St. Mary's Catholic Church 

St. Mary’s Volleyball League Round-Up

Recreational Team

Competitive Team

Looking Ahead

St. Mary’s Volleyball Recap

Recreational Team:

Winner Our Lady of the Lake -  Rec09 St. Mary's (Jefferson) vs Rec12 Our Lady of the Lake (Leominster)

The Rec team had a competitive three-set match against Our Lady of the Lake - Leominster , ultimately falling 2–1. (16-21, 21-17, 21-12) A major focus this week was communication, and it showed throughout the game.

Highlights:

• The team showed strong communication and awareness, consistently calling the ball and supporting each other during long rallies.
• There was great hustle across the court, including a key save on a ball heading out of bounds that the team kept in play and turned into a point by staying calm and in control.
• Players demonstrated patience and composure at the net, keeping plays alive and working together to send the ball back over.
• Overall, it was a strong team effort with improved coordination, energy, and focus throughout the match.

Competitive Team:

Winner St. John Paul II -  Comp04 St. Mary's (Jefferson) vs Comp05 St. John Paul II (Southbridge)

The Comp team faced the reigning champions St. John Paul II - Southbridge and, despite a strong effort, fell 0–3. (17-21, 18-21, 19-21) The focus on communication was evident, and there were several impressive plays throughout the match.

Highlights:

• Becca had a strong serving run with 4 consecutive service points.
• Mike blocked a spike that rolled off his fingers; Becca quickly reacted, dug the ball, and sent it over for a point.
• Liam contributed with a powerful spike and a great block.
• Curt stood out with four blocks in one volley, helping secure a key side-out.
• It was great to see solid sets and improved coordination across the team.

Recreation Team

The Rec Team won the first set 22-20 but came up just short in the second and third sets, losing 21-19 and 21-15. Although the result didn't go our way, the team showed great effort throughout the match. Our serving was strong, and our communication and teamwork continues to improve each week.

Competition Team

The Comp Team had an outstanding performance, winning all three sets:

• 21-11
• 21-13
• 21-12

Last week, serving was one of the areas that hurt us, but what a difference a week makes! Mike had an amazing serving run of more than 10 consecutive serves, helping us keep the pressure on our opponents.

The team showed great control of the ball and consistently used 2–3 hits to set up plays. We had some excellent sets from Gabby, Liam, and Cailin, along with strong spikes from Liam and Zelena. It was great to see everyone working together and executing what we've been practicing.

As we continue to grow, remember to trust your teammates, support one another, and have fun on the court. Volleyball is a team sport, and the more we trust our peers and enjoy playing together, the more successful we will become. Overall, it was a great performance by both teams, and I am very proud of everyone's effort and sportsmanship.

Thank you all for showing up ready to play and giving your best effort every week. We look forward to seeing everyone at practice tomorrow at 6:00 PM.

Great job, everyone, and God bless you all!

Best,

Coach Zenny and Sam

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." — Michael Jordan

What an exciting Week 5 for St. Mary's Volleyball! Both our Competitive and Recreational teams swept their opponents and showed outstanding teamwork, hustle, and determination throughout the night.

Recreational Team Highlights

The Recreational team also played with confidence and determination:

• Sam put away a free ball for a point.
• Luca served an ace and later made a great dig to save a point.
• Nate served multiple aces, including one perfectly placed in the middle of the opponent's court.
• Audrey made a great dig to save the ball, which crawled over the net for a point, and later added a nice hit to earn our serve back.
• Dylan served an ace.
• Haddie came through with a great serve to win Game 1.
• Charlie made a great set to Audrey that resulted in a point.
• Lucy served an ace and followed it with an incredible streak of nine straight serves.
• Maddie saved a ball right at the net that resulted in a point.
• Gwen stepped up with several great serves to help the team.

Competitive Team Highlights

The Competitive team came ready to play and put together some fantastic rallies and scoring runs:

• Mike made an incredible save and set it to Curt, who finished the play with a powerful spike.
• Mike also set up Liam for a great spike that earned us a point.
• Igor and Mike connected well with several set-and-spike combinations.
• Curt had a great push shot to the back line and followed it up with an impressive serving run.
• Great hustle play between Releigh, Becca, Igor, and Gabby helped keep the ball under control and the rally alive.
• Becca had a great serving run that helped build momentum.
• Zelena came up with a great dig right after an opponent's timeout.
• Gabby contributed with some excellent serves.
• Eric delivered a great back set and later served an ace immediately after the opponent's timeout.
• All of these great plays created points and helped secure a strong victory.

Coaches' Corner

Coach Sam, Coach Raendi, and I are extremely proud of both teams. The competition was strong, but our players came prepared, played hard, supported one another, and demonstrated great sportsmanship. The teamwork, communication, and effort displayed by all our athletes were the keys to this week's success.

As the quote says, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." This week was a perfect example of what can happen when everyone works together toward a common goal.

Congratulations to all our players on another successful week. Keep up the great work, and we look forward to another exciting week of volleyball!

 Competitive Team Highlights 

The Competitive Team had an impressive night, sweeping all three matches and finishing with a perfect 3-0 record. The team showed strong communication, consistent serving, and excellent teamwork throughout the evening, helping to secure victories in every match.

Offensively and defensively, the team worked together seamlessly, keeping rallies alive and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. It was a great all-around performance and a testament to the hard work and dedication the team continues to bring each week.

Results: Win 21-6 | Win 21-18 | Win 21-9

Congratulations to the Competitive Team on an outstanding undefeated night!

Recreational Team Highlights

Recreational Team faced a challenging lineup of opponents and finished the evening 0-3. While the results were not what we hoped for, the team continued to compete hard, support one another, and maintain a positive attitude throughout the night.

Results: Loss 23-21 | Loss 21-1 | Loss 21-6

Recreational Team

Our Rec team battled hard but came up just short, falling 1-2 to St. Peter's.

Scores:

• Game 1: 21-15 (Loss)
• Game 2: 15-11 (Win)
• Game 3: 15-9 (Loss)

Following Game 1, there was an extended pause due to a heat exhaustion incident involving a member of the St. Peter's team. To make up for the lost time, Games 2 and 3 were shortened and played to 15 points.

Despite the challenging conditions and interruption, our team showed great resilience and hustle throughout the evening. We responded well by taking Game 2 and continued to compete hard until the final point of Game 3.

A special shoutout to Brennan, Luca, Lucy, Nate, Maddie, and Dylan for their excellent serving runs. Their consistency from the service line helped keep momentum on our side and put pressure on our opponents. The team also demonstrated great hustle all around, with everyone working hard to keep balls in play and support one another on the court.

Competitive Team

The Competitive team had an outstanding night, sweeping all three games. Due to the earlier delay, all games were also played to 15 points.

Scores: 15-11, 16-14, 15-11

The team displayed excellent communication, ball control, and teamwork throughout the match. It was especially great to see us consistently using all three hits and maintaining our composure when rallies became a little hectic.

Here are some highlights:

• Gianna had a great hit
• Igor, Becca, Eric and Zelena for strong serves
• Gabby and Liam had great sets

In addition to the strong volleyball skills on display, the team showed tremendous hustle from start to finish. Everyone remained engaged, communicated well, and worked hard to keep rallies alive. That effort and energy played a major role in the team's success.

Overall, both teams represented themselves well with great sportsmanship, teamwork, and determination. Keep up the great work, and let's carry that momentum into next week!

What a fantastic season!

We are incredibly proud of our St. Mary's Comp team for finishing the season in 2nd place. It has been so much fun watching each of you grow, compete, and support one another throughout the year.

While we weren't able to advance past the quarterfinals in yesterday's tournament, we held our heads high. Congratulations to St. Matthew's of Southborough on winning the tournament. 

We are incredibly proud of the effort our team put forth all season. Your hard work, determination, teamwork, and sportsmanship were on full display from start to finish. We saw great communication on the court, unselfish play, and a willingness to share the ball, all of which made this team special.

A huge thank you to all the parents, family members, and friends who supported the team every step of the way. Your encouragement and dedication mean so much to our players and coaches.

Finally, we'd like to congratulate our seniors, Curt, Maddie and Jack. Thank you for your leadership, commitment, and the positive impact you've made on this team. We wish you all the best in your next chapter!

God Bless you all.

Coach Zenny, Sam and Raendi