FILE PHOTO
Pamela Dias and the Classical Rams will visit O’Bryant on Thursday evening. The Rams are the No. 10 seed in their bracket.
By MIKE ALONGI
The MIAA sectional volleyball tournament brackets were released on Tuesday afternoon, and several local teams will be competing over the three divisions.
While Division 1 North is headed by powerhouse programs like No. 1 Central Catholic (17-2) and No. 2 Andover (17-3), a very strong Peabody team could make some noise at No. 4. The Tanners (15-4) are led by the likes of Hannah Kemp, Nene Onwuogu and Melissa Gray and have a strong balance of offense and defense. Peabody will open up its tournament run tomorrow evening when it hosts No. 13 Billerica (8-12).
But there’s another local team in Division 1 North that may have more momentum than anyone, and that’s Lynn Classical. The No. 10 Rams finished the year at 11-9 and are coming off a Lynn City Tournament victory just last week. Soneta Srey, who was City Tournament MVP, leads the way for a solid team that also includes All-Tournament performer Maggie McHale as well as sophomore Jenna Tobin. The Rams do have a tough route to a sectional title, however. Classical will travel to Roxbury to face off against No. 7 O’Bryant (12-6) tomorrow evening. If the Rams were to win that game, it would mean a date with No. 2 Andover in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
In Division 2 North, the Danvers Falcons sit at No. 2 overall after finishing the year with a 17-1 record, good enough for a first-round bye. Marblehead (14-4) earned a No. 9 seed, while Bishop Fenwick (16-5) came in at No. 10.
Marblehead comes into the tournament with plenty of hard hitters, including Jenny Norcross, Eve Rice and Clara Pollard. The Magicians have a date with No. 8 Hamilton-Wenham (16-4) on Friday evening on the road.
Meanwhile, Fenwick is coming off its fifth Catholic Central League title in the last seven seasons, and has a strong crew of talented players like Sam Mancinelli, Molly Camelo, Steph Bona and Julia Fusco. The Crusaders will face a stiff test right off the bat with CCL rival No. 7 Arlington Catholic (16-4) on Friday evening. If Fenwick can make it past the Cougars, it would set up a date with Danvers in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
Lynnfield and Winthrop are the two local schools taking part in the Division 3 North tournament, with the Pioneers (16-4) coming in at No. 3 and the Vikings (13-7) coming in at No. 7.
Lynnfield put up an impressive 11-1 record in the Cape Ann League during the regular season, led by a host of seniors that includes Olivia Pascucci, Rebecca Albanese, Camie Foley, Katie Nugent and Laura Mucci. The Pioneers will have a bye in the first round, then play the winner of No. 6 Pope John (13-7) and No. 11 Ipswich (9-9) on Monday evening at home.
Winthrop will have to play in the first round, hosting No. 10 St. Joseph’s tomorrow evening.