Continue to work hard against the best of the Middlesex League

SENIOR Ally Coggswell (7) has had an excellent season as a setter for the Warriors. (Donna Larsson Photo)

Published in the October 12, 2017 edition.

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

WAKEFIELD — It’s been a whirlwind week for the WMHS volleyball team as they continue the fight to improve during practice and compete against a difficult Middlesex League.
The Warriors traveled to Stoneham last Tuesday to play their third of four straight on the road. After losing their previous two matches to a powerhouse Melrose program and Revere, the Warriors responded with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Spartans.
“Stoneham was a really good match for us,” said head coach Sasha Duprey. “The team showed up hungry and played with a sense of urgency that they had lacked in our match against Revere on Monday. We played together. Everyone did their job well and focused on controlling the controllables, and bounced back quickly from our mistakes to maintain that control during the match.”
Coach Duprey highlighted the work from senior libero Nicole Catino, senior defensive specialist Julia Purcell, and junior outside hitter Eadeen Beck who all provided the foundation and passing they needed to supply the Warriors with their most successful offensive night of the season. Wakefield hit 0.328 against Stoneham, their highest hitting percentage of the season. The Warriors continued to get excellent offense from junior middle blocker Hannah Butler and junior right side Jaime Greatorex, two players who coach Duprey said has been anchoring the offense all season.
As the Warriors look to improve during Duprey’s first season, the focus is on getting better in practice and building a winning culture for the team to improve in the long term. For that, the Warriors need a good mix of inexperienced, talented players looking to improve, and veteran senior leadership whose job it is to help their teammates gain confidence. For the latter, coach Duprey has been impressed with the leadership of senior setter Ally Coggswell.
“Ally has continued to show improvement not only in her skill but in her ability to lead this team,” said Duprey. “She is a workhorse who fights regardless of the score. Her consistency at such an integral position is helping raise the team’s level of play every day.”
As for a group of talented underclassmen that includes sophomores Katie Pearl, Jordyn Pugsley and Maddie Melanson, coach Duprey has been especially impressed with the hard work from outside hitter Rachel Danzig.
“Rachel has started to hit her stride and gain confidence the past couple of weeks,” said Duprey. “She has brought a fire to our offense that we’ve been missing.”
Wakefield traveled to Arlington on Thursday and lost to the Spy Ponders during a difficult day for many. Already playing without Beck and senior outside hitter Marissa Patti, coach Duprey had an allergic reaction and and was rushed to the hospital. She has since recovered, but it was a difficult game for the Warriors to finish.
“I think days like Thursday reminds us that sometimes obstacles surface out of nowhere and that life has to come first, even when we don’t want it to,” said Duprey. “But, this team is resilient. Thankfully, we were able to all come back together on Friday and had a really positive practice.”
Despite two losses to Woburn on Monday and Belmont yesterday, the Warriors are determined to keep fighting and improving.
“Throughout the rest of our season, we want the players to expand their trust and confidence in each other, continue to develop greater mental toughness, and challenge them to rise to the occasion and play with purpose,” said Duprey. “We have the skills to compete with every team we’ve faced, we just sometimes lose our confidence.”
Wakefield will hit the road once again to face Burlington tomorrow. They will then get ready to host Watertown on Tuesday at 5 p.m.