English volleyball features plenty of new faces

When the English High volleyball team opens its season against Salem tonight at Salem, there?ll be plenty of new faces on the Bulldog bench.English coach Laurie Wentzell saw her top six players graduate, leaving only one player, senior outside hitter Sabrina Uribe, with significant varsity playing time under her belt.?We have some pretty good young players,” Wentzell said. “We?ll be rebuilding … This is pretty much a new varsity team, but I think in another year, or even as this year progresses, we?ll see improvement. We have some good hitters, good setters. We have some potential.”Wentzell?s senior contingent also includes Islania Acosta, Marianni German and Sophie Aguirre. The junior class features captain Molly Nhiv, a middle hitter; outside hitter Jasmin Chhin, Bridget Barr; middle hitter Jenniefer Benavides; junior Jill Pelletier (a transfer from St. Mary?s) and manager Leeza Camancho.The sophomore class features setter Lily Vu, setter Brittany Barrows, middle hitter Lindsey Lannon and Jillian Bowden.Wentzell said her numbers weren?t quite as large as last year, but they were good, allowing English to field a freshman team. Wentzell said she had a lot of freshmen who wanted to play last year and fortunately, they were able to play a few scrimmages and get in some practice. She said this year will be much more organized, which is good for the program.English is coming off its best season since the program started five years ago. The Bulldogs finished 10-11 with the final loss coming against Andover in the state tournament. Last year was the first time the team had qualified for the postseason. The group of seniors who graduated last year were freshmen the first year of the program.