PEABODY — Having lost 11 seniors to graduation, the Peabody volleyball team has a lot of holes to fill in 2023, starting with Northeastern Conference All-Stars Isabel Bettencourt and Lauryn Mendonca.
“Those 11 seniors were all great players and athletes and great kids above all,” Coach Lisa Keene said. “Some of the girls were MVPs and we had the height with Lauryn and her blocking ability and hitting ability. It’s not just the skill, but how they played on the court together. They really gelled. Even our bench was a part of the team.”
Last year’s team finished 17-3 in the regular season (9-3 in the Northeastern Conference). The No. 16 seed in the Division 1 state tournament, the Tanners were eliminated in the preliminary round by No. 17 Concord-Carlisle.
The team has just three returning players in senior setter Abby Bettencourt, her sister, sophomore outside hitter Lizzie Bettencourt, and Kayla Landry, who played on the right side this year but will move to the middle. Abby Bettencourt became the first Peabody player in program history to top 1,000 assists. She and Lizzie Bettencourt return as conference all-stars.
“That’s her original position,” Keene said. “Other than those three, it’s just a matter of finding those skilled players to fit in and we are going to work on our teamwork. I’ve never had so few returning starters as this year and usually I have at least six returning players in all with varsity experience, so there’s a lot to work on. So far today, we’ve already had some kids who look good.”
The team will be led by senior captains Abby Bettencourt and Landry.
“My goodness, they are just naturals,” Keene said. “They lead by example and there’s just not a lazy one between the two of them. They work hard, they show their teammates how to work hard, and they are extremely knowledgeable as well. Abby in particular has been playing since she was little, little, little. Kayla did not, but she is such an athlete. She picks everything up so easily.”
While Keene said it’s still too early to identify other key players, she expects Lizzie Bettencourt to also be an impact player.
“She is just an outstanding athlete and will be a key player for us this year,” Keene said. “I don’t have any other names because I just don’t know who has made the team yet. But the numbers are huge this year. We had about 67 kids starting out. Usually that number is in the 50s, but I have so many I had to actually stagger tryouts. I normally would have everybody try out together, but when I saw the number of kids who were signing up, I couldn’t do that. There were too many kids, which is a nice problem to have.”
As far as the conference goes, Keene expects Marblehead “will definitely be strong. They and Danvers are always strong along with Masconomet. You can’t even count out your Swampscotts. They all just do such a good job coaching and building their teams. It’s kind of a surprise walking into a gym until you see what you are up against. We always lack the height that some of those teams have, not that it’s intimidating when you see those other teams, but you just have to hit around it.”
The Tanners’ non-conference schedule is chock full of quality, albeit tough opponents, including Haverhill, Central Catholic, North Andover, North Reading, Newburyport, and Essex Tech. Keene said facing tough competition in the regular season is key when it comes to competing in the postseason.
“We picked up some really good ones this year,” Keene said. “I’m a little nervous, but that will help us down the road. If you don’t face strength, you are not going to get any better. If you are not seeing the harder teams, you don’t know where you need to improve [in] those small things you need to work on.”
Peabody will tune up for the regular season with three scrimmages, the first at Melrose next Monday with another one at home against Austin Prep on Aug. 31. The preseason wraps up with a multiple-team play day at Melrose Sept. 2.
The Tanners open the season on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at Haverhill. Their first conference match is Tuesday, Sept. 12 against Marblehead at home.
