Boys' volleyball: Tough schedule sets tone for St. John's; Abby Kelley, Burncoat look toward future
Last season, Suraj Marla, Eric Barcelos and Francis McGonagle helped the St. John’s volleyball team notch the best record in school history at 18-5, advancing to the Division 1 state semifinals and capturing the Catholic Conference Championship with a perfect 8-0 record.
The three talented players, now captains, have returned this spring, hoping to continue the Pioneers’ excellence on the court.
“We had an amazing season last year,” said Marla, the main setter on the squad. “We had all the pieces. Now we have a younger team, but we’re getting there.” Marla will attend Boston University in the fall and major in computer science and economics.
Coached by Dan Seaver, now in his sixth season with 61 career victories, the Pioneers welcome the opportunity to battle across the net against the best teams in Massachusetts. Last Friday, the Pioneers, defeated Algonquin to improve to 2-3 after an earlier loss to BC High and a tough defeat at home in five sets to Agawam, ranked fourth in the state.
The Pioneers enter an annual ALS Fundraising Invitational Tournament on Thursday and will meet defending Div. 1 state champions Needham, who have not lost a match in three seasons.
Dominant on their home court, in a remarkable streak beginning in the 2021 season, the Pioneers’ suffered their first home loss last week in the Agawam match after 18 straight home court wins.
“We have a lot of potential on this team,” said the 6-foot-4 middle Barcelos, who has committed to play NCAA Div. 3 volleyball at Emmanuel College in Boston. Marcelos, who had 14 kills in the long battle with Agawam, has an impressive .750 hitting percentage and was named an All-Central Mass star last season by Mass. High School Volleyball.
“We have some pieces and holes to fill, but I think by the end of the season we’ll be there in the postseason,” said junior captain McGonagle, an outside hitter, who had 14 kills, 10 digs and 3 aces against Algonquin.
Praising his captains, Seaver said, “Suraj has excellent setting skills, and when he’s on, he’s one of the best around. He’s also done well stepping into a leadership role. Eric has been such a valuable two-year starter, now entering his third year, and Franny, who has been starting for us since he was a freshman, is our leading passer, and the real backbone of our team.”
A former Milford High and Endicott College volleyball star, Seaver, who has nine juniors on his team, highlighted the strong play of three players from that class: middle hitter Phil Vignaly, who had 6 kills and 4 blocks against Algonquin, 6-foot-3 opposite hitter with crushing returns over the net Ani Vasudevan, who had 12 kills in that same match, and starting libero Aarav Patel.
Besides Barcelos and Marla, the only other senior on the team is defensive specialist and valuable reserve player Spencer Boucher.
“I love coaching the guys on this team,” said Seaver, a Clinton firefighter, who has led the Pioneers to the Catholic Conference title three times. “Our players hold themselves to such high standards. They’re respectful, hard-working and just pleasant. I’ve coached other places and in other leagues, and the guys here are simply the best.”
The St. John’s junior varsity team is coached by former St. John’s star Dan Wickstrom, now a sophomore at the College of the Holy Cross.
Next up for St. John’s, whose other win came against Xaverian, is another tough challenge on Tuesday. The Pioneers will travel to No. 2 ranked Natick.
Abby Kelley, Burncoat build for future
Abby Kelley Foster and Burncoat met in the Patriots’ gymnasium last week, both winless, but hoping for a first victory of the 2024 boys’ volleyball season.
In a hard-fought match, which included several sustained volleys from both teams, the Bears, under the direction of new head coach Pandush Mele, jumped to a 2-0 lead in the opening sets. Burncoat rallied to win the third set before Abby Kelley triumphed 25-20 in the fourth on a winning point delivered by libero Nasir Singleton, a co-captain.
“Winning feels very good, especially after three losses and losing some practices because of snow days,” said Singleton, a senior. “Our synergy has been a little off and we lost some close games.”
Added Andrew Dwyer, the other senior captain for the Bears, “I’ve played volleyball pretty much every day for the last three years. It’s the only sport I play, so this win feels great.”
“The secret to winning volleyball matches is playing together,” said the 53-year-old Mele, a veteran coach who learned the game as a college student in Albania and progressed as city team player there. He directed the Burncoat team several years ago and later coached the South High team.
“We’re in a rebuilding season, after doing very well last year,” said Burncoat coach Phil Malette, whose team a year ago finished as runners-up to Doherty in the Inter-High League. “We return only a couple of starters.”
The Patriots are led by captains Simon Diaz, a senior setter, and junior outside hitter Jayden Mott. Other strong contributors include sophomore right side Joel Chuku, junior libero Ama Perez and senior middle blocker Ernst Virgulus.
—Contact Jay Gearan at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tgsports.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Boys' volleyball: Tough schedule sets tone for St. John's
