The Rangers fall sports season is officially underway.   Rangers Volleyball start their season with fifteen girls, five of whom are seniors. 

The team graduated nine seniors, many who were starters and played huge roles on the team as their record was 17-4. Despite the challenges of rebuilding, the 2019 team is working to defend their league title, which they’ve held since 2011, while also striving to return to the State Championship. 

Coach Roger Anderson is definitely “excited to see how this team can come together with so many new parts” after losing so many valuable players last season. 

After the first two matches, Anderson says “I’m very happy that we have had to deal with good teams. Our effort has been high as we’ve needed to be and we’re excited to play two more good opponents this week.”

The two captains this year are seniors Rachel Lehman and Alexa Vassilakis. Both players were on the team last year and are now hoping to lead their team to another winning season. 

Lehman is looking forward to seeing what the team will accomplish this season and is also excited to watch her teammates grow as both players and people. 

She says, “we have a lot of talent, potential, and grit to help us overcome the adversity we will face during this season. I cannot think of a better team to play with and we are all so excited to see what we can achieve.” 

Vassilakis is also very hopeful for this season after contributing to the Rangers achievements both last year and the state title in 2017.

In reference to the current team, Vassilakis says, “This team has a lot of potential. Competing head to head with some of the best teams in the state at our recent Medway tournament and starting off with two wins really highlights how this is just the beginning of what our team has to offer. With a younger, newer team than in past years, a lot of teams do not know what to expect from us; with that, we are extremely excited to show everyone what this team can do.”

The team is also going to rely on their other returning players to help carry them to victory. Juniors Abby Papetti and Taylor Chelak are the team’s outside hitters, each having 10 kills in their first game against Bishop Feehan. 

In just the first week of their season the Rangers volleyball team has already earned themselves a 2-0 record. At their home opener against Bishop Feehan, the team showed that they have not changed from the fifth-set loving team they’ve been in the past, as they ended up winning 15-10 in the fifth set. 

The team then traveled all the way to Groton-Dunstable where they got the chance to rematch the team who knocked them out of the tournament in the 2018 season. They ended up beating Groton-Dunstable in three sets, which definitely gave the team a boost and a glimpse of their potential. 

This week the Rangers faced a tough loss against Algonquin; however, the team will look to a big home game on Friday at 5:30 pm against Shrewsbury Colonials.