After Making Great Strides Last Fall, Volleyball Looks To Gain Additional Success During 2011 Campaign
The Massachusetts Maritime volleyball team made great strides during the 2010 campaign under Head Coach and former Buccaneer standout Chris Ratches, who returned to her alma mater for her second stint in the position last fall. Ratches welcomes back six letterwinners and a group of talented newcomers in 2011 and is looking for her squad to gain additional success in the coming season.
Youth will definitely be in order for Massachusetts Maritime this fall, as the Buccaneer roster is dotted by one senior and three juniors to go with four sophomores and six freshmen. Senior Victoria Presutti (Marshfield, Mass./Archbishop Williams) returns for her final season in a Buc uniform after leading the team in kills (86) while ranking second in digs (94) and service aces (18), and Ratches says that her senior captain “has demonstrated unparalleled commitment to the program and will once again set a path for her teammates to follow.”
Juniors Suzanne Marino (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) and Alex Burgess-Chrost (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) lend additional experience in the Massachusetts Maritime lineup, as Marino collected 69 kills while leading the squad in digs (123) and total blocks (16). Burgess-Chrost chipped in with 60 kills, 48 digs and 17 service aces for the Buccaneers, while fellow junior Laura Basile (Cambridge, Mass./Mount Saint Joseph) notched 71 digs and six service aces in 2010 for Ratches’ crew.
Sophomore Kelly Lyons (Pocasset, Mass./Bourne) is a top threat in the middle for Massachusetts Maritime, as she notched 35 kills and a team-high 24 service aces during her rookie season, while fellow sophomores Michaela Garrity (Tiverton, R.I.), Katja Juergens (Boylston, Mass./Tahanto Regional) and Ashley Button (Southfield, Mass./Mount Everett) combined for 27 match appearances as rookies for the Buccaneers.
Youth will be served with six newcomers in the fold for Ratches, as freshmen Meghan Weir (North Andover, Mass./North Andover), Kelsey Pelletier (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern), Deb Langley (Abington, Mass./South Shore Voke), Alexandra Chrysovergis (Sharon, Mass./Sharon), Jessie Goodhue (Hyde Park, Mass./Dedham) and Lauren O’Shaughnessy (Yarmouthport, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth) will be looking to impact the Bucs’ fortunes this fall.
Massachusetts Maritime begins the 2011 season on Friday, September 2nd by taking on SUNY-Cobleskill and host Elms in opening round play of the Elms Blazer Classic in Chicopee, Mass. beginning at 4:00 p.m. EDT.