By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Barnstable, Medfield and Millis won their respective state crowns at the 2008 MIAA girls volleyball state championship finals held at Hudson High School.
Division 1
Barnstable won its sixth straight state championship by defeating Lincoln-Sudbury, 25-19, 25-16 and 25-10.
The Red Raiders, in an unfamiliar position as a No. 3 seed in the South Sectionals, advanced to the state semifinals by defeating Marshfield, Falmouth and New Bedford in capturing their 14th consecutive sectional title.
The play of senior middle hitter Stephanie Bristol, junior setter Maribeth Martin and senior outside hitter Nora Wood – all of whom were recently named Massachusetts Girls Volleyball Coaches' Association All-Staters – paved the way again for the Red Raiders in the finals. Other contributions were made by Michelle Begley, Lilly Lowe and Alison Klotz.
The Red Raiders finished at 22-1 by capturing 67 of 72 games overall. Head coach Tom Turco, now in his 21st year, has compiled a 465-46 record.
All-State senior middle hitter Ashley Norley starred for Lincoln-Sudbury (23-2) with Alexa Rozelle and Danielle Cebra also playing well.
Bristol was recently named to the 2008 American Coaches Volleyball Association All-American first team and is just one of 24 players nationwide invited to participate in the inaugural Under Armour All-America High School Volleyball Match and Skills Competition on Dec. 21 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. Bristol is the only New England participant in the prestigious event. This season she recorded a school record 416 kills, 201 digs, 49 blocks and 41 aces and also had over 1,000 career kills.
Division 2
Medfield won its third state title in four years with a 3-0 triumph (25-18, 25-18, 25-14) over North Sectional champion Central Catholic, who lost its first game this season.
The Warriors, the only Bay State squad to defeat Barnstable this season, finished the season ranked 15th in the MaxPreps national poll.
Medfield's All-State trio of senior setter Caitlin Barrett, senior outside hitter Melissa Haskell and junior libero Allison Le-Bruno helped power the way past the Raiders.
Morganne Gagne, Kathleen Krah, Jessica McLeod and Georgia Naumann each made key plays.
Raiders' All-State junior setter Carolyn Eddy starred for the Raiders. Maggie Hillman and Katie Zenevitch also played well at the net.
Division 3
Millis capped a remarkable run to the state championship with a shocking finals win over North Reading (23-1), defending state titlists, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20.
Millis (17-8), a No. 10 seed entering the tourney, had to knock off six straight opponents.
Leading the way was junior libero Stephanie Gove whose 32 digs kept play alive throughout. Deidre Nash, Kendra Kennedy, Shannon Heffernan, Mary Kate Shuker and Jess Lee also delivered strong perfomances.
North Reading was led by All-State selections Alison Friberg and Adrianna Doyle.
Boys Basketball: National Prep Showcase launches season
The 2008 National Prep Showcase, sponsored by New England Basketball Services and featuring 20 of the nation's top prep and high school teams, kicked off the 2008 basketball campaign at Bryant University in Smithfield.
The three-day event was attended by 175 coaches from several major college programs, including UCLA, Iowa, Louisville, Minnesota, California, Providence, St. John’s, Stanford, Rutgers, Arizona State, Northwestern, Oregon State, Vanderbilt and UMass.
The showcase highlighted the play of many premier Bay State players, including some who have transferred from public schools.
Gerald Coleman of West Roxbury, a 6-4 junior guard, has now joined BABC teammates and UConn senior signees, 6-6 forward Jamal Coombs (Dorchester) and 6-9 center Alex Oriakhi (Lowell) at Tilton School (NH).
In a 75-62 win over Maine Central Institute, the trio combined for 63 points with Coombs scoring a game-high 22 points and tearing down nine rebounds. Oriakhi dominated inside with a 20-point, 16-rebound effort and Coleman contributed 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
Nate Lubick (Southborough) of St. Mark's School, a 6-8 junior forward who has already committed to Georgetown, had 28 points and 9 rebounds in a narrow 80-76 narrow loss to Findlay Prep (Nev.).
Evan Smotrycz, a 6-8 junior forward who led Reading Memorial to the Eastern Massachusetts Division 2 finals last year, is now playing at New Hampton Prep (N.H.).
Smotryz scored four points and grabbed five rebounds in a 72-71 loss to Lee Academy (Maine).
Akeem Williams (Brockton), a 5-9 junior guard and the state's leading scorer at MIAA Division 4 finalist Avon last year, now plays for Winchendon School.
Chris Fitzgerald, a 6-8 junior forward who was the leading scorer at Case (Swansea) last season, saw some action for Northfield Mt. Hermon during the weekend.
Naadir Tharpe (Worcester), a 6-0 sophomore point guard, scored 11 points, had eight assists and one turnover for Brewster Academy in a 72-65 win over Stonebridge Prep (Calif.).
