Tourney time for volleyball

The four-year-old Classical volleyball program posted its first-ever State Tournament victory Sunday afternoon by shutting out No. 4 O?Bryant, 3-0, in a tightly contested match punctuated by extended volleys.The No. 13 Rams (11-10-0), playing in their second straight tournament, posted the shutout by scores of 27-25, 25-21 and 26-24 at O?Bryant and next take on No. 5 Haverhill in a quarterfinal match tonight at Haverhill High (7).?This was our best and most consistent match receiving volleys. That was the difference,” said coach Frank DeLuca.Captain Cassie D?Agostino did a great job directing the offense and setting and combined with Sarina Soth and Christine Alcalde to do an outstanding job of digging. Captains Michelle Nwogu (seven kills, block) and Ivy Martin (five kills, block) controlled play at the net.Meredith MacDonald and D?Agostino had four service points each in the first set while Nwogu added three. Katrina Syrakos, Martin and MacDonald recorded three points each in the second set while MacDonald and D?Agostino had four apiece in the third.?Meredith (MacDonald) was the unsung hero today as she played the entire match for the first time. She played outstanding . Katrina (Syrakos) also played well,” said DeLuca.Andover 3, English 0At Andover, the Bulldogs bowed out of the state tournament, losing 25-11, 25-10, 25-7.English coach Laurie Wentzell praised “all of my seniors,” noting that she is “saying goodbye to five of six starters. I thought all of them played well.?Obviously, Andover was much more experienced than we. The girls did what they could. I was happy with their overall performance.”The five seniors who started against Andover included captains Keri Bryson and Alison Tobin; Tiffany Caban; Lizbeth Hernandez; and Jillian Ballard.Fenwick 3, Dracut 0At Fenwick, in North Division 2 first-round action, the Crusaders got good games from Kate Lipka (19 kills), Tessa McLaughlin (38 assists) and Jen Crovo (11 kills). Fenwick plays Weston Tuesday in the quarterfinals (at Fenwick, 7).Arlington Cath. 3, S?scott 0At Arlington Catholic, the 12th-seeded Big Blue bowed out against the No. 5 Cougars.In Division 1 North action, Methuen defeated Salem 3-1 and Masco blanked Beverly 3-0.