M-ette JV downs Saco-Hinsdale Varsity; Wildfire JV defeats Malta C-Squad

The Malta M-ettes JV squad survived the 80 plus degree temperatures in their win against the Saco-Hinsdale Wildfire with both teams seeing double duty last Friday. Saco-Hinsdale's JV team defeated Malta's C-squad earlier that night.

In their win against Saco-Hinsdale, the Malta JV team took the match in four games.

"Our girls were talking to each other and playing the ball," said Coach Tasha Hines. "They were working well as a team."

Hines also noted that the team was lucky to have the height that they have in their front line, which helped the team in their win.

"It's fun to get the big sets and the big hits," Coach Hines said. "It seems like once you get a good play, you get that momentum and the girls run with it."

Adrianna Bibeau, who led in kills with six, led the M-ettes. The team had 20 total. She also tied Riley Mortenson for the team lead in aces with four a piece. The team had 15 total. Bibeau and Shay Garfield each had a block a piece.

Chanel Lett had the team lead in digs with three of 12.

Raleigh Hunter had the lead in assists with nine of 13.

"We have some really nice servers and pretty solid serve-receive and return," said Coach Hines.

Lett didn't lead the team in aces, but her serve was particularly strong that night, after her service was over, you could see the relief in the opposing team's faces.

"My sister Markelle taught me how to serve and Coach Tatafu, Hines and all my coaches," Chanel Lett said.

She was extremely proud of her team's victory against a varsity team.

"It feels awesome because I'm a JV player, it was awesome," she said.

Raleigh Hunter, the team's setter also had a great game, showing off her athleticism as she does every game. Her setting was particularly strong that night.

Daughter of a patrolman and basketball coach, Hunter was asked who did she get her talents from.

She answered, "My family has never actually played volleyball until me, so I guess I kind of learned it throughout my years."

"Coach Tatafu and Coach Hines have taught me how to set and everything I know," she continued.

Their next game is tomorrow against Glasgow in Malta.

Hunter is optimistic about a win, even though both C-squad and JV lost to Glasgow last time.

We definitely need to talk more and our attitudes need to change a lot," Hunter said. "We need to play as a team more than just individuals," Lett added.

Saco Hinsdale JV

Saco-Hinsdale's Junior Varsity squad defeated Malta's C-Squad earlier that night.

The team was down by as much as six points in the first set, but came back and won the first game 26-24.

"We had some good intense practices this week and they showed off what they did in those practices," said Saco-Hinsdale's JV coach Linda Beus.

They won the second game 25-17.

In Coach Beus' second game of the season, she showed that she had faith in her team even at points where they were down.

"I believe in being positive and telling them things that they were doing right," she said. "After the practices this week I just told them that they had to step up and play how they did in practice, and they did."

The team previously lost to Fairview's JV squad.

"They did some good things but they were like trees," said Coach Beus. "They just weren't moving. It was a long bus ride and there was the intimidation of the first game of them playing together."

It was also Beus' first game as the JV coach.

The PCN also caught up with freshman players Jada Sudbrack and Mickayla Johnson after their game.

"I think the game went better than our first game (against Fairview) because we were more ready and it wasn't a long bus trip," Sudbrack told the PCN. "That trip kind of made us tired.

Mickayla Johnson agreed with her teammate saying, "I think this was just so much better than last week. We came prepared last week, we went down to the floor and got our hits and our serves were awesome."

Both players will see a lot of double duty throughout the season, and Johnson had an opinion about the difference between facing Varsity and Junior Varsity.

"There is quite a bit of a difference," Johnson said. "The Varsity games are a lot more intense than the JV games, but I think we bring it just as much against JV teams as we do against Varsity teams."

In most schools it's almost unheard of for freshmen to start in games, and would be intimidating to most players, but not Sudbrack.

"Honestly it's not that intimidating if you play them in basketball and know them," Sudbrack said. "You know a lot of the people and know their skills so it's really not that bad."

Both Sudbrack and Johnson are around six feet tall and were a shoe in for middle and outside hitters in both squads.

Being a hitter requires a player to contest the opposing team's spike attempt, a task that would intimidate those afraid to get hit in the face.

"I love it. It's my favorite part of the game. I like feeling like Superman and slapping the ball straight down," Johnson said. "It's my favorite part of the game.