MHS Volleyball Off to Strong Start
Sophomore Kristen Dube got her first taste of volleyball last spring during the YES program and that only spiked her appetite for more. “I love how it’s fast-paced,” she said, “and I love the intensity we play with and how much fun we have.”
The “we” Dube refers to are the nearly two dozen members of the Messalonskee girls’ volleyball team, a first-year club program off to a 3-0 start this fall.
Coaches Lisette Bordes and Pia Cellamare founded the team and hope to gain varsity status for it next school year.
Cellamare, a science teacher at Messalonskee, is thrilled by the number of girls who signed up for the program and equally delighted at the enthusiasm and talent they bring to the court.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “Some of these girls had never touched a volleyball before and yet they are growing (as volleyball players) exponentially. I think we have a lot of natural athletes. We are really lucky.”
The Eagles have eight more games on their schedule, including a home contest against Hampton Academy at 4:30 p.m. today.
Junior Mackie Mayo is used to taking the court to play basketball as member of the high-powered Messalonskee girls’ basketball team. But once Mayo began playing volleyball, she had the same reaction as Dube: she wanted more, a craving so strong that she and Messalonskee basketball teammate Katie Seekins went to Messalonskee principal Paula Callan to lobby for a team.
Mayo said Mrs. Callan responded with enthusiastic support. Colby College, meanwhile, provided ample support as well, with its volleyball program donating a wealth of equipment for the fledgling team.
Mayo is hoping volleyball will be a varsity sport when she returns to school next fall for her senior year. For now, though, she is grateful for the opportunity to play a sport she has grown to love.
“When I get a good spike or a good block,” she said, “I just get really excited.”