The friars are coming off a well played 2018 season where they finished 12-2-6 overall and fell 1-3 to Sacred Heart Academy at the League Championships in 2018. Head Coach Donna Newman in her 29th year said, “I see this team ranked in the top two for the division.” The league is strong each year.
Kellenberg had a three peated from 2015-17 and owned the CHSAA League title until it was captured by the Lady Spartans in 2018 and now defending Champions Sacred Heart. As one of the strongest teams in the league, they will try and stand in the Friar’s way for the 2019 title along with Kellenberg, who the Friars have defeated 3-1 in their first encounter this season on Oct. 10th.
The Friars will face each of these teams twice. Double play with league opponents makes things very interesting going into the championship part of the season. Coaches are never sure what a strong team is going to bring a second time out. Coach Newman said, “our team’s ability to never quit when we are down, they always find a way to fight back. They are driven and passionate to get their hands on the CHSAA volleyball title.”
With returning seniors, Paige Savitsky leading the offense as an outside hitter, leading blocker and three year varsity player Emma Sullivan, and Emma Benes leading in digs and top Libero this year’s team also has plenty of depth. Newman feels the young players that will be exciting to watch this season are Sofia Termini, a junior setter, along with Sr. Chloe Yagy who brings versatility, playing both as an outside and middle hitter and Jr. outside hitter Maggie O’Flynn a first year varsity player.
The Friars are currently 8-1-1 overall and halfway through the season. They will meet all the league teams for the second time and with category leaders Maggie O’Flynn leading with 86 kills and Emma Benes topping the chart with 22 service aces the Friars offense strength also includes Paige Savitsky, second year starter on the outside with a spike little can defend. Sophomore Colleen McCullagh a first year starter, an asset in the middle paired with Sullivan who leads the roster with 24 blocks and Benes in digs with 175 show the diversity of players on the court. Rounding out the leaderboard for SA is Termini with 312 assists. “Our teams strength is their ability to hit the ball hard no matter whether they are hitting in the front row or back row. All our players are capable of putting the ball down,” states Newman.
From the beginning of the season, and with five weeks of play to go, they plan to be stronger and even more determined to capture the CHSAA Title. Talking about their upcoming meeting with rival Kellenberg and recent confrontation with underdog Holy Trinity, Newman quotes, “Kellenberg we need to be better equipped to stop their middle hitter. They had a number of kills against us the first match. Holy Trinity we need to move the ball around a bit more to make sure they are not ready for the attack.”
With Coach Donna Newman’s countless success coaching the Saint Anthony’s volleyball program for an astonishing twenty nine years, she is hoping to bring a title back to Friar Nation. With help from coaches, John O’Donoghue and Laura Bellotti, who were both former players at Saint Anthony’s and many talented players on this year’s roster it’s looking in the Friars favor to capture the 2019 title.
Gabrielle Miller is a sophomore at St. Anthony’s High School, this is her first year at Friar Scoreboard. She is a returning captain of the girls JVA basketball team and hopes to study journalism in the future. Her goal; to reach the hearts of as many people through the power of words. All Photos by Ray O’Connor
