Volleyball Welcomes Back Familiar Faces As Buccaneers Begin New Campaign With "Old Boss"
Perhaps the most appropriate introduction for the 2010 Massachusetts Maritime Volleyball season would be to quote The Who’s lyric from the song “Won’t Get Fooled Again”…
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss….
The boss in question in this case is Chris Ratches, who returns to the Academy for her second stint as the Buccaneers’ Head Volleyball Coach. A former two-sport standout and the 1994 Massachusetts Maritime Female Athlete of the Year, Ratches guided the program for six seasons from 2000 through 2005, capping her first tenure by being named as the MASCAC Coach of the Year and gradually building a foundation for success.
Though the calendar has moved along five years, Ratches’ passion to teach and to build the program is as strong as it was before, as she welcomes back six letterwinners from the 2009 campaign as well as a solid crop of talented newcomers to the fold.
Ratches will look for leadership from the two senior members of the Buccaneer squad, as Allison Condino (Fitchburg, Mass./Westlake) and Victoria Presutti (Marshfield, Mass./Archbishop Williams) will serve as Massachusetts Maritime’s co-captains this fall. Ratches describes the duo as being “fully committed to doing everything it will take to make their teammates successful in every aspect of their Academy experience, both on and off the court.”
Presutti will combine with sophomore Suzanne Marino (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) to provide experience up front for the Buccaneers, as Marino posted a team-best 83 kills and 82 digs while sharing the team lead in service aces (35) with Presutti, who added 67 kills and 61 digs in 2009. Sophomore Alex Burgess-Chrost (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) chipped in with 10 kills and 15 digs during her rookie campaign for Massachusetts Maritime, which also received nine kills, 33 digs, 10 service aces and 36 set assists from fellow sophomore Joanne Robery (Plainville, Mass./King Philip).
In addition to the four returnees at the respective hitting spots, Ratches welcomes freshman Kelly Lyons (Pocasset, Mass./Bourne) on the outside as well as fellow freshmen Katja Juergens (Boylston, Mass./Tahanto Regional), Jennifer March (Pawtucket, R.I./Davies Tech), Cassandra Agenor (Randolph, Mass./Garner Magnet) and Ditwan Morgan (Hyattsville, Md./Mount Clemens) in the middle.
Condino has experience at both the hitting and setting positions, as she posted seven set assists, seven service aces, 15 digs and nine kills last season, while sophomore Laura Basile (Cambridge, Mass./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) added 67 digs to rank second on the team in that category as a defensive specialist and libero. Freshmen Melanie Holder (Calidonio, Brazil/Colegio Javier) and Hannah Jette (Fiskdale, Mass./Tantasqua Regional) will be vying for time at the setting position for Ratches, while fellow freshmen Michaela Garrity (Tiverton, R.I./St. Mary Academy-Bay View) and Ashley Button (Southfield, Mass./Mount Everett) will look to contribute as defensive specialists during their inaugural campaign for the Buccaneers.
Massachusetts Maritime opens the second Chris Ratches era on Wednesday, September 1st when the Buccaneers entertain Coast Guard in a non-league match at the Clean Harbors Athletic Center beginning at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
