The Bishop Fenwick Crusaders (7-12) defeated the Salem Witches (2-16) on Monday evening at Salem High School, 3-0.
In set scores of 25-9, 25-7, and 25-13, the Crusaders used their length and communication to go on scoring runs. Sienna Mancinelli racked up four kills and Gwen Shroeder collected five service aces to lead Fenwick’s attack.
Fenwick Head Coach Samantha Kelly, in her sixth season at the helm, said the game of volleyball is all about rallies and momentum.
“Being able to keep our server at the line serving keeps us in a rotation we want to be in, so that’s where we [Fenwick] excelled,” Kelly said.
The first set began 3-3, but after several Salem mishits and effective serving from the Crusaders’ Calli Symond, Fenwick rattled off an 11-1 run to take a 14-4 lead.
Mancinelli positioned herself well in front of the net, using her length and anticipation skills to track down balls for Fenwick. Her hitting choice was versatile as well – sometimes booming the ball, and other times softly lofting it to an open area on the court.
The Witches had trouble setting the ball during their set offense, and struggled to communicate. The set’s final point came from a miscommunication between Salem’s Liki Rodriguez and Jesly Paulino Aristy, and the ball landed between them.
In the second set, the Crusaders played composed and instead of going on the attack, let Salem make its own mistakes. Fenwick’s Lacey Murphy delivered a powerful serve to put the Crusaders up 6-1 early.
Fenwick won net battles throughout the set – its jumps more timely and hits more accurate than Salem’s. Abigail Spooner was effective with her serves, placing the ball in tough spots that made it hard for the Witches to gather their first touch.
The set ended with a Salem mishit near the net, and the Crusaders were one set away from win number seven.
The Crusaders got out to an early 13-5 lead, often shooting for the backline and forcing the Witches to adjust their positioning. A highlight of the third set was Mancinelli just barely tapping the ball to an open spot between three Witches.
Salem went on a 5-1 run during the set to cut the lead to 17-10, but the Crusaders stayed calm. Kelly said she often plays crowd noise during Fenwick’s practices to prepare her players for loud gymnasiums.
“They practice having to communicate when they can’t hear each other,” Kelly said. “I’m a very animated coach.”
The match ended with a Salem serve out of bounds, and the sweep was complete. The third set score favored Fenwick, 25-12.
Fenwick travels to take on Cardinal Spellman on Thursday at 5 p.m.
