Sports Page

Sports Flash

By Chris Villani Sports Reporter/Columnist · September 06, 2019

Nipmuc Volleyball Wants to Take Next Step

Less than a decade into its existence as a program, the Nipmuc girls volleyball team continues to raise the bar of expectation after surpassing numerous milestones. The Warriors advanced to the tournament again last season, falling to Hopedale, but head coach Brian Gerard wants to see his team do even more this fall, including finishing atop the Dual Valley Conference.
"I believe these next two years will be pretty special for the girls," he said. "I would love for these girls to hang a banner that says they are the DVL champions and go farther than any other team before them has gone in the postseason."
The positive vibes from Gerard are based on his team having "more firepower" than it has had in recent years, coupled with the play of setter Zoe Morrison. Gerard called the junior captain one of the best setters in the area, and she will have some experienced hitters to work with this fall.
Senior co-captain Taylor Johnson is expected to move to the outside after playing middle hitter, a spot where Gerard feels she can be the most effective. Nadia Gomolko, a sophomore, will play middle hitter.
"One of the nice things about that is both Zoe and Nadia played club together all offseason," Gerard said. "So they have been working on their chemistry for the past six months and that's going to benefit the team immensely during the season."
Senior outside hitter Faith Caughey and fellow senior Camille Gallagher, a middle hitter, have been with the team over the past four seasons.
"Faith has been a started since she was a freshman, she is always consistent with every skill she brings to the table," Gerard said. "Camille has been working on her craft over the offseason playing club volleyball and she has gotten much better."
Junior Gianna Weed has stood out in the preseason, including a 10-point run from the service line during a scrimmage. "She has been impressing us since she was a freshman," Gerard said. "She is a high flyer and a very good hitter for us."
Senior Ava Siegel will be the team's top defensive specialist and Gerard said the Warriors may employ her as the libero this season.
While a tournament run and a league title are the ultimate goals in 2019, Gerard said step one is always earning a spot in the district tournament.
"Having a winning record, that's the short term goal," he said.