the action at the net over the remainder of the contest to take the 1-0 lead.
Weymouth gave the Rocketeers the first point of the second game and then the Red Raiders took over once again, using diving gets by libero Nikki Deluga and kills by Kaylee Deluga, Bristol, Hibbard, Cole and outside hitter Carolyn Morin to pull away from a 2-2 tie with an 12-6 scoring run that ended with an Anna Strock ace.
The Rocketeers battled back behind Weymouth and middle hitter Sydney Bennett , trimming the BHS lead to 16-13 only to have their best efforts go for naught when the Red Raiders responded with another barrage of kills from every front line position as Bristol, Hibbard and Kaylee Deluga took turns finding the holes in the NA defensive alignments with Bristol's fourth kill bringing the game to a close.
The third game was more of the same as the Red Raiders imposed their will on the Rocketeers, using outstanding team defense to keep the hard-hitting offense in high gear.
After pulling even at 3-3, the Rocketeers were reduced to the role of by-standers as Kaylee Deluga, Bristol, Hibbard, Morin and Cole all got in on the scoring action as well as teaming up on several blocks that kept the NA offense from finding any traction.
The match ended as it had started, with a Bristol kill, and the Red Raiders were, for the 18th time in the last 19 years, MIAA South Sectional champions.
As has been the case all season long, the Red Raiders did their opponents in with a balanced frontline attack that made full use of Crook's 37 assists.
Coming through with big game efforts were Bristol with 13 kills and three blocks, Kaylee Deluga with 11 kills, 21 serve receives, nine digs, an ace and a block, Lynne Hibbard with nine kills and a block, Cole with five kills and three blocks and Morin with three kills.
The Red Raiders also got standout performances at the service line from Malakhoff with 13 service points with two aces, Hannah Andres with nine service points, Crook with seven service points with two aces and Strock with six service points.
The club's outstanding team defensive play was highlighted by Nikki Deluga with 15 digs, Kaylee Deluga with nine digs, Stephanie Martin with five digs, Andres with four digs and Morin with three digs.
Barnstable-HyannisPatch
November 13, 2011
BHS Girls Crowned South Sectional Champions
Sean Walsh
The undefeated Barnstable HIgh School girls volleyball team (21-0) made quick business of opponent North Attleboro last night at Pembroke High School, 3-0, and in so doing captured the Red Raiders' 17th Division 1 South Sectional championship since 1989.
Tom Turco's trophy case became crowded along time ago.
The word on the street is that plans are in the works to build the 24-year Barnstable High School girls volleyball coach his own wing in the school to house the hardware that his teams perennially bring home.
Well, not really, but if there was such a plan, no one would be surprised at the news given that the Red & White once again wore the Division 1 South Sectional Championship title crown last night after defeating North Attleboro, 3-0, at Pembroke High School.
Turco's senior stalwarts, Kaylee Deluga and Regan Bristol, proved to be the cornerstones of the Red & White attack last night, with Deluga's 11 kills and Bristol's 13 kills. Once again, junior Kayla Crook delivered 37 assists on the heels of a 31-assist South Semifinals game vs. New Bedford and it was at least Crook's fifth game this season with 30 or more assists.
North Attleboro's season comes to a close at 17-3.
Barnstable will now head to the Division 1 State Semifinals on Wednesday versus Brookline at 7:00 pm at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
If Barnstable defeats Brookline, it will head to the Division 1 State Championship.
The Sun Chronicle
November 13, 2011
Barnstable stymies North
David Carty
PEMBROKE - You don't get as far as the North Attleboro High girls' volleyball teams without emotion the driving force behind each hit, serve and skid on the ground. The floor burns are proof of that, but more so are the tears that accompany a ride to the top reaching its conclusion.
Win or lose, those tears were coming. Unfortunately, they came as a result of the latter category.
North Attleboro fell to the first-ranked Barnstable Red Raiders, 3-0 in the MIAA Division 1-South Championship on Saturday night at Pembroke High School.
With nerves likely playing a factor against the defending Division 1 state champions, North didn't help itself with a few missteps throughout the match.
The biggest damage in the first half came during an eight-point service run, extending the Barnstable lead from 6-5 to 13-5. North coach Lorraine Weymouth called a pair of timeouts to give her girls a minute to collect themselves, but Barnstable answered the bell after each and every break, putting away the first set, 25-11. Only serving proved to be a problem for the Red Raiders, handing North several points throughout the second set. Still, after going down 3-4, North couldn't pull within a point as Barnstable consistently won points on the way to a 25-17 set win.
With a stout front line of Kaylee Deluga, Kayla Crook and Regan Bristol occasionally sent three blockers up to combat senior captain Kelsey Weymouth. While Weymouth scored 10 kills on the day, the fantastic Red Raider back row, Nikki Deluga among them, fended off the rare chances that eluded the blockers up front.
"They're a machine," said Lorraine Weymouth. "These guys have so much experience with this and my girls don't. We had to hit more against them. We had to take them out of their offense."
Morgan Kieon had 20 assists and, in her last game, senior captain Kim Hallahan had seven digs, but those strong efforts couldn't push North past the vaunted Barnstable in the final frame.
North held no significant lead in the third set, but scrapped to earn some big points to keep Barnstable off balance. It was for naught in the end, with the third and final set going the way of Barnstable. The final point came on a scowling blast off the hands of the North blockers and out of bounds, with Barnstable winning 25-16.
So the tears came fast and furious for some girls, including Kelsey Weymouth who played the last game under her mother's direction - "That's a hard pill to swallow," said coach Weymouth - but if it's any consolation, the mother-daughter duo brought the program to new heights in its tenure. "I'm just so proud of them for getting here," said the coach. "This is a huge accomplishment for us. I don't feel bad at all today. I feel very proud to be their coach. It's just a great bunch of girls."
CAPE COD TIMES
November 13, 2011
Volleyball: Raiders rule South again
John Garner, Jr.
PEMBROKE Showcasing its trademark aggressive, attacking style, the top-seeded Barnstable girls volleyball team swept past a talented opponent for yet another MIAA Div. 1 South Sectional Championship.
After closing out Walpole and New Bedford in convincing fashion, the Red Raider machine kept on rolling past second-seeded North Attleboro (17-3), 25-11, 25-17, 25-16 Saturday at Pembroke High.
Barnstable (21-0) advances to Wednesday's Div. 1 state semifinals against Central-East champion Brookline in a 7 p.m. start at Bridgewater-Raynham.
The Raiders, going for their eighth state title in the past nine years, swept Walpole 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Monday and took three straight from New Bedford in the semifinals Wednesday.
"We did a good job getting early leads and kept the pressure on," said Barnstable coach Tom Turco. "(North Attleboro) played good defense and had girls that could attack the net. But we controlled the action pretty much throughout the night."
Setting the frenetic pace for Barnstable was hard-hitting Regan Bristol, who recorded a team-high 13 kills and frontline terror Kaylee Deluga, who compiled 11 kills. Kayla Crook assisted on a game-high 37 points and saved several shots with diving stops and digs all over the court.
Lynne Hibbard was also strong up-front with nine kills, while Aine Cole (five kills) and Carolyn Morin (three kills) performed well. Anna Strock and Lexi Malakhoff each had two service aces, while Nikki Deluga stood out defensively.
The big hitter for North Attleboro was co-captain Kelsey Weymouth, a force from just about anywhere on the court. Other North Attleboro standouts were Sydney Bennett, Kristina Viles and co-captain Kim Hallahan, her team's most effective server.
The Raiders broke open Game 1 by scoring four straight points on kills by Bristol and Kaylee Daluga and good service by Malakhoff to take a 13-5 lead, despite several rockets by Weymouth.
Barnstable finished strong with kills by Hibbard, Kaylee Deluga and Cole to post a 14-point win.
Thanks to strong play by Bennett and Weymouth, the Red Rocketeers kept within striking distance in Game 2, climbing back within 15-11 on a kill by Viles. But a well-timed ace by Strock and a block by Bristol pushed the momentum back to Barnstable.
North Attleboro kept it close early in Game 3, pulling within 9-7 and 15-11 before the Red Raiders pulled away on soft kills by Nikki Deluga and Cole and a block by Bristol.
"Our girls came out, played aggressively and forced some mistakes," Turco said.
"We played strong defense and received contributions from everyone and that was nice to see."
11/9/11 New Bedford @ Barnstable
The Barnstable Enterprise
November 11, 2011
Red Raiders Overwhelm Longtime Rival New Bedford
Tom Moran, Jr.
It's no wonder it's been 12 years since New Bedford came to town as the Barnstable High girls' volleyball team throttled the visiting Whalers 3-0 in South Sectional semifinal-round action at the BHS gym on Wednesday.
Although these two longtime volleyball powers have had plenty of postseason meetings, this match was the first in Hyannis since 1999 in what was a regular-season rematch that saw the Red Raiders avenge their only loss in a season that would end in a state championship.
The Whalers came into the contest as the South's number four seed with a 15-4 record and left as a team with five losses after being overpowered by a very focused group of Red Raiders.
After cruising to a 25-10 win in the first game, the Red Raiders got a bit more resistance from their longtime rivals in the other two games but still had no problem posting the 25-17 and 25-12 victories that ran their 2011 record to 20-0.
The tone for the match was set on the very first play as Red Raider middle hitter Kaylee Deluga, who continued to embellish an already impressive volleyball resume with another stellar two-way performance, took a back set from Kayla Crook and blasted down a cross-court kill that let the Whalers know they were in for a short, but still very tough, night.
Two diving digs by libero Nikki Deluga, a kill by outside hitter Regan Bristol (an emerging scoring machine) and a five-point run at the service line by Crook had New Bedford in a 6-0 hole before the match was five minutes old and things only got worse from there for the Whalers as the Red Raiders controlled the action at the net.
Outside hitters Lynne Hibbard and Carolyn Morin got right into the swing of things, knocking down kills in an 8-4 scoring run that pushed the BHS lead to 13-4.Kaylee Deluga then teamed with Bristol to break the game open as the frontliners took turns shredding the NB defensive alignment with kills shots from every angle possible.
After two more kills by Kaylee Deluga put the Red Raiders on the brink, sophomore Holly Wilson stepped off the DL and onto the service line and served up the final point with Hibbard and middle hitter Aine Cole combining on the match-ending block.
Wilson had been absent from the BHS lineup after breaking her left forefinger two weeks ago but came through as she has in the past in this cameo appearance.
The Red Raiders broke out of the box quickly in the second game as well, getting kills from Kaylee Deluga and Hibbard and blocks from Hibbard and Bristol to open up a 5-1 lead except this time the Whalers responded with what proved to be their only real stretch of offense in the match.
A Kaylee Deluga cross-court kill made it an 8-3 game but the Whalers, who served the ball extremely well all match long, got a boost from outside hitter Alyssa Kellick and put together an NB scoring run that pulled the visitors even at 10-10.
The Red Raiders countered with a Morin kill and another diving get by Nikki Deluga that found a hole in the NB defense but again the Whalers countered tying the score again at 12-12 and 13-13.
That proved to be New Bedford's high-water mark as Hannah Andres served up three points, Cole tipped in a shot after which Bristol and Kaylee Deluga both went with touch shots to add to the Barnstable lead.
The Red Raiders upped their lead to 2-0 as Hibbard and Morin pounded down kills and Nikki Deluga made another pair of diving defensive saves before Kaylee Deluga and Hibbard teamed up for a game-ending block.
The Whalers tried to get something going in the third game and grabbed a quick 3-1 lead but that scoreboard advantage lasted only until Bristol and Kaylee Deluga connected for cross-court kills and Cole got hot, teaming with Hibbard on a block before scoring on a hard-hit kill and a perfectly-placed tip-in that upped the BHS lead to 9-5.
The Whalers got two points to get close only to have the Red Raiders go right back to the heavy artillery as Crook and Cole teamed up twice on blocks, Bristol, Cole and Kaylee Deluga bombed in kills and Crook and Hibbard combined on a block that extended the Barnstable lead to 20-9.
Two more kills by Kaylee Deluga again put the Red Raiders on the brink and set the stage for Hibbard, who closed out her best performance of the season by teaming with Cole for her third game-ending block of the match and reserving Barnstable's place at the South Sectional finals table.
Although several players wound up with some pretty gaudy stats from the match, this win was the result of an outstanding team effort that was only made better by the strong defensive effort turned in by Stephanie Martin, and the consistent serves of Lexi Malakhoff, Anna Strock, Andres and Wilson.
It was all the usual suspects that led the BHS offense on the night as Kaylee Deluga ran her season kill total to 207 with her 15-kill effort in addition to registering seven points at the service line, coming up with five digs and handling 16 serve receives while Bristol continued her recent scoring binge with eight kills and Hibbard, Cole and Morin came through with four kills apiece.
Crook not only handed out 31 assists but also gave the Red Raiders an 18-point outing at the service line, came up with eight digs and played bigger than she is at the net.
In addition, her ability to sense the perfect time for a toss shot just makes the BHS offense that much more tough to defend.
Also having big nights at the service line were Andres with 11 service points and Cole with 10 service points.Nikki Deluga was again a key to the BHS win, coming up with 18 digs to pace the team's solid team defensive effort as well as successfully handling 17 serve receives.
The BHS coaches and I differ on counting blocks but I'm going with my numbers on this with Hibbard leading the way with a Russellesque eight blocks while Cole finished with six blocks, Kaylee Deluga had five blocks, Crook chipped in with four blocks and Bristol added two blocks.
Barnstable Patriot
November 11, 2011
Volleyball team set for South
Kathleen Szmit
Raiders vying for 14th Div. 1 championship
The Barnstable girls varsity volleyball team has already been crowned Old Colony League champs for 2011, but now they've got their sights set on a loftier goal: their 14th MIAA Div. 1 South title, and possibly their eighth State trophy.
On Nov. 12 the girls travel to Pembroke to compete in their 14th Div. 1 South championship, earned this week after the Raiders soundly defeated Walpole and New Bedford with scores of 3-0 in each match.
Having claimed the top seed earlier this month thanks to their stellar 18-0 regular season record, the Red Raiders played host to both teams, the No. 8 seed Walpole on Nov. 7 and No. 4 New Bedford on Nov. 9.
Walpole put in a solid effort, but was no match for the mighty Raiders, whose aggressive play and unwavering focus led to a three-game 25-13, 25-20 and 25-20 sweep to advance to the semifinals against New Bedford.
Kaylee Deluga recorded 10 kills against Walpole, as well as three service aces and an impressive 17 digs, while Kayla Crook continued to make history by adding another 37 assists to her 1000+ career total.
Regan Bristol also had 10 kills, while Aine Cole had seven. Nikki Deluga contributed 20 digs during match play.
After falling behind 4-2 at the start of Game 1, the Raiders roared into action, soaring to a 15-7 lead from which they never looked back.
Barnstable again trailed briefly in the second game, but quickly regrouped, launching into a 6-point run to gain a 13-7 edge that led to the 25-20 win.
The evening's final game was closer than the Red Raiders might have liked for a while, with Walpole leading 10-7, but the undaunted Raiders fought back to a solid 18-13 lead and, ultimately, victory.
Barnstable was in top form against New Bedford in the semifinals, recording another sweep with scores of 25-10, 25-17, and 25-12 to advance to the finals.
Barnstable blasted into the night by taking a 9-2 lead in the first game, with kills from Bristol and Kaylee Deluga capping off the opener.
Game 2 began with the Raiders netting an 8-3 edge before New Bedford battled back, earning a short-lived 13-12 lead. It was the only time the Whalers would have an edge all night, as Barnstable came back to triumph on kills from Kaylee Deluga and Lynne Hibbard.
The night's final game was highlighted by stellar play from Cole, Bristol and Deluga, who proved a leader with her game-high 15 kills, two aces, and 17 digs.
Reflecting on his team's successful week, Barnstable head coach Tom Turco, in his 24th season as head coach, praised their efforts but noted that improvements can be made.
"They played with a lot if energy, which is vital at this time of the year," Turco said. "We did a lot of things right but we still need to work on some areas of the game."
Turco said that the benefit of single-elimination tournaments is that teams are forced to focus on the moment, rather than the future.
"Honestly there is no time to think about it," Turco said of a possible 14th Div. 1 title. "The only thing on the minds of the coaches and players in this program is how to best prepare for the next match. Single elimination tournaments create an environment of total focus on the present."
That doesn't mean Turco doesn't have high hopes for his players.
"This team created a bond by developing a set of mutually agreed upon 'team' goals," he said. "They understand the work ethic that it entails and they share in the sacrifice that is needed to give them the best chance to achieve them."
Barnstable travels to Pembroke for the MIAA Div. 1 finals, against the winner of the North Attleboro/Brockton game that was taking place at press time Nov. 10. The finals are set to start at 5 p.m. Nov. 12.
Barnstable-HyannisPatch
November 10, 2011
Red Raider Volleyball Girls Dispatch New Bedford in South Quarterfinals
Sean Walsh
Few people, places and things are perfect, with the sole exception being the Barnstable High School Girls Volleyball team, now an unbeaten 20-0 after making quick business of the visiting New Bedford Whalers, 3-0, last night in Hyannis.
Too quick. Too precise. Too aggressive. Too smooth. Too athletic. Too well-coached. Too cool.
Way too cool.
Unified and acting as if they had shared each other's dreams the evening before last night's Division 1 South Sectional Semifinals, the Barnstable High School girls volleyball team (20-0) ripped through three matches last night as if its opponent was a mere stepping stone toward the Valhalla of all high school volleyball games: the Division 1 State Championship.
It is a place Barnstable has been to 15 times since 1993 and it has come home with the hardware in 13 of those visits. It appears that in this 2011 campaign, head coach Tom Turco's girls have no less a goal locked in their collective sights.
While the visiting New Bedford Whalers took a lead in the second match in the best of five set last night on the parquet floor in Hyannis, the momentum was fleeting as Barnstable got back on top and stayed there until the game was completed in a perfect, 3-0 sweep.
Barnstable defeated the Whalers 25-10, 25-17 and 25-12 and the team now heads to the Division 1 South Sectional Championship on Saturday at 5 pm at Pembroke High School.
In last night's victory it was plain to see why junior Kayla Crook set a new school record this year by becoming the fastest Red Raider to ever reach the rare 1,000-assist milestone, and it was even clearer to fans why senior captain Kaylee Deluga is a force to be reckoned with. On kills, blocks and virtually every other statistic applied to the fast-paced sport, time and time again, Deluga was a one-woman wrecking crew soaring high above the net at center court, her soft, Houdini-like lobs as knee-weakening to the Whalers as were her vicious hard spikes.
And when Deluga wasn't sending missiles to the Whaler back line, then it was senior Regan Bristol, a fellow six-footer, whose whip-like drives and stoic blocks up front were eye-opening.
With a blend of precision, tact, patience, timing and sheer dominance, Barnstable stacked up the points in the first match, advancing to an 11-3 difference, then building up to an 18-7 mark before a Crook to Bristol assist made it 22-9. It almost seemed as if the entire affair was choreographed like a Broadway version of The Nutcracker. A time out with BHS ahead 24-10 mattered little as the Red & White ended the first match a moment later, 25-10.
In the second match, Barnstable seemed temporarily swayed by a reinvigorated New Bedford squad that did not appear to want to go down quietly. Ahead 8-3, Barnstable saw its lead slowly dematerialize as the Whalers launched a counteroffensive and knotted things up at 10-10.
But leave it to another Red Raider senior, the spritely but wholly athletic Carolyn Morin, to revitalize and reawaken her counterparts with a lightning-fast kill from one side of the court to the other to give BHS back its lead at 11-10. But in spite of the motivating point, New Bedford did not relent, coming back to tie the game at 12-12, then surge ahead, 13-12.
But Crook tied things up at 13-13 with a nifty move, and that was all it seemed the Red Raiders would need , jumping to 15-13, 19-16, 22-17 and then a tag- team net effort by Lynne Hibbard and Deluga sealed the deal.
The Red Raiders' game faces turned even more stoic in the third match and while things were close with BHS on top by just a 9-7 margin, it was all the hosts would need to march forward. With Bristol back in off the bench, it was lights out. New Bedford took a time out with the Red Raiders leading 19-9 but no stratagem would have assuaged the stinging triumvirate of Deluga, Bristol and Hibbard up front.
A gymnasium that took well into the first match to fill, had grown to near-capacity as the final points neared and cheers were in abundance by game's end, but almost as if the collective student-body was saving its best for last. Yes, this affair was just a stepping stone in a long path forged by decades of dedication and countless minutes of hard work.
BHS has 13 Division 1 state championships in its trophy case and has won seven of the last eight titles. The way things look right now, the Red Raiders appear ready for a National title, nevermind another state one. It can be done.
Way too cool.
CAPE COD TIMES
November 10, 2011
Barnstable volleyball: On a roll
John Garner
HYANNIS - For the second straight season, the Barnstable girls volleyball team pounded the final nail in the coffin of archrival New Bedford during the postseason.
After beating the Red Raiders in the South Sectional semifinals in 2009, the Whalers lost 3-2 in the MIAA Div. 1 South finals last fall. On Wednesday, Barnstable beat New Bedford 3-0 in the South semifinals, bringing their "A" game, as they were never seriously threatened.
The top-seeded Red Raiders improved to an unblemished 20-0 with a three-game sweep over the fourth-seeded Whalers (15-5), 25-10, 25-17 and 25-12, and vie for the South Sectional championship Saturday in a 5 p.m., start at Pembroke against the winner of tonight's Brockton vs. North Attleboro match.
"Our girls came out with fire tonight and were very focused," said Barnstable coach Tom Turco, now in his 24th season."We received contributions from everybody and it was a balanced effort. We cut down on our mistakes and took leads in all three games."
Leading the way for Barnstable was Kaylee Deluga, who recorded a game-high 15 kills, two service aces and 17 digs.
Play-making Kayla Crook assisted on 31 points, while Regan Bristol produced eight kills.
Aine Cole, Carolyn Morin and Lynne Hibbard were strong up front with four kills apiece and Nikki Deluga (12 digs) stood out defensively.
Barnstable did a good job blocking many of the Whalers shots in front of the net.
Standouts for New Bedford were Katherine Guillotte and Alyssa Kellick up front and Courtney Jenkins on the back line.
Barnstable, going for its eighth state title in the past nine years, swept Walpole, 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Monday, while the Whalers posted a 3-0 victory over Dartmouth.
The Red Raiders took a 9-2 lead in Game 1 on strong kills by Stephanie Martin and Bristol and a well-timed block by Hibbard and made it 15-7 on a soft kill by Crook.
The Red Raiders finished strong with two kills apiece by Bristol and Kaylee Deluga to post an easy 15-point win.
It was more of the same early in Game 2 as the Raiders took an 8-3 lead on a kill by Kaylee Deluga and an ace by Crook, before the Whalers came back to take their only lead of the night at 13-12 with good all-around floor play.
But the Raiders finished strong with kills by Kaylee Deluga and Hibbard, who scored the game-winner with a perfectly timed two-handed block.
Game 3 started out close as the Raiders went on an 8-3 run to take a 13-7 lead and cruised to a 13-point win highlighted by the superb play of Cole, Bristol, Hibbard and Kaylee Deluga.
"(New Bedford) built their offense around two players (Guillotte and Kellick) and we did a nice job limiting their opportunities," said Turco. "We played good defense and blocked a lot of shots."
11/7/11 Walpole @ Barnstable
The Barnstable Enterprise
November 11, 2011
The Red Raiders joined the 2011 tournament fray with their 3-0 win over visiting Walpole on Monday.
Tom Moran, Jr.
Although the outcome was never in doubt, the Rebels gave their hosts a very good go before bowing 25-13, 25-20, 25-20.
The visitors employed a strong service game to keep themselves in contention but in the end, the Red Raiders domination at the net proved to be their key to success.
Walpole came to Hyannis with a 3-0 first-round win over Plymouth South to their credit while the Red Raiders were playing volleyball with a purpose for the first time in a week after ending their 18-0 regular season with a 3-0 win over now deposed Division 2 champ Medfield.
Outside hitter Regan Bristol got the home team off to a good start with a right sideline kill and then snapped a 6-6 tie with a kill down the left sideline.
With Hannah Andres providing seven straight points from the service line and Bristol and middle hitter Aine Cole knocking down kills, the Red Raiders opened up a 12-6 lead and never looked back.
The Red Raiders used their front line power to finish off the first game win with middle hitter Kaylee Deluga and outside hitters Lynne Hibbard and Carolyn Morin providing the firepower.
Although the Red Raiders' offense was not in peak form the same cannot be said about their defensive play as libero Nikki Deluga and backline defender Stephanie Martin set the tone with a series of diving gets that kept the Red Raiders in possession of the lead.
The Rebels hung tough and closed to within 15-12 only to have Kaylee Deluga and Hibbard bang down kills before Deluga delivered a service ace that pushed the BHS lead to 19-13.
A tip-in by setter Kayla Crook, a kill by Hibbard and Kaylee Deluga's Colleen Koen-assisted game-ending kill gave the Red Raiders a 2-0 edge.
Much to their credit, the Rebels carried the action their hosts as the third game got underway with middle hitters Genna Swanson and Shannon Cullen making things difficult for the Red Raiders.
Trailing 10-8, the Red Raiders got a tip-in from Cole, a combined block on Cullen from Cole and Crook and a tip-in from Crook put Barnstable in front, 11-10, to stay.
Down but not out, the Rebels made the Red Raiders work to wrap up the victory trimming what had been a 22-14 Barnstable lead to 24-20 before Morin did what she seems to do best in tournament play by slamming down a cross-court kill to end the match.
(Writer's note: In the Red Raiders' 2010 run to the Division 1 state title, Morin came through with the match-ending points in the South Sectional, state semifinal and state final contests.)
Leading the BHS attack on the night were Kaylee Deluga and Bristol with 10 kills each, Cole with seven kills, Hibbard with six kills, Morin with five kills and Crook with two kills.
The Red Raiders got standout performances at the service line from Anna Strock and Hannah Andres as both came through with 14-point efforts while Kaylee Deluga (12 service points with three aces) and Cole (11 service points) also came up big for the BHS squad.
Crook was the table-setter for the BHS front line, dishing out 37 assists. The Deluga girls, Kaylee and Nikki, also deserve special mention for their tremendous defensive play as they combined for 39 digs (20 for Nikki and 19 for Kaylee) and their play on the BHS back line was a key element in the Red Raiders' victory.
CAPE COD TIMES
November 8, 2011
Barnstable starts with a sweep
John Garner, Jr.
HYANNIS - Aggressive front-line play and strong teamwork were once again chief calling cards of the undefeated Barnstable girls volleyball team on Monday night.
The top-seeded Red Raiders improved to a perfect 19-0 with a three-game sweep over defensive-minded No. 8 Walpole (13-7), 25-13, 25-20 and 25-20 in the MIAA Div. 1 South quarterfinals.
"Walpole dug a lot of balls and played very hard," Barnstable coach Tom Turco said. "Our girls made a few mistakes and we'll work on those things (in practice) tomorrow."
Leading the way for the Raiders were the dynamic duo of Kaylee Deluga, who recorded 10 kills, three service aces and 17 digs; and playmaking whiz Kayla Crook, who assisted on 37 points during the three games.
Regan Bristol (10 kills) and Aine Cole (seven kills) were strong in front of the net for the Red Raiders while Nikki Deluga (20 digs) stood out defensively.
Barnstable going for its eighth state title in the past nine years, hosts a semifinal match Wednesday at 6 p.m., against New Bedford.
After the Rebels took a 4-2 lead in Game 1 with two kills by 6-3 Genna Swanson, Barnstable stormed back to take a 15-7 advantage on two kills by Crook and Kaylee Deluga and one apiece by Bristol and Hannah Andres.
The Raiders finished strong in the first game with kills by Lynne Hibbard and Carolyn Morin to earn the 12-point win.
The visitors got off to another strong start in Game 2 before Barnstable ran off six straight points to take a 13-7 lead.
Another kill shot by Swanson and strong service by Stephanie Barmakian closed the gap to 22-19 but the Raiders pulled away at the end on a soft kill by Crook and a hard smash by Andres.
Game 3 started like the one before as the Rebels took an early 10-7 lead, only to see Barnstable battle back to take an 18-13 lead thanks to the combination of Crook to Kaylee Deluga.
Walpole made it interesting with six straight points to close it to 22-19 before Hibbard stemmed the tide with a hard smash off the Walpole front line that ended up 20 rows high in the bleachers, allowing the Raiders earn another clean sweep.
"We kept our composure even when we fell behind in the last two (games)," Turco said. "Walpole played us tough especially on defense."
CAPE COD TIMES
November 3, 2011
Barnstable volleyball No. 1
sports@capecodonline.com
Defending MIAA state Division 1 volleyball champion Barnstable earned the top seed in the South in pairings announced Wednesday after racing through a perfect 18-0 regular season.
Dennis-Yarmouth and Bourne both qualified for the Division 2 South tourney and will begin play with home games Saturday night.
Barnstable drew a first-round bye and opens its postseason Monday with a 6 p.m. home game against the winner of Friday's Walpole at Plymouth South matchup.
The Red Raiders went a perfect 18-0 during the regular season and have set their sites on an eighth state title in the past nine seasons and 15th in the last 19.
Barnstable, led by senior Kaylee Deluga and junior Kayla Crook, has plenty of talent and experience across the roster.
Boston Globe
November 2, 2011
MIAA girls volleyball brackets released
Liz Torres
[excerpt]
This is the year of the unbeatens, with four top-seeded teams -- Boston English, Lynnfield, Barnstable and Marlboro -- remaining untouched as they head into the MIAA state tournament.
The MIAA released the 2011 girls volleyball brackets with playoff action set to start Friday Nov. 4.
Fellow contenders Case, Frontier, Longmeadow, Andover, Franklin and Cardinal Spellman will also carry the top seed in their respective brackets.
Here are my predictions for the first few rounds:
South
Without a doubt, undefeated Barnstable will see a Div. 1 final appearance with a hopeful knockout of No. 2 seed North Attleboro. Meanwhile, Div. 2 should ultimately come down to Cardinal Spellman and Fairhaven. In Div. 3, Case will have an easy run.
11/1/11 Medfield @ Barnstable
CAPE COD TIMES
November 2, 2011
School roundup: Volleyball
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - Six Barnstable upperclassmen celebrated senior night in grand fashion as the Red Raiders' girls volleyball team recovered from large deficits in the first and third games to sweep Medfield 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Barnstable completes the regular season undefeated at 18-0 with the 25-21, 25-13, 25-20 win.
Kaylee Deluga had nine kills, 16 digs, a block and two aces for the Raiders while fellow senior Nikki Deluga had eight digs and 21 serve receptions and Carolyn Morin, also a senior, added eight kills.
Aine Cole had seven kills and a block, Lynne Hibbard had six kills and a block and Lexi Malakhoff had four digs, two aces and nine service winners to round out the Barnstable seniors' attack.
The Raiders trailed 11-4 in the opener and came back from an 11-2 deficit in the finale. "They kept their cool and their composure," Barnstable coach Tom Turco said of his club's effort. "They accomplished what they wanted to do in the regular season."
Kayla Crook had 35 assists and eight digs for the Raiders while Reagan Bristol had 17 kills and one block.
10/26/11 Dartmouth @ Barnstable
The Barnstable Enterprise
October 28, 2011
Red Raiders Turn Back Dartmouth to Claim 2011 OCL Volleyball Crown
Tom Moran, Jr.
The only girls volleyball champion the Old Colony League has ever known is champion once again as the Barnstable High girls volleyball team took down visiting Dartmouth 3-0 at the BHS gym on Wednesday to add the 2011 OCL championship banner to its collection.
The Indians came to town looking to upset the Red Raiders and thereby earn a share of the OCL title but when push came to shove it was the Red Raiders who were the only ones left standing.
With the win, the Red Raiders completed their 2011 OCL slate with a 6-0 record and upped their overall mark to 17-0 with just one regular season match (Tuesday vs. Medfield) left before the real season begins.
The Red Raiders were in control from the start, taking the first game 25-10 before following up with the 25-22 and 25-12 decisions to claim the 'W' and another league championship.
The Indians' bid for the upset took a right cross to the chin in the first game when BHS setter Kayla Crook showed off her 'A' game at the service line, connecting for five straight points, a run that included a pair of aces, to stake the home team to a 7-1 lead.
The Indians were not able to recover from that slow start as the Red Raiders kept adding to their scoreboard advantage, extending the lead to 14-5 and 22-8 before wrapping up the win.
The Red Raiders seemed to have set the Indians up for a similar beating in the second game but the visitors had other ideas and put together a late game rally that trimmed what had been a 21-14 Barnstable lead into a 23-22 nail-biter.
Unfortunately for the Indians, these Red Raiders don't get rattled as a pair of booming kills by outside hitter Regan Bristol put a stake in the heart of the Dartmouth comeback bid.
The Indians scored the first point of the third game and managed to hang with the Red Raiders until middle hitter Kaylee Deluga snapped a 5-5 tie, putting her team ahead 6-5 with a kill off a great backset by Crook before banging in a pair of service aces to up the BHS lead to 8-5.
Much to their credit, the Indians continued to leave it all on the court but even their best wasn't good enough on this night as BHS frontliners Bristol, Deluga, Lynne Hibbard, Aine Cole and Carolyn Morin took turns ripping kills through the Dartmouth defensive alignment.
The Indians managed to claw to within 15-11 only to have Bristol go crosscourt with a kill and then back that up with a block for another Barnstable point.
The highlight of the game came when Deluga, Bristol and Hibbard combined on a block of DHS middle hitter Heather Gagne after which Crook finished off the match with a six-point run at the service line, a run powered by blocks by Hibbard and Bristol, an ace, and another block by Meghan Mamlock.
Bristol wound up as the Red Raiders' big gun, knocking down a team-high 13 kills to go along with four blocked shots.
The Red Raiders also got yet another stellar effort from Kaylee Deluga, who finished with six kills, seven digs, three blocks, two aces and 21 receptions of serve. Also getting in on the net action for the Red Raiders were Hibbard with five kills and four blocks, Cole with two kills and a block and Carolyn Morin with a kill.
Crook was her usual self, coming through with 28 assists and 19 service points with five aces while libero Nikki Deluga was a steadying force on the back line with 13 receptions of serve and six digs.
ND Means No Deal
Host Notre Dame of Hingham found out the Red Raiders don't care where they beat you, only that they do beat you.
For the second time this season, the Red Raiders blanked the Cougars, taking the rematch 25-13, 25-10, 25-12.
The Red Raiders did not give the Cougars or their fans anything to cheer about as they used airtight team defense to feed a balanced frontline attack that got bunches of points from each position.
Leading a balanced BHS offense were Kaylee Deluga with eight kills, four blocks, one ace, 11 digs and 16 serve receives, Lynne Hibbard with seven kills, Aine Cole and Regan Bristol with six kills apiece, Carolyn Morin with three kills and two digs.
Setter Kayla Crook also had big night handing out 24 assists and connecting for 20 points from the service line while Lexi Malakhoff was connecting on all 15 of her serve attempts and Stephanie Martin was a defensive standout.
Setting Up An OCL Showdown
The Red Raiders assured themselves of a least a share of the 2011 OCL title by blanking host Bridgewater-Raynham 3-0 on October 20.
The Trojans didn't even get the license plate number after getting run over as the Red Raiders cruised to the 25-6, 25-13, 25-15 decision.
Once again, the Red Raiders got contributions from every position on the floor, something the B-R squad could not match. Making things even tougher for the home team was the fact that the Red Raiders committed only one service receive error in the match.
Leading the Barnstable attack on the night were Kaylee Deluga with 10 kills, a block and seven digs, Aine Cole with four kills and 14 service points, Regan Bristol with four kills and a block, Hannah Andres with four kills and 10 service points, Carolyn Morin with four kills, Colleen Kenney with three kills and Lynne Hibbard with two kills.
Also making a difference from the line were Lexi Malakhoff with eight service points and Holly Wilson and Meghan Mamlock with five service points each.
The Red Raiders got standout defensive effort from Nikki Kaylee Deluga with seven digs each, Stephanie Martin with five digs and Hannah Andres with four digs.
Red Raider setter Kayla Crook handed out 23 assists in the match before giving way to Wilson, who got to show off her passing touch with a 13-assist effort.
CAPE COD TIMES
October 27, 2011
Volleyball: Unbeaten Barnstable wins OCL
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - Unbeaten Barnstable staked claim to the Old Colony League volleyball title Wednesday night, beating runner up Dartmouth in three straight games.
The Red Raiders, 17-0 and 6-0 in the OCL, won by 25-10, 25-22, 25-12. They wrap up their regular season Tuesday night when they host a very strong Medfield team.
Juniors Regan Bristol and Kayla Crook led the Red Raiders with what coach Tom Turco termed huge nights. Bristol led the offense with 13 kills and four blocks. Crook, ranked the No. 1 setter in the state by MaxPreps, had 28 assists and 20 service points, including five aces. She also had a block.
The two had plenty of company. Kaylee Deluga chipped in with six kills, three blocks and two aces and Lynne Hibbard contributed five kills on seven attempts and four blocks.
Defensively, Nikki Deluga had seven digs while Hannah Andres had three digs and 10 service points.
Barnstable-HyannisPatch.com
October 27, 2011
Red Raider Girls Net OCL Volleyball Crown - Again
Sean Walsh
For the 12th straight season and 19th time in head coach Tom Turco's illustrious career at Barnstable High School, the Red Raider girls volleyball team was crowned Old Colony League champions once again and they remain unbeaten at 17-0.
Collecting championship trophies might as well be made an annual Red Raider girls' volleyball holiday.
For Barnstable High School's top female student-athletes, it might as well also be a rite of passage.
For last night head coach Tom Turco's Barnstable High School girls volleyball team, now 17-0 on the 2011 campaign, was crowned Old Colony League champions after defeating guest Dartmouth, 3-0. Last night's win clinched the OCL title for the 12th straight year for Turco, who also boasts 13 Division 1 State Championship titles. it is the 13th time Turco's ladies have won the OCL title and it marks the 19th league or conference championship title since Turco took over in 1988.
It is also the 21st time in Barnstable High School's 30 seasons of offering volleyball at the varsity level that the girls have been crowned league or conference champions. And in this 30th anniversary season of Red Raider volleyball, well, Turco hasn't really deviated from the way he prepares for the season, the way he coaches during it and the way he gets his student-athletes to respond. Last night, Turco credited Pat Riley's book "The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players" as a key reason for his program, and his girls' success.
"We use it as a textbook," Turco said, "and the seniors teach the classes. Given that, the players meet and set their goals for the season. Once those are agreed upon, then the entire season revolves around the acquisition of those goals."
Behind a core group of senior captains - Kaylee Deluga, Nikki Deluga, Carolyn Morin, Aine Cole, Lynne Hibbard and Lexi Malakhoff - combined with such underclassmen stars as Regan Bristol and Kayla Crook, to name a few, the Red & White welcomed the Dartmouth Indians to the gleaming parquet at BHS and dispatched of their visitors readily.
While the Red Raiders have played 17 games already - and won them all, including the October 9 Spalding Showcase of Champions in Holyoke, MA - it almost seemed as if last night's league-clinching win was matter of fact, a sort of perfunctory gesture toward something loftier. As it usually seems to be the case each autumn here in Hyannis, the number-one state-ranked Red Raider girls have their collective eyes on the biggest prize: the Division 1 State Crown.
"My role is to create an environment that gives them the best opportunity to get there. This demands a lot from the players and the coaching staff," Turco said. "They work incredibly hard and understand the values of sacrifice and teamwork."
If anyone can say they know or know how to define the essence of teamwork, then it is likely Turco would be the man. Coming into this season with a lifetime 506-52 win-loss record (.907 winning pct.), Turco's lock on a spot in the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame is guaranteed, barring the end of the world. And now with his girls at 17-0 and armed with a 523-52 lifetime record, it's fair to say before this school year is over Turco will become the all-time winningest coach in Barnstable High School history, surpassing the late, great katherine "Kay" Nehubian who finished her 42-year career just over the vaunted 500-win mark in girls basketball.
Interestingly, for someone whose name has become synonymous in Barnstable High School hallways with "winning," Turco isn't the type of person who rests on his laurels, boasts about them or wears his credentials around his neck like some sort of feigned badge of courage.
His role is to coach and to coach, as Turco well knows, is to teach. A special needs educator by day, a mentor of champion athletes by night. Turco truly comprehends the sense of humility any successful person needs in order to be deemed at the apex of his or her profession and if there is such a thing as an apex of girls high school volleyball coaching, then Turco is perched atop it.
Even so, he is quick to deflect credit to the players, of course, but also to his coaching staff.
"They (the players) believe in their hearts that they can achieve great things," Turco said, then added how few of the team's accomplishments could have been achieved, now or in the past, without the aid of his staff.
"Marylou Martin (asst. coach) has put in four hours a day for the past eight years to this program."
Senior captain Kaylee Deluga is another reason why this year's version of the Red & White Dynasty continues to excel. To date, Deluga has 173 kills, which to some regular Joe sitting on a sofa flipping channels might not mean much, but to afficionados of high school volleyball it means she pretty much leads the team in being an aggressive offensive standout, sort of like the Tom Brady of Red Raider volleyball, one might say.
Right behind Deluga is junior Regan Bristol, a tall, lanky go-getter who ranks second on the squad in kills with 135 on the season, to date.
But leading the team in assists this season is a junior, Kayla Crook, who became the first junior since the program began in 1982 to notch 1,000-career assists on October 11 versus Brockton (1,003). She's since racked up a career-total of over 1,085 assists since that game and has 465 on the season (through Oct. 24).
But a discussion of "stats" for these whirlwind, champion Red Raider girls could go on ad infinitum. The true essence of who they are and what they've done thus far as a team, in Turco's mind, is what counts most.
"Barnstable is a great school to coach at," Turco said, again deflecting credit to the Red Raider community at large. "I love the element of competition varsity athletics provides (here)."
10/25/11 Barnstable @ Notre Dame Hingham
CAPE COD TIMES
October 26, 2011
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Barnstable 3, Notre Dame (Hingham) 0
sports@capecodonline.com
HINGHAM - Playing against one of the top teams in the state did not slow down the Red Raider express as they buried Notre Dame Academy.
"There was a lot of energy tonight," said Barnstable coach Tom Turco, who saw his squad roll to wins of 25-13, 25-10, 25-12 over the Cougars.
Leading the way was Kaylee Deluga, who recorded eight kills, four blocks and an ace on the offensive side of the net and on defense she notched nine digs.
Also playing well were Lynne Hibbard with eight kills and three blocks, Regan Bristol (five kills) and Aine Coles (five kills).
Kayla Crook added to her school-record assists with 24 in the game and Nikki Deluga was strong on defense with 16 kills.
Next up for the 16-0-0 Red Raiders is a home match today against Dartmouth with the Old Colony League title on the line.
The Patriot Ledger
October 26, 2011
Notre Dame volleyball plays for a good cause
Christian Williams
HINGHAM -
In high school sports on the varsity level, it's sometimes hard for an athlete to trade competition for camaraderie when it comes to an opponent.
Yet in Tuesday's girls volleyball match between Notre Dame Academy and Barnstable, each side came together in a celebration of breast cancer awareness.
After the brief collaboration, the competition came to head again, with Barnstable - the defending Division 1 state champion - emerging with a 3-0 win.
The pre-game warm-ups started with a ceremony that paid tribute to a fund for breast cancer run by Notre Dame Academy which raised $2,000 towards the cause. In an effort to further show their support, each team wore pink versions of their usual jerseys. Notre Dame, as the home team, donned a lighter shade of pink than Barnstable.
Right before the start of the match, technical difficulties in the gym's PA system halted the usual singing of the national anthem. Not to worry - in the spirit of the night the bipartisan crowd started singing a cappella, which inspired the rest of the gym, players and coaches alike to join in.
In the start of the first game, Notre Dame seemed charged by the energy of the crowd and celebrated with zeal at its first few points on the board. Barnstable, however, showed the discipline and composure that won them the state championship last year, and took the lead and the momentum from the Cougars.
While Notre Dame stayed competitive in their effort, miscommunication and untimely plays on the ball swung the first game in favor of Barnstable, 25-13.
NDA coach Josh Shepherd gave credit to the play of his opponent. "(Barnstable) had a lot of balls that were in system, a great defensive effort on their part, and they really swung the ball on us," he said. "Some of the times we felt like we were neck and neck with them and some of the times we clearly weren't."
While the Cougars made valiant efforts to try to make plays, their opponent was just a bit faster and hit a bit harder than they were prepared for. Barnstable closed out the match by winning the final two games, 25-10 and 25-13.
Despite the loss, the season goes on for Notre Dame. At 11-6, the Cougars have already clinched the Catholic Conference title and have qualified for the Division 1 South Sectional tournament.
Last year NDA earned a No. 6 seed off a 15-4 regular season and made it to the semifinals, losing to No. 2 New Bedford.
Shepherd sees the loss against the top-ranked Barnstable as a litmus test for his players going into the postseason.
"You use this game as the standard," he said. "This is as good as volleyball has to offer. If our girls want to throw their hat in the ring and play with the best, then they saw it."
10/20/11 Barnstable @ Bridgewater-Raynham
CAPE COD TIMES
October 21, 2011
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Barnstable 3, B-R 0
sports@capecodonline.com
BRIDGEWATER - Kaleigh Deluga dominated play with 10 kills, two aces, and seven digs in the Red Raiders' 25-6, 25-13, 25-15 sweep of Bridgewater-Raynham.
Center Kayla Crook helped spread out the offense, handing out 18 assists for Barnstable.
Regan Bristol, Hannah Andres, Carolyn Morin, and Aine Cole all had four kills for the undefeated Raiders (15-0) who are back in action Tuesday against Notre Dame Academy.
10/17/11 Westborough @ Barnstable
The Barnstable Enterprise
October 21, 2011
Red Raiders Keep Volleyball Record Perfect, Blank Visiting Westborough 3-0
Tom Moran, Jr.
Fresh off another weekend tournament win, the Barnstable High girls volleyball team made a good Westborough team look ordinary in cruising to the 3-0 win over the visiting Rangers at the BHS gym on Monday.
After going undefeated in last Saturday's Rhode Island Tri-State Tournament, the Red Raiders looked every bit the champion against the Rangers, turning in an impressive team effort that produced the 25-11, 25-16, 25-12 victory. With the win, the Red Raiders improved their season's record to 14-0 overall.
Although the Rangers gave a good accounting of themselves, the Red Raiders were better in every aspect of the game and made sure their guests knew it.
The Red Raiders took control of the opening game as soon as the ball was put in play as middle hitter Kaylee Deluga notched the game's first point with a kill through the block attempt of two Westborough defenders and then teamed with frontline mate Lynne Hibbard on a block before setter Kayla Crook tossed in a backline winner to give the home team a quick 3-0 lead.
The visitors had no defensive answers as Hibbard tipped in a shot, Deluga blasted down a cross-court kill and Aine Cole and Regan Bristol chipped in with kills of their own as the Barnstable lead went to 15-5.
The Rangers did their best to stay in contention but a tip-in by Deluga followed by a Cole-Hibbard block put the game out of Westborough's reach.
The second game was much more competitive as the Rangers managed to trade points with their hosts and even held leads of 6-5 and 7-6 before the Red Raiders put their game into second gear.
Cole pulled the Red Raiders even at 7-all with her kill through the middle of the WHS defensive alignment before putting her team on top to stay with a tip over a pair of Ranger defenders.
The Barnstable lead got more comfortable as Cole banged in another kill and Crook served up an ace before the pair combined on a block that upped the Red Raider lead to 22-13.
A kill by outside hitter Carolyn Morin put the Red Raiders on the brink of the win and a bad serve by the visitors gave the home team a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third game again saw the Rangers battle to stay in the match only to have their best efforts bettered by the Red Raiders, who got kills from Bristol, Morin and Cole in pulling away from a 6-6 tie.
A Westborough service error put the Red Raiders in front 7-6 and it was all downhill from there for the Rangers as the Barnstable girls went on a 17-3 scoring tear that upped their lead to 23-9.
Much to their credit, the Rangers battled to the end but the end came quickly as kills by Meg Mamlock and Hibbard brought the night's action to a close.
Cole and Deluga paced the BHS attack with seven kills apiece while Morin chipped in with five kills, Bristol added four kills and Crook and Hibbard accounted for three kills each.
In addition to her three kills, Crook also served up five aces, had five digs and handed out 27 assists.
The Red Raiders also got standout efforts at the service line from Lexi Malakhoff with 18 service points and three aces, Holly Wilson with eight service points and Cole with seven service points.
Setting the tone for the Red Raiders' excellent defensive play was libero Nikki Deluga, who led the team with 13 digs. Morin (six digs), Malakhoff and Crook (five digs apiece) were also solid defensively.
More Tournament Hardware
Just six days after winning the Spalding Tournament of Champions in Holyoke, the Red Raiders again took their show on the road and again brought home a first-place trophy after topping the field at the RI Tri-State tourney in Warwick last Saturday.
The Red Raiders beat the best that Rhode Island had to offer in the pool-play round, topping LaSalle, Mount St. Charles , the Prout School and Coventry by the same 2-0 scores.
Barnstable then advanced to the championship match by dispatching longtime Massachusetts rival Case 25-15 and 25-21.
Although the Red Raiders were hoping to face another Massachusetts rival, Medfield, in the finals, the Warriors were unable to hold up to their end of the bargain, bowing to Ponagansett in the other semifinal round match.
The Red Raiders completed their sweep of the tournament by downing the Chieftains in the finals, 25-15 and 25-16 after which Kaylee Deluga, Lynne Hibbard and Kayla Crook were named to the All-Tournament team.
Cape Cod Times
October 18, 2011
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Barnstable 3, Westboro 0
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - The undefeated Red Raiders continued to roll, notching their 14th consecutive victory of the season with a sweep of the Rangers.
Barnstable had control throughout en route to a 25-11, 25-16, 25-12 win.
Kaylee Deluga had seven kills, three blocks and two assists, Lexi Malakhoff had 18 service points and three aces, and Kayla Crook had 27 assists.
Barnstable (14-0) will look to preserve its perfect record Thursday on the road against Old Colony League foe Bridgewater-Raynham.
Cape Cod Times
October 16, 2011
School roundup: Raiders sweep Tri-State tourney
sports@capecodonline.com
WARWICK - Barnstable didn't lose a single set in winning the Rhode Island Tri-State volleyball tournament on Saturday at Rhode Island Community College.
The Red Raiders beat LaSalle, Mount Saint Charles, The Prout School, and Coventry all 2-0 in pool play to earn a bye in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Barnstable met Case, which the Red Raiders defeated 3-1 last week. Barnstable won the match 2-0, taking the first set 25-15 and the second 25-21, the Red Raiders' closest set of the day. Barnstable went on to beat Ponaganset in the finals 2-0 (25-15, 25-16).
Middle hitter Kaylee Deluga, setter Kayla Crook, and outside hitter Lynne Hibbard were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Red Raiders will host Westboro, currently ranked fourth in the state, on Monday.
The Register
October 15, 2011
Barnstable volleyball: 'All that they can be'
George Kostinas
CAPE COD -
With 10 returning players, six of them seniors, the Barnstable High School girls' volleyball team is experienced and poised and it shows.
The Red Raiders have rolled to an 11-0 record and have played the role of "spoiler" in matches against undefeated opponents.
But unlike most teams in that "spoiler" role, they are not the underdogs; they are a team asserting themselves as the best in the state.
"We have an experienced team. They will be as good as they want to be," says coach Tom Turco. "They will achieve what they want to achieve, but they have to want it."
Turco has had some great teams, which have won 13 Massachusetts Division 1 State Championships, since 1993 and seven in the last 10 years, including six straight from 2003 to 2008.
In 2009, Barnstable was knocked out of the tournament by New Bedford, ending a streak of 14 straight South sectional titles.
But then last year the Red Raiders, though relatively young, were determined to come back and recapture the state title, and that they did.
This year's team seems even more determined to repeat as champions, as the Red Raiders have beaten six undefeated teams so far.
They beat North Quincy, North Attleboro and Falmouth, in matches in which those teams chose not to count the matches against their records, and then beat Medfield, Frontier Regional and most recently Case.
Interestingly, Medfield and Frontier Regional beat Barnstable last year, but this year Barnstable broke Medfield's 65-game winning streak and Frontier Regional's 35-game winning streak.
Against Case, Turco says "I'm proud of the kids. It was a battle. Every point was a battle. They are one of the best defensive teams in the state."
Barnstable won the first game 25-20, lost 26-24, rolled 25-8, but then had to fight hard to get that third win for the match. At one point the score was tied at 19, but Barnstable went on a 6-0 run to win it 25-19.
Senior captain, Kaylee Deluga had 18 kills in the match, increasing her team leading total to 114 for the season. Deluga is also a good defensive player who can cover a lot of area on the court.
Junior Reagan Bristol, who is second on the team in kills had 15 to increase her season total to 93.
And Aine Cole, another senior co-captain, added 11 kills. "She's a real smart player. She sees the court very, very well. She produces a lot of points for this team,"says Turco.
Junior setter Kayla Crook has been averaging 10 assists a game and is close to passing 1,000 in her career mark. She had a big game with 42 assists, bringing her total to 942.
Carolyn Morin, the third of the six senior co-captains, is a "real productive player. In a league match against Dartmouth, in 14 attempts she had 12, and only one error; that's unbelievable," Turco says.
Lexi Malakhoff, Lynne Hibbard and Nikki Deluga are the other three captains and have all been instrumental to Barnstable's success.
Malakhoff leads the team in serving percentage, Deluga at the Libero position is among the team leaders in digs and Hibbard has emerged as a talented shot blocker who has become a defensive force at the net.
"They have the ability to be as good as they want to be in the state," says Turco.
And Sunday in the Spaulding Tournament of Champions in Springfield, which was hosted by the Volleyball Hall of Fame, Barnstable proved to be one of the best teams on the East Coast, finishing as the No. 1 team in a field of 12, which included some of the best from New York and New Hampshire.
In pool play Barnstable went 8-2 in 10 individual games and then beat Westboro in the semifinals and knocked off a team from Pelham, N.Y. 2-0 in the finals.
Barnstable Enterprise
October 14, 2011
10/12/11 Taunton @ Barnstable
Barnstable Patriot
October 14, 2011
Raiders roll to victory
Kathleen Szmit
www.barnstablepatriot.com
Volleyball team unbeaten, Crook nets milestone
The Barnstable Red Raiders swept both Brockton and Taunton this week to improve to 13-0 in their 2011 season, but the big story on the court this week was Kayla Crook.
In the team's third game against Brockton, Barnstable's junior setter became the first junior in the school's history to record more than 1,000 assists in her high school career.
At the start of the match Crook was just 29 assists from the 1,000-mark milestone. Roughly one hour and 38 assists later, Crook made the history books, boasting 1,009 assists before the following evening's match against Taunton, in which Crook added another 17 assists to her ever-increasing total. She was presented with the game ball following the Brockton victory.
"Kayla has been our setter for the past two years and is a very good athlete," said head coach Tom Turco. "She has matured and has grown as a volleyball player and continues to do so. I trust her to make the right decisions at the right times. To reach the 1,000-assist milestone as a junior is testament to her athleticism and vision."
Turco said that for Crook, it was simply another day's work as part of a whole team.
"She will readily admit that this is a team effort and I know she appreciates the array of talented hitters she has as well the defensive players around her," he said. "I am proud of her for what she has accomplished."
In keeping with teams of the past, the 2011 BHS girls varsity team is undefeated this season, with a 13-0 record that includes a first place Gold Medal Championship at the Spalding Showcase of Champions Oct. 9.
Regular season victories have included defeats of challengers such as Notre Dame Hingham (3-0), Frontier Regional (3-2) and Case (3-1).
This week the Raiders hosted both Brockton and Taunton, demonstrating their dominance in both matches. Against Brockton the Raiders posted scores of 25-10, 25-16, and 25-17, with Barnstable defeating Taunton 25-10, 25-5, and 25-18.
Barnstable cruised to an early lead against Brockton, peeling off five points to the Boxers' none before Brockton found its way to the scoreboard.
With Barnstable holding a commanding lead that stretched from 10 to 15 points near the game's end, the Boxers scrambled to return shots, which included 18 kills from senior captain Kaylee Deluga. Regan Bristol added nine kills, while co-captain Aine Cole had seven and fellow captains Lynne Hibbard and Carolyn Moore each contributed five.
While the Boxers put up more of a fight in the two remaining matches of the night, it wasn't enough to overtake the ruling Raiders.
After besting the Boxers, Barnstable went on to trump Taunton the following night, with Deluga posting eight kills, Hibbard five and Cole four in the Raiders 13th win this season.
Turco, who is in his 24th year as head coach of the volleyball program, looks forward to seeing his team earn another State Championship banner for the high school gym.
"We have a veteran team with six seniors, and lots of players with tournament experience," Turco said. "We have a very tough schedule, which will provide the girls with necessary competitiveness they will need for the post season."
The Enterprise
capenews.net
October 14, 2011
BHS Girls' Volleyball Team Continues To Roll
Tom Moran, Jr.
The Barnstable High girls' volleyball team made short work of visiting Old Colony League rival Taunton 3-0 in the BHS gym on Wednesday.
The Red Raiders, who were playing for the fourth time in six days, looked none the worse for wear as they dominated the Tigers 25-10, 25-5, 25-18 to run their record on the season to 12-0 overall and 4-0 in the OCL.
The Tigers had to know they were walking into the lion's den and they wound up getting mauled as the Red Raiders dominated the action at the net and combined that with some outstanding defensive play along the back line to cruise to victory.
Outside hitter Regan Bristol put the Barnstable show on the road with a back line kill to open the first game and when setter Kayla Crook followed with a tip-in and middle hitter Kaylee Deluga delivered a booming kill through the middle of the Taunton defense, the Red Raiders had themselves a 5-2 lead.
Crook then had a nice run at the service line, upping the BHS lead to 9-2 and any chance the Tigers might have thought they had went good-bye in a hurry as Holly Wilson came off the bench and served up five straight points, with the last of those five coming on a monster kill by outside hitter Lynne Hibbard.
The second game was even more one-sided as the Red Raiders, with kills by Deluga, Hibbard and outside hitter Carolyn Morin, scored 14 of the first 16 points and never looked back.
A pair of tip-ins by Cole and a game-ending kill by Bristol gave Barnstable the 2-0 lead.
The Red Raiders went to their bench in the third game and the reserves made sure the shutout stayed intact.
Although a late run by the Tigers made the score respectable, the Red Raiders were never really threatened as Meg Mamlock (two kills, one ace), Colleen Koen (two kills), Colleen Kenney (three kills) and Hannah Andres (two aces) all did their part to secure the final game victory which Kenney put a nice finishing touch on with a kill through the middle of the Taunton defensive alignment.
Deluga finished with eight kills to lead the BHS attack and got plenty of help from Hibbard (five kills), Cole (four kills), Morin (three kills) and Bristol (two kills).
The Red Raiders also got 17 assists from Crook and 17 points from the service line from Wilson.
Crook Tops 1,000
Setter Kayla Crook was the story at the BHS gym on Monday as she became the first junior in Barnstable High girls' volleyball history to record 1,000 assists.
Needing just 29 assists to break into four figures, Crook got that and more, finishing with 38 assists in leading the Red Raiders to the 3-0 win over visiting Brockton.
Despite playing 13 games at the Spalding Tournament of Champions the day before, the Red Raiders had plenty left in the tank for the Boxers and chalked up the 25-10, 25-16, 25-17 decisions.
Again it was the Red Raiders having too much of everything for their opponents to deal with, and the Boxers found out the hard way as the Red Raiders used their balanced scoring attack to keep the visitors at bay.
On any other night, Kaylee Deluga might have been the headliner as the senior middle hitter pounded down 18 kills, blocked two shots, had 14 serve receives without a single error and got the job done defensively as well, coming up with a team-high 11 digs.
The Red Raiders also got big outings at the net from Bristol with 10 kills, Cole with seven kills and Morin with five kills.
Crook wasn't a one-trick pony either as she also connected for 17 points from the service line and came up with a dozen digs.
Also coming through with standout defensive efforts were Nikki Deluga with seven digs, Stephanie Martin with five digs and Wilson with six digs and 12 service points.
Spalding Tournament Champs
The Red Raiders put in a little overtime on Sunday and made it worth their while, posting an 11-2 record en route to winning the Spalding Tournament of Champions in Holyoke.
The 12-team field included teams from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York and the Red Raiders went 8-2 in pool play to advance to the tournament championship round.
The Red Raiders swept their rivals from Merrimack, New Hampshire (that state's top team), Central Catholic and Longmeadow and split with Newton North and Pelham, New York, to move into the tournament semifinals.
A 25-19 win over Westborough sent them into the championship match and the Pelham was unable to slow down the Barnstable express as the Red Raiders knocked off their rivals from the Empire State 26-24 and 25-19 to bring home the hardware.
Making Their Case
For the second time in a week, the Red Raiders squared off with a first-rate opponent and for the second time in a week came out on top, defeating visiting Case 3-1 at the BHS gym last Friday.
The Cardinals proved to be a very good test for the Red Raiders but the top team in the South Coast Conference didn't get a passing grade as Barnstable prevailed 25-20, 24-26, 25-8, 25-19.
The second game loss was only the third of the season for the Red Raiders, who rebounded nicely with the one-sided win in the third game.
The Red Raiders front line players were again impressive both individually and as a unit, combining for more that 50 kills and eight blocks. Leading the Barnstable attack on the night were Kaylee Deluga with 20 kills, four blocks, 12 digs and 21 serve receives, Bristol with 16 kills, Cole with 12 kills, two blocks, three digs and 15 serve receives, Morin with five kills and a block and Hibbard with three kills, two blocks and five assists.
Setter Kayla Crook had a huge night, handing out 51 assists to go along with 15 digs and 11 service points.
Also coming through with standout performances at the service line were Cole and Wilson with 11 service points apiece, Lexi Malakhoff with 10 service points and seven digs and Andres with six digs and 13 serve receives.
Cape Cod Times
October 13, 2011
Barnstable 3, Taunton 0
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - The Red Raiders continued their torrid win streak topping Taunton, 25-10, 25-5 and 25-18 on Wednesday.
Kaylee Deluga recorded eight kills, Aine Cole had four kills and three aces, Holly Wilson added nine assists and six aces while Kayla Crook had 17 assists and five aces. Lynne Hibbard notched five kills.
Barnstable (12-0, 4-0 Old Colony League) plays in a tri-state tournament on Saturday at the Community College of Rhode Island.
10/11/11 Brockton @ Barnstable
Cape Cod Times
October 12, 2011
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - Kayla Crook earned 38 assists Tuesday to become the first junior at Barnstable High School to eclipse the 1,000 assist mark in the Red Raiders 3-0 girls volleyball victory over Brockton.
With 51 assists in a victory against Case on Friday, Crook needed just 29 to reach the 1,000 mark against the Boxers on Tuesday. Barnstable won by game scores of 25-10, 25-16, 25-17 to improve to 12-0.
Senior captain Kaylee Deluga finished with 18 kills, a block and 12 digs to provide strong work all over the floor. Junior Regan Bristol added nine kills, senior captain Aine Cole had seven kills and senior captains Carolyn Morin and Lynne Hibbard added five kills each.
Boston Globe
October 12, 2011
Barnstable 3, Brockton 0
Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent
Kayla Crook became the first Red Raiders junior to surpass the 1,000-assist mark, recording 38 helpers in top-ranked Barnstable's win.
Cape Cod Times
October 10, 2011
Barnstable wins Tournament of Champions
sports@capecodonline.com
HOLYOKE - The Barnstable girls volleyball team took advantage of a long weekend and put in a long day of competition Sunday, winning the Spalding Tournament of Champions.
The one-day event, hosted by the Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke, featured 12 teams from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. The Red Raiders went 8-2 in pool play to earn a No. 1 seeding. During pool play, Barnstable split with Newton North (21-25, 25-18); swept Merrimack (25-18, 25-20), the top-ranked team in New Hampshire; split with fifth-ranked Pelham, N.Y. (19-25, 25-15); swept Central Catholic (25-17, 25-15); and swept Longmeadow (25-14, 25-16).
The Red Raiders went on to defeat Westboro 25-19 in a one-set gold division semifinal, then wrapped up an 11-hour day of volleyball with a 26-24, 25-19 victory in a rematch with Pelham for the championship.
Barnstable, which is 11-0 in MIAA play, resumes its regular-season schedule Tuesday at home against Brockton.
10/7/11 Case @ Barnstable
Boston Globe
October 11, 2011
Players of the week
Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent
Kaylee Deluga, Barnstable - The middle hitter racked up 16 kills, 3 blocks, and an assist in a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Case.
Boston Globe
October 8, 2011
Barnstable is No. 1 in battle of unbeatens
Emily Wright, Globe Correspondent
The top-ranked Barnstable Red Raiders rolled forward in their undefeated season with a 3-1 defeat of nonconference foe Case, in a battle of 11-0 teams in Hyannis. Host Barnstable took the first (25-20), third (25-8), and fourth (25-19) sets, after losing a back-and-forth battle to the No. 3 Cardinals in the second set, 26-24.
Barnstable coach Tom Turco believed costly errors and lack of energy allowed Case to close the gap too many times. ''What was lacking in Game 2 and Game 4 was energy,'' Turco said. ''They were flat out there. They beat them, 25-8, in the third game and instead of wanting to put them away, they start making mistakes. You need to up the focus and up the energy level.''
Barnstable raced out to a 12-4 lead in the opening set before the Cardinals rebounded to make it close before dropping a 5-point decision. The switch in momentum allowed Case to keep pace with the defending Division 1 champion. The teams tied 15 times in the second set, which ended with a picture-perfect hit by Case senior outside hitter Jenn Cabral (13 digs) for the win. Barnstable took revenge in the third set, going on a 16-4 run to close it, anchored by 6-foot senior middle hitter Kaylee Deluga, who had 18 kills, 11 digs, and 3 blocks. Aine Cole added 11 digs, 11 kills, and 3 blocks.
The final set was reminiscent of the second, but Barnstable was able to capitalize on Lynne Hibbard's spike to tie it at 14-14, paving the way for an 11-5 run that sealed the victory. Case senior setter Megan Armburg recorded 23 assists.
Cape Cod Times
October 8, 2011
Barnstable 3, Case 1
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - The undefeated Red Raiders almost met their match in Friday's volleyball contest, handing Case its first loss of the season in the four-game match. Barnstable took the first game 25-20, lost the second 24-26 and rebounded in the third 25-8 before battling to a 25-19 win in the fourth game.
The Red Raiders were trailing 18-17 in the final game when Lexi Malakhoff entered giving Barnstable three straight service points and the 21-18 edge and the boost it needed to top Case (10-1). Kaylee Deluga notched 18 kills, three blocks and one ace while Regan Bristol recorded 15 kills and one block. Aine Cole had 11 kills, one block and one ace. Setter Kayla Crook had 42 assists.
Carolyn Morin came through defensively in that final game with a few big digs. Crook added 15 digs while Deluga and Cole each had 11.
The loss in the second game of the match was just the third Raiders' game loss on the season.
Barnstable (11-0) plays in the Spalding Tournament of Champions on Sunday in Springfield, Mass. hosted by the Volleyball Hall of Fame. The Raiders will face some of the top teams from New York and New Hampshire.
Barnstable Enterprise, October 7, 2011
10/3/11 Barnstable @ Dartmouth
Cape Cod Times
October 6, 2011
VOLLEYBALL
Barnstable 3, Dartmouth 0
sports@capecodonline.com
DARTMOUTH - The Barnstable Red Raiders remained undefeated after a 3-0 sweep over Old Colony League opponent Dartmouth by scores of 25-14, 25-16 and 25-11.
Junior Regan Bristol and senior Carolyn Morin each had nine kills for Barnstable, which also got 28 assists from junior setter Cayla Crook.
Caylee Daluga contributed five kills, three blocks and two aces for the Red Raiders and Lynne Hibbard added four kills and a block.
Barnstable also played well defensively, led by Hannah Andres and Anna Strock.
The Red Raiders are 10-0 (3-0 OCL) and host Case on Friday.
SouthCoastToday.com
October 6, 2011
ANDREW TORNETTA,
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
DARTMOUTH - Hoping to make a statement against longtime Old Colony League rival Barnstable, the Dartmouth girls volleyball team could not overcome the huge size advantage that the Raiders possess.
The Indians struggled all match to score points over the length of Barnstable while the Raiders exploited their height advantage at every opportunity, winning in three games, 25-14, 25-16 and 25-11, on Wednesday at Dartmouth High School.
Barnstable (10-0) boasts seven players taller than 5-foot-9 Heather Gagne, Dartmouth's senior captain and tallest player, including four players six feet tall.
"We are very tall in the front line and these kids came to play today and I am very proud of them," Barnstable head coach Tom Turco said. "This was a big league match for us, we are doing the best we can to prepare ourselves for the tournament. We want to win our league and took a big step towards that today."
Last season Dartmouth fell to Barnstable three times, including a 3-0 loss in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. The Indians (8-3, 2-1 OCL) will get another crack at the Raiders on Oct. 26 in Barnstable before possibly meeting again in the playoffs.
"Barnstable is an outstanding team, they are very tall and they don't just hit in one spot so you have to be on your toes and be ready to move around quickly," Dartmouth first-year head coach Rachel Lassey said. "Today they caught us on our heels a lot, but we are going to be gunning for them the next time around. Hopefully we will be better prepared for them and it will be a different story."
Dartmouth's best performance came in game two where the Indians trailed 10-9 before a seven-point run by Barnstable put the game away. The Raiders quickly put to rest any hope of the Indians stealing the third game, jumping out to a 17-3 lead before coasting to a match-clinching victory.
"We could have played better because we definitely didn't play our best game and our passing killed us. We didn't pass the ball well at all and when you do that, that's going to lose the game for you," Lassey said. "I know we can be better and it seemed like the girls were hanging their heads before the match was even over. We need to be able to snap out of that no matter what the score is and pick it back up."
For the Indians, Gagne led the way with 10 kills and four digs and Erin Butler added five digs while also going 10-for-11 passing. Junior middle hitter Lauren Pires recorded five kills and did a great job at the net holding her own against the height of Barnstable. The 5-7 Pires fought hard the entire way, making an impact on both ends despite being nearly a half foot shorter than her Barnstable counterparts.
"She did exactly what we needed her to do, followed the hitters, deflected shots and altered things at the net," Lassey said. "She has been playing solid and I need her to keep swinging and keep executing. They were double and triple blocking her at some points, but she stayed aggressive and stayed smart at the net and I am very happy with how she played today."
The Indians will look to bounce back from this disappointing effort when they visit Dennis-Yarmouth on Friday. Dartmouth remains just one win away from qualifying for the state tournament.
10/3/11 Dennis-Yarmouth @ Barnstable
Cape Cod Times
October 04, 2011
Barnstable clinches volleyball berth
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - The Barnstable girls volleyball team qualified for postseason play, improving to 9-0 with a 25-21, 25-19 and 25-15 sweep of Dennis-Yarmouth on Monday. The Raiders' only struggles came in the first game, when they found themselves in a 21-16 hole but recovered to win through eight straight serves by Lexi Malakhoff.
The second game saw a 17-8 lead with strong serving by Kayla Crook and Ana Strock.
The offensive stats were spread evenly, with Kaylee Deluga getting eight kills and a block, Regan Bristol racking up seven kills, and Aine Cole picking up seven kills, two blocks and an ace.
Lynne Hibbard finished with five kills and three blocks for Barnstable.
Senior Eliza Bowes had six kills and six digs for D-Y (8-2), Ryan Donahue had seven kills and four blocks and Clara Gonzalves had six kills and two blocks.
The Dolphins' star center, Lindsey Brown, had three kills, a block and 22 assists, making it "one of the best performances of her career," according to D-Y coach Dru Sisson.
Boston.com
Posted by Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff
October 2, 2011
Barnstable stands atop Globe volleyball rankings
By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent
Barnstable has extended its stretch atop the Globe's volleyball rankings. And although the team is stacked with potential to return to the state finals, the top 10 teams are going to be a bracket in need of a close watch.
In the running are Medfield, Case, Melrose and Andover. Case, with a senior-loaded team, is sure to make a dent in the playoffs and currently holds the No. 3 spot. Their place in the rankings will be either upheld or upended in the coming weeks with tough competition coming against Fairhaven (beat them 3-2 in the season opener) and No. 1 Barnstable.
Melrose and Andover have not had any upsets yet.
Division 2's Medfield returns with its its only loss to Division 1 champion Barnstable. Andover and Division 3 champion Frontier have had a solid start, but the story of the week is Brookline vs. Lincoln-Sudbury.
No. 7 Brookline, which suffered its only loss to No. 13 Newton North, put up a road block to end No. 8 Lincoln-Sudbury's seven-game streak. The move bumped up Brookline into the top 10. We'll keep an eye on them until they face Lincoln-Sudbury at the end of regular season.
Reading and Canton are new additions to the list with solid runs in their respective conferences.
View the Globe's Top 20 volleyball rankings here.
9/30/11 Frontier Regional @ Barnstable
Boston Globe
October 1, 2011
Barnstable perseveres, tops Frontier
By Emily Wright, Globe Correspondent
Neither visiting Frontier nor Barnstable had dropped a set this season, never mind a game, when the volleyball powerhouses, both 8-0, squared off last night.
The duel of cross-division heavyweights lived up to its billing.
The defending Division 1 champion Red Raiders roared to a 15-6 win in the fifth set to take a 3-2 victory. Thirteen-time state champion Barnstable gained a measure of revenge with the win, having dropped a five-set decision to the defending Division 3 champion Red Hawks last October.
Frontier came out strong in the first set, led by junior outside hitter Cassidy Stankowski (22 kills, 11 digs). The Red Hawks finished with a 17-7 run en route to the 25-16 win and a 1-0 lead.
Top-ranked Barnstable swung the momentum back in its favor in the second and third sets with a pair of 25-17 wins, but No. 6 Frontier forced a deciding set with a 25-17 win of its own. Barnstable had three service errors in the fourth set and it looked like nerves were becoming a factor.
"The hardest thing in sports is to regain momentum,'' Barnstable coach Tom Turco said. "Even though we had a pretty good crowd here, and it was loud, we lost that fourth game. That was a game we could have taken the match with and we weren't playing particularly well and they recaptured the momentum.''
The Red Raiders were led by All-Scholastic Kaylee Deluga (13 kills, 11 digs), Aine Cole (12 kills), and Regan Bristol (12 kills).
Cape Cod Times
October 01, 2011
School volleyball: Barnstable tops Frontier in five-game thriller
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - The Barnstable girls volleyball team remained undefeated Friday night and handed Frontier Regional its first loss of the season, 3-2 at Barnstable High School.
The Red Raiders (8-0) finished the match on an 11-3 run en route to a 15-6 fifth game victory.
The Red Raiders fell in the first set, 25-16, but took the next two, 25-16 and 25-17, before losing again in the fourth set, 25-17, setting up the tie-breaker.
Barnstable came out hard in the fifth game, despite having lost the previous one on a 7-1 run. Barnstable started on a 4-0 run then allowed Frontier (7-1) to climb back to come within one point before closing it out.
"The hardest thing in sports is to regain the momentum," said head coach Tom Turco. "My seniors rose to the occasion."
Frontier maintained a lead through most of the first set. The Red Hawks scored the first two points on Red Raider errors and carried the lead through 12 points. Barnstable tied the game up at 9-9 and then took a lead for a couple points after that. Frontier regained the advantage a Barnstable error and kept it through the set.
The Raiders took the first point of the second set on a tip by senior middle hitter Kaylee Deluga. Barnstable used more tips tonight than they typically do, and it largely worked for them.
Turco saw an opportunity to take advange of the Red Hawks' speed and positioning and told his hitters to tip it directly behind the blockers. When they directed the ball to that spot, it created points.
Barnstable led through most of the second and third sets. In both games, the Hawks came back and lead for a few points in the middle of the set, but the Raiders then put them away.
"They all played well in spots," Turco said of his team. "There wasn't one kid who turned that whole thing around. It was just a total team effort - you say that all the time, but it really was."
- DIANA C. NEARHOS
MassLive.com
September 30, 2011
Frontier volleyball's 34-match win streak ends with 3-2 loss at Barnstable
Jason Remillard
This was a volleyball match where experience mattered.
Frontier Regional School graduated three all-state players from last year's Division III state champions, while host Barnstable returned all but two from its Division I state titlist squad.
Barnstable used that experience, and a few big-match jitters from Frontier's new players, to snap the Red Hawks' 34-match win streak Friday with a 3-2 victory on Cape Cod.
"To go down there and get to a fifth game, we felt pretty good," Frontier coach Sean MacDonald said. "It's a learning experience. It's good for us to get into these situations against good teams."
Cassidy Stankowski, Frontier's fourth all-stater from last season, racked up 22 kills, 12 digs and three aces for the 8-1 Red Hawks. Courtney Parent had 20 assists and three kills, while Julia Wan served well.
Frontier defeated Barnstable (8-0) and eventual Division II state champion Medfield last season. The Red Hawks' last loss was to Joseph Case, of Swansea, in the 2009 state semifinal.
9/28/11 Bridgewater Raynham @ Barnstable
Cape Cod Times
September 29, 2011
School volleyball: Barnstable preps for Frontier
sports@capecodonline.com
HYANNIS - In a tune-up for Friday's showdown with Frontier Regional, Barnstable dominated Old Colony League opponent Bridgewater-Raynham 3-0 (25-3, 25-16, 25-19) on Wednesday.
The win keeps the Raiders unbeaten at 7-0, 2-0 in the OCL.
Barnstable dominated up front with Caroline Morin recording four kills and Colleen Kenney adding three.
Seven Raiders logged two kills each. From the service line, Hannah Andrade notched four aces and Holly Wilson had three.
Friday's match pits the Raiders against the Hawks of Frontier Regional, who are currently on a 37-match win streak and sport a 9-0 mark this season.
9/22/11 Barnstable @ Medfield
Barnstable Enterprise
September 23, 2011
In Battle of State Volleyball Champions,
Red Raiders Too Much For Warriors
By Tom Moran, Jr.
A win streak that had spanned three seasons came to a screeching halt
last night when the Barnstable High girls volleyball brought home a 3-0
win from Medfield.
In a battle of defending Division 1 and Division 2 state champions, the
Red Raiders upped their record to 6-0 at the expense of the Division 2
Warriors who saw their 65-match winning streak become a one-match
winless streak when Barnstable posted the 25-16, 25-17, 25-15 victory.
The Red Raiders showed no ill effects from the long bus ride as they
took it right to their hosts, looking to turn back a team they had not
beaten since 2008.
Despite still being the biggest dog in the division 2 fight, the
Warriors were no match for their Division 1 rivals, who continued their
high level of play by dominating the action at the net and backing that
up with a stellar team defensive effort.
Middle hitter Kaylee Deluga led a balanced Barnstable attack with 15
kills, two blocks and a service ace. She got plenty of help from Red
Raiders' outside hitters with Regan Bristol banging down seven kills and
blocking two shots, Carolyn Morin coming through with a six-kill effort
and both Aine Cole and Lynne Hibbard registering three kills apiece.
Setter Kayla Crook, another defensive mainstay, had the BHS offense
humming and handed out 31 assists in the nonleague victory.
The Red Raiders also continued to show off their improved service game
with both Lexi Malakhoff and Holly Wilson delivering strong showing as
the line and serving up a pair of aces.
The Red Raiders' stellar team defensive effort was highlighted by the
strong individual performances turned in by libero Stephanie Martin and
backline mate Hannah Andres.
By CAPE COD TIMES
sports@capecodonline.com
September 23, 2011
DIANA C. NEARHOS
MEDFIELD - The Barnstable girls volleyball team won its 24th point of the third set against Medfield on a service error, but the Warriors made them work for the match point.
Medfield recorded three straight kills before Barnstable's Kaylee Deluga stepped up and slammed an attack into the far corner of the court. With that, the Red Raiders defeated Medfield 3-0 on Thursday night for the first time since 2008 to snap a 65-match regular-season win streak.
"That's a great team," said Barnstable head coach Tom Turco, whose squad improved to 6-0. "It's been three years since we came out on top, it feels good."
Barnstable led the majority of the match en route to the 25-16, 25-17, 25-15 victory.
Medfield took a 4-3 lead in the first game on a tip by Rachel Wyman, but after that the Red Raiders took control. They only let the Warriors (4-1) score a couple of points at a time, never allowing them to set a rhythm.
Deluga continued her dominance on the court, both on the attacks and service line. She won two set points, the first on an ace and the third on the kill.
Deluga finished with 16 kills and junior Kayla Crook had 31 assists for the Raiders._This game was the first time Barnstable's middle hitters played in the back row all season; usually libero Nikki Deluga would enter in their places.
"They're skilled and I thought Aine (Cole) had a lot of digs," Turco said of his middles.
Turco also attributed the team's success to its veteran makeup. With six seniors on the team, many players could step up and take control at any time against Medfield's relatively young squad.
Barnstable will carry this victory into Wednesday's game against Bridgewater Raynham.
Boston Globe
September 22, 2011
Top-ranked Barnstable beats No. 2 Medfield for first time since '08
By Alex Prewitt, Globe Correspondent
Barnstable volleyball coach Tom Turco doesn't say much before matches.
Then again, he rarely has to.
"I don't give any speeches," Turco said. "If they're not mentally prepared by the time they get to the gym, they're not ready. They know what the big matches are and they rise to the occasion."
The top-ranked Red Raiders certainly stepped up Thursday night, rolling over host No. 2 Medfield, 25-16, 25-17, 25-15, behind 16 kills from senior Kaylee Deluga and 31 assists from junior setter Kayla Crook. Barnstable hadn't beaten the Warriors since 2008.
Inside a sweltering gym, Deluga, an All-Scholastic who was on the Division 1 All-State team and senior Aine Cole, normally both middle-hitters, had to play on the back line because Barnstable was missing its libero.
"They stepped up and played big defense in the back," said Turco, chalking Deluga and Cole's performance up to their veteran status. "But they're seasoned, they're able to adjust to these situations."
Junior Regan Bristol seven kills for the Red Raiders, who improved to 6-0. Despite snapping a three-year, three-match winless streak against Medfield, the post-match mood was more focused on the future than jubilant at the present.
"They're pretty even-keeled," Turco said. "They were excited but they respect Medfield. They understand that their goal is to compete at a high level by way of our schedule for one purpose, and that's to prepare themselves for the tournament. So they're happy, but they weren't jumping around."
Medfield Patch
Barnstable Ends Medfield Volleyball's Win Streak at 65 Games
By Jeremie Smith
September 22, 2011
The streak is over.
The Medfield High School girls' volleyball team's 65-game winning streak came to an end Thursday in Medfield at the hands of Barnstable, 3-0.
According to the Boston Globe, the unbeaten Red Raiders (5-0) swept Medfield behind 16 kills from senior Kaylee Deluga and 31 assists from junior Kayla Crook. Medfield (4-1) returns to the court on Sept. 27 when it hosts Bellingham at 6:30 p.m.
9/20/11 Barnstable @ Taunton
Barnstable Enterprise
September 23, 2011
Red Raiders Overpower Host Taunton in OCL Volleyball Opener
By Tom Moran, Jr.
The Barnstable High girls volleyball team got the defense of it Old Colony League title off to a good start by blanking host Taunton 3-0 in the Silver City on Tuesday.
The Raiders, now 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the OCL, had no problems subduing the Tigers, combining solid team defensive play with a relentless net presence that resulted in the 25-13, 25-12, 25-10 victory.
The Red Raiders are the only champion the OL has ever known and if Tuesday's performance is any indication, there will be no changes at the top anytime soon.
Coming off a win over the Cougars from Notre Dame of Hingham, the Red Raiders were again the ones with the whip and the chair in the win over the Tigers as the Barnstable front line kept the points coming in bunches while the backline players were delivering an almost airtight defensive effort.
And to make matters worse for the home team, the Red Raiders' service game was also in top form as Aine Cole, who also had seven kills from her middle hitter position, came through with 13 points while teammates Holly Wilson (10 service points) and Lexi Malakhoff (seven service points) also had strong performances at the service line.
Regan Bristol continued her strong play at the net as the junior outside hitter banged down a team-high eight kills in another very good two-way effort that also saw her make six digs as well as registering a block and a service ace.
Joining Bristol and Cole for some fun at the net were middle hitter Kaylee Deluga (six kills, one block, two service aces and six digs), outside hitter Lynne Hibbard (three kills) and Hannah Andres (two kills and six digs).
Red Raider setter Kayla Crook was the catalyst for the Red Raider offense, handing out 18 assists as well as making her presence felt defensively by coming up with six digs.
By CAPE COD TIMES (www.capecodonline.com) September 21, 2011
VOLLEYBALL: Barnstable 3, Taunton 0
TAUNTON - The Red Raiders shut out the Tigers on the road to bring their undefeated season to 5-0. Barnstable cruised to a 25-13, 25-12, 25-10 victory. Raiders' Regan Bristol had eight kills on the day, and Aine Cole and Kaylee Deluga had seven and five kills, respectively. Hannah Andres played good defense, getting seven digs, and Kayla Crook had 18 assists.
The Red Raiders will travel to Medfield on Thursday.
9/15/11 Notre Dame of Hingham @ Barnstable
Capenews.net - The Enterprise online. September 16, 2011
Cougars Reduced To Pussycats As Barnstable Volleyball Team Triumphs
By Tom Moran Jr.
If this is what the Barnstable High girls' volleyball team looks like now, November can't get here fast enough.
After tagging North Attleboro with its first regular-season loss in two years, the Red Raiders were even more impressive last night as they cruised past visiting Notre Dame of Hingham 3-0.
In running their record to 4-0 on the year, the Red Raiders took the Cougars' best shot without so much as a blink and went on to record the 25-18, 25-13 and 25-21.
None of the games were as close as the final scores might seem to indicate as BHS coach Tom Turco substituted freely in all three games and had to like what he saw as each and every one of the reserves had an immediate impact.
The Red Raiders might have been a bit too hyped when the first game got underway and the Cougars took advantage of their hosts' aggressive play at the net, using a series of dinks and dunks to open up a 10-6 lead.
The Notre Dame lead disappeared in a hurry as setter Kayla Crook, who turned in a very impressive all-around outing, ripped off a 10-point run at the service line, putting the Red Raiders in front to stay.
One of the keys to Crook's extended stay at the service line was the play of frontliners Kaylee Deluga, Regan Bristol and Lynne Hibbard as the trio combined to block two straight kill tries by ND middle hitter Jamie Gransky before all three and outside hitter Carolyn Morin came through with kills to help wrap up the first game victory.
The Red Raiders wasted no time taking control in the second game as Hibbard got hot and her teammates made sure the ball kept coming her way as the senior outside hitter blasted down a cross-court kill before dissecting the Cougars' defensive alignment with a down-the-middle kill.
The Barnstable lead continued to grow as all the Red Raiders got involved offensively as Aine Cole, Bristol and Deluga controlled the action at the net.
And when Coach Turco went to the bench, he got just what he was looking for as Lexi Malakhoff put together a nice four-point run at the service line in addition to playing great backline defense and both Hannah Andres and Holly Wilson kept the momentum with the Red Raiders with their instant contributions from the service line.
It was only fitting that Hibbard end the game as she won a back-and-forth volley at the net with Gransky, tipping the return of her own tip off Gransky's arm and out of bounds.
The Cougars did their best to make a stand in the third game but, after a somewhat promising start, the Red Raiders' depth and talent simply wore them out.
With the Cougars holding a 9-7 lead, the Red Raiders scored nine of the next 11 points to open up an 18-11 lead that pretty much put the game out of reach.
With a team of mostly Barnstable reserves on the floor, the Cougars made a belated run, closing to within 23-20 but even the Red Raider bench players had too much for their guests to contend with as a Cole tip-in followed by a Cole kill left nothing for the Notre Dame team to do except pack up their bags and head for the bus.
Deluga paced a balanced Barnstable attack with nine kills and eight blocks while Hibbard also had herself a very nice evening, coming up with four kills, eight blocks and two service aces of her own.
The Red Raiders also got four kills and a block from Cole, three kills, three blocks and a service ace from Bristol and four aces and 17 assists from Crook.
Making the front line players night so much fun was the work of backliners Nikki Deluga (11 service receives and eight digs in yet another stellar performance at the libero position), Stephanie Martin (11 serve receives and four digs) and Crook, Hibbard, Lexi Malakhoff, Holly Wilson and Hannah Andres with four digs apiece.
In addition, the Red Raiders also got instant boosts from the play of Colleen Kenney ( a block and a kill), Megan Mamlock (a block) and Anna Strock (a pair of service points).The Red Raiders will be back in action on Tuesday, opening their Old Colony League season in Taunton before going back on the road for a Thursday showdown with defending Division 2 state champ Medfield.
9/13/11 Barnstable @ North Attleboro
Barnstable Enterprise. September 16, 2011
Red Raiders Keep Rocketeers Grounded In Early Season Volleyball Showdown
By Tom Moran Jr.
If this keeps up, the Barnstable High girls volleyball team is going to go out of state to find opponents.
After knocking off archrival Falmouth on Monday, the Red Raiders ran their record to 3-0 on the season by overpowering host North Attleboro 3-0 on Tuesday, handing the Red Rocketeers their first regular-season in two years.
For the Red Rocketeers, the match must have brought back nightmares because it was the Red Raiders who eliminated North Attleboro from the Division 1 tournament scene last November on their way to their 13th state championship. The Red Raiders prevailed again Tuesday night, posting the 25-19, 25-13, 25-12 decisions that made the ride back to Hyannis not quite so long.
The Red Rocketeers must have thought they had some chance against their guests as they gave a good accounting of themselves despite dropping the first game but those chances were quickly downgraded slim when Hannah Andres ripped off an eight-point run at the service line that gave the Red Raiders a 14-3 lead in the second game.
That proved to be the proverbial straw as the Red Rocketeers found it increasingly difficult to contain a Barnstable offense led by the power shots of middle hitter Kaylee Deluga, who complemented a 16 kill effort at the net with two blocks and a pair of service aces.
The Red Raiders also got standout efforts from outside hitters Regan Bristol (four kills) and Lynne Hibbard (four blocks) while libero Nikki Deluga continued her outstanding play along the back line, coming up with seven digs and flawlessly handling 13 service receptions.
BHS coach Tom Turco also got an outstanding defensive effort from Stephanie Martin (three digs and seven service receptions) while setter Kayla Crook got it done both defensively (seven digs) and offensively (26 assists).
Red Raiders - 3
Falmouth - 0
Monday's match with Falmouth started early and ended the same way as the Red Raiders took care of business at the expense of the host Clippers, chalking up the 25-7, 25-12, 25-17 victories.
The handwriting was on the wall when middle hitter Aine Cole got busy at the service line, opening the first game with a 12-point run, that included a pair of aces, at the service line that signaled the beginning of the end for Falmouth.
The Clippers had no defensive answers for a balanced Barnstable attack that got 12 kills from middle hitter Kaylee Deluga, eight kills, and ace and six service points from outside hitter Regan Bristol and two kills apiece from Cole, Lynne Hibbard and Hannah Andres.
Making life even more difficult for the home team was the fact that the Red Raiders also got two blocks and two service aces from Kaylee Deluga, two aces and three digs from Anna Strock and six digs from libero Nikki Deluga.
In the second game, the Red Raiders showed off that balanced offensive attack as Andres, Cole, Kayla Crook and Kaylee Deluga all came through with four points from the service line. Crook was also the club's top playmaker, handing out 28 assists.
Strock put a nice finishing touch on the nonleague shutout win, serving up the final five points of the match.
By CAPE COD TIMES
sports@capecodonline.com
September 14, 2011
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Barnstable 3, N. Attleboro 0
NORTH ATTLEBORO - The Red Raiders handed the Rocketeers their first regular-season loss in two years, avenging a Div. 1 South semifinal loss to North Attleboro last fall.
[Correction: North Attleboro failed to avenge their loss to the Barnstable Red Raiders in the Div. 1 South semifinal last fall.]
Kaylee Deluga finished with 16 kills, two blocks, two aces and seven digs for Barnstable (3-0), which defeated the Rocketeers 25-19, 25-13, 25-12.
Aine Cole had six kills and two aces while and Regan Bristol had four kills for the Raiders, who are back in action Thursday at home against Notre Dame.
9/12/11 Barnstable @ Falmouth
By CAPE COD TIMES
sports@capecodonline.com
September 13, 2011
FALMOUTH - The Barnstable girls volleyball team grabbed its second victory of the season with a 25-7, 25-12, 25-17 sweep over nonleague foe Falmouth on Monday.
Aine Cole had 16 service points and three aces for the Red Raiders. Kaylee Deluga added 12 kills, two blocks and two aces while Regan Bristol had eight kills, one ace and six service points.
Anna Strock helped out with four digs, five service points and two aces and setter Kayla Crook had 28 assists. On the defensive end, libero Nikki Deluga had seven digs.
The Red Raiders (2-0) play a rematch of their 2010 South Sectional semifinals in North Attleboro today.
Senior captain Lindsey Meade was strong at the service line for the Clippers (1-2) while senior captain Emma Shanahan was key at setter.
By Boston Globe (www.boston.com). September 11, 2011
Fall Preview
By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent
For the past three years, Lincoln-Sudbury has been inching closer to a Division 1 girls' volleyball state championship. This year, it could make the final step.
The Warriors have ammunition this year with a line of power hitters led by Alex Braverman and 6-footers Mandy Sifferlen and Meghan Klapper, who are skilled blockers. Braverman not only dominates outside hitting and blocking, but has a serve with topspin that will frustrate opponents.
"We are definitely more strategic with our serving," said coach Judy Katalina. "The kids are more controlled and have more movement, which is important for tougher teams."
The Warriors must plow through a tough schedule of Dual County and Bay State League competitors before facing teams such as Barnstable and Medfield, but Katalina is ready as she approaches her 300th career victory. Her team has gone 74-2 since 2008.
"There's no day off in our league," said Katalina.
Barnstable, with 13 titles under its belt, returns setter Kayla Crook, outside hitter Carolyn Morin, and All-Scholastic Kaylee Deluga, who was on the Division 1 All-State team and was most productive at middle. Six seniors return: Crook, Morin, Nikki Deluga, Aine Cole, Lynne Hibbard, and Lexi Malakhoff.
"They've been on a team that hasn't made it to a state championship and one that has. They've experienced both, so they're pretty self-motivated," said coach Tom Turco.
South finalist New Bedford graduated Division 1 Player of the Year Maura Manley, a huge blow to its offense, and is looking at a rebuilding year after losing nine seniors.
With three consecutive Division 2 state titles, Medfield will be a team to follow despite losing six seniors, including the height and power of Kathleen Krah and Natalie Dickinson and the setting of Hannah Donnelly.
Andover, which lost to Barnstable in the state semis, returns three Merrimack Valley Conference All-Stars and senior outside hitter Sarah Arvidson (150 kills and 170 digs last season).
Division 1 state semifinalist North Quincy has experience in returning libero Elizabeth Sullivan and outside hitter Emily Ainsley along with offensive weapon Olivia Umoren in the middle.
"Olivia is a big gun in the front row. She's been able to score points on offense and is a real weapon," said coach Kerry Ginty.
Division 3 state finalist Case returns a loaded senior class, including All-Star Jenn Cabral, who notched a 91-percent serving average, and the consistent Shannon Orton.
State champion Frontier, which went 26-0, returns junior Cassidy Stankowski, who finished with 219 kills. Since 2007, Frontier has gone 90-4, with tournament appearances every year.
9/7/11 North Quincy @ Barnstable
Capenews.net - The Enterprise online. September 09, 2011
Red Raiders Open Defense Of Division 1 Volleyball Title
By Tom Moran Jr.
The level of play was exceptional for the season's first match as the Barnstable High girls' volleyball team began the defense of its Division 1 state title with a 3-0 win over visiting North Quincy at the BHS gym on Wednesday. Although the Red Raiders did register the shutout, the visiting Red Raiders battled them hammer and tongs in each of the three games before bowing 25-16, 25-17 and 25-12.
"That was a very good match," said BHS coach Tom Turco. "We have a lot of tough teams on the schedule again this season and North Quincy is certainly one of those."
The NQ Red Raiders are indeed a good team, a team that will win plenty of games this season but against the Red Raiders of Barnstable, they just didn't have what it took to pull of the win as the home team's balanced attack and depth proved to be the difference.
Coach Turco got all 15 of his players into the match and for much of the evening, the Red Raider lineup changed almost as many times as did the score.
Playing before a packed house and with a contingent of BHS football players leading the cheering, the Red Raiders found out early that a victory would not come easily as the North Quincy squad matched their hosts point for point in the early going.
Barnstable's first point of the season came on a kill by middle hitter Kaylee Deluga but the visitors countered with a point of their own and the battle had been joined.
The Red Raiders quickly found themselves trailing as the North Quincy girls, who did an outstanding job of receiving serves throughout the match, not only countered each Barnstable point with a point of their own but also used a three-point run to open up a 9-6 lead that also did quite a bit to quiet the home crowd.
The Red Raiders answered with a three-point run of their own and then took the lead for good at 13-12 on a cross-court kill by outside hitter Carolyn Morin.
The home team's ability to get points from just about every position was evident as kills by middle hitter Aine Cole and outside hitter Regan Bristol upped the BHS lead to 18-14 and forced the North Quincy coach to call a timeout.
Cole continued to find the holes in the NQ alignment as she ripped a kill through the middle of the NQ defense before using a sweet touch shot to foil a block attempt by North's Emma Ainsley and Rose Bennett to up the lead to 21-15.
Another kill by Deluga highlighted a nice stretch at the service line by Crook that closed out the first game. The North Quincy coach made some defensive adjustments in an attempt to keep Deluga in check but the strategy backfired because the Red Raiders did some adjusting of their own as Bristol and Lynne Hibbard took over the chore of shredding the NQ defense.
The visitors tried to stay close but to no avail as Morin heated up from the outside and Cole continued to make life miserable for the other Red Raiders with her strong play at the center of the net.
And not only were the Red Raiders getting great play up front, they were also getting standout efforts on the back line, led by libero Nikki Deluga, as they took charge of the game.
The visitors closed to within 18-14 but again the Red Raiders had all the answers with Bristol and Morin coming through with kills before Kaylee Deluga closed out the game with a tip-in over the NQ front line that gave her team a 2-0 lead.
The relentless BHS attack really paid dividends in the third game as the Red Raiders ran out to a 5-0 lead with Bristol highlighting the run by blasting a kill through the block attempt of a pair of NQ defenders.
The visitors suddenly found themselves on an express trip back to the bus as Cole, Morin, Bristol and Meghan Mamlock took turns making the plays at the net that upped the Barnstable lead to 20-6.
North Quincy went down swinging but went down nonetheless as a tip-in by Mamlock and another kill by Hibbard keyed Barnstable's match-ending run.
Teaming up to pace the BHS attack in the match were Cole and Bristol with 10 kills each, Morin with eight kills, Kaylee Deluga with seven kills, Hibbard with four kills and Crook with two kills, a block and 28 assists.
In addition to Nikki Deluga's outstanding play along the back line (15 digs), the Red Raiders also got outstanding defensive contributions from Stephanie Martin (seven digs), Crook and Kaylee Deluga (six digs each), Lexi Malahkoff (five digs), Bristol and Cole (two digs each) and Colleen Kenney (one dig).
In addition, the Red Raiders also got a big boost from the serves of Hannah Andres and Holly Wilson as well as strong two-way efforts from both Colleen Koen and Anna Strock.
By CAPE COD TIMES (www.capecodonline.com) September 08, 2011
Barnstable 3, N. Quincy 0
HYANNIS - The defending Div. 1 state champion Red Raiders used balanced play to down the Central-East Div. 1 sectional champion Presidents 25-16, 25-17, 25-12.
Aine Cole and Regan Bristol had 10 kills and two digs each while Carolyn Morin had eight kills, Kaylee Deluga had seven kills and six digs and Lynne Hibbard had four kills.
Nikki Deluga had 15 digs while Stephanie Martin, Lexi Malakhoff and Hana Andres added six digs each.
Kayla Crook recorded 35 assists to pace the attack.
Barnstable heads to Falmouth on Monday.
By Boston Globe (www.boston.com). September 07, 2011
Posted by Metro Desk
Barnstable girls' volleyball defeats rival North Quincy
By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent
QUINCY - A 13-time Division 1 championship dynasty does not come without rivalries and Wednesday night, Div. 1 girls' volleyball champ Barnstable took on one of its longest.
In its season opener, host Barnstable claimed a 3-0 win over Div. 1 state semifinalist North Quincy, a rival for more than two decades (25-17, 25-16, 25-12).
"That's a long one that's been going on for 20, 21 years. And this year was one of the strongest North Quincy teams I've seen," said Red Raiders coach Tom Turco, who began his 24th year with the team.
Although the Red Raiders got off to a shaky start in the first set, tying North Quincy, 12-12, kills from Aine Cole (10) and Carolyn Morin (7) gave them momentum that continued into the second set.
"[North Quincy] picked up a lot of balls off the floor but we had more of an offense, and that was the game-changer," said Turco. "We're hitting from a pretty high hitting percentage and our serve receive is solid. Overall we have a pretty balanced offense and we're hitting from all three spots in the front row."
North Quincy picked up its play at the net in the third set with 14 combined blocks from Maya Umoren and Carolyn Schwartz and four kills and two blocks from Olivia Umoren, but the Red Raiders' Nikki Deluga got under hits with 17 digs.
The Red Raiders took a 17-5 lead in the third behind their seniors and some promising underclassmen. Despite Elizabeth Sullivan's 13 digs for North Quincy, Barnstable was able to outlast its rival behind returning Globe All-Scholastic Kaylee Deluga and Regan Bristol's (10 kills) offensive attack and MGVCA All-State Kayla Crook's 35 assists for the win. Carolyn Morin contributed seven kills.
"I rely heavily on [my senior leadership]," said Turco. "It's their last shot and this is their year. There's a sense of urgency and my seniors are my leaders, that's the way it's always been.
"I don't set any goals for them. They set goals for themselves."
|