(Byfield MA) Triton shut out Whittier last night and did the same thing to Pentucket tonight.
Senior Night is as good as any to put on a good showing.
Mia Berardino, Molly Kimball, and Raegan Falooon were honored pre-game.
“Tonight was really special,” said senior Mia Berardino. “I’m so thankful that our friends and family came and supported us.”
“We had a lot of people come out for the first time,” said senior Molly Kimball afterwards.
The Vikings (6-7) swept the Sachems, 25-6, 25-17, and 25-15.
Pentucket (1-11) had times of competitive play, led by senior Jillian Sheehy, but consistent play continues to be missing.
The Molly (Kimball) and Mia (Berardino) Show has been fun to watch. Just when you think that it may go on forever, Senior Night arrives and the two of them are part of it.
Molly is the setter you dream about if you’re a finisher. She consistently puts the ball into the hitter’s sweet spots. “I love playing with her,” said Mia afterwards.
Molly ended up with twenty-three assists versus Pentucket in just three games.
“Molly has been averaging over twenty assists in the last seven or eight matches,” said Triton coach Bob Van Etten.
Mia is the finisher that every setter dreams of setting up. Mia is tall, can jump, and hits the ball with authority. Pentucket struggled to block Mia’s hard hits at the net.
“Mia had twelve kills on just seventeen attacks, which is crazy,” admitted Coach Van Etten.
Mia will be playing for Division 2 Stonehill next year.
Mia gave praise to her teammates: “It all starts with the passers. They were very, very good tonight. It helped us get good sets and hits.”
The Vikings will need to get to .500 to make the playoffs.
“We’re going to keep pushing,” said Mia. “We really want to make the playoffs.”
Triton has five matches left and several of them are with teams they have already won against.
“We’re going to get to .500,” Coach Van Etten promised. “We’ll be 9-9 or 10-8.”
I was impressed with the serving skills of Pentucket’s senior Nicole Zahornasky and the net play of sophomore Ava Snyder.
Grace Romine, Emma Campbell, and Kendall Liebert should be key pieces in the 2022 version of Triton volleyball.
Emma had five kills. Kendall had big blocks at critical times.
Coach Van Etten: “I thought we played well on an emotional night. They enjoyed themselves but got right down to business when the game started.”
Molly Kimball: “I am undecided on college. Recently I have been in contact with the basketball coach at Salem State. We have a fall league and she’s planning to come to some of the games. If that doesn’t work out, I could take a gap year.”
The most difficult sport for me to photograph is definitely volleyball. The action is so unpredictable so getting in position to get a shot is elusive. But I love the challenge!
(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)
McClelland Miscellanea 