Fenwick volleyball makes net gains

PEABODY – Fresh off a Division 2 North Sectionals title and trip to the State Semifinals last fall, the Bishop Fenwick volleyball team picked up right where it left off, despite obvious changes.On Thursday evening, the Crusaders opened the season with a 3-0 victory over St. Mary?s (25-8, 25-13, 25-13) with deadly serving proving a vital difference in the final outcome.?I?m very happy with the girls? efforts,” lauded Fenwick coach Adam DeBaggis, who pointed out that 75 percent of the team is new to the lineup. “They really jelled despite only being together for a week and a half. That kind of chemistry is impressive and a very encouraging sign this early.”In the opening set, the hosts jumped out to a 12-2 lead on the strength of aces from Julia Fusco, Samantha Mancinelli and Melissa MacKenzie, who tallied three straight to force the Spartans into a timeout.The Spartans would score the next three points out of the break, including two kills from Amanda Idusuyi, who finished with five total.?She?s only a sophomore, but she?s an up-and-coming star for sure,” said St. Mary?s coach Erin Menard. “She?s taken big strides from last season and should be a focal point of the offense.”A combination of unforced and service errors would lead up to the highlight of the set when Lindsay Donahue?s kill finished off a sequence that featured diving continuations from Fusco and Mancinelli to make it 21-6.A much stronger showing from the visitors in the middle set provided them with a 12-10 lead before MacKenzie reached the service line following a kill on the longest rally to that point.With their junior co-captain in control, the Crusaders rattled off 12 consecutive points including five aces and four service points. MacKenzie finished the match with nine aces and five kills.?She?s been doing that since she was a freshman,” explained DeBaggis. “That kind of serving ability can be a huge difference as you saw tonight.”Set No. 3 saw St. Mary?s grab an early lead of 7-1 before Fenwick?s Madison Camelo turned up the heat to clinch the victory.?Maddie was overshadowed a bit by the strong group that graduated last season but she?ll be a major factor this fall,” said DeBaggis.After seven kills through two sets, the senior co-captain tallied five finishers in the finale while Idusuyi (2 kills) and senior Jessica Martiniello (ace, service point) did their best to force a fourth set.?This was an extremely tough first test for us,” stated Menard. “We?ll see Fenwick again in a few weeks at our gym. By then I?m expecting that we will be ready to give them a much better match.”