WAKEFIELD — Wakefield volleyball was celebrating a win after a matchup with rival Melrose for the first time in team history on Oct. 14 at the Charbonneau Field House.
The Warriors finally broke through in their 14th season with a resounding 3-0 victory.
More than anything, the victory is a signal that Wakefield volleyball has reached the top echelons of the Middlesex League, a journey that always needed a win over their rivals to become official.
Wakefield, who went on to beat Lexington on Oct. 16 and Stoneham and Watertown this week, is 15-4 with one match remaining. They are ranked No. 19 in the Boston Globe’s Top 20 statewide rankings and No. 7 in the MIAA’s latest Div. 2 rankings.
Kayla Wyland, a Melrose High volleyball alum in her 6th season at the helm in Wakefield, finally defeated her high school coach Scott Celli and the program long at the top of the Middlesex League’s Freedom Division. Also for the first time, the Warriors will finish ahead of Melrose in the division standings. Wakefield (12-3 in the league) is currently tied with Burlington at the top. The Warriors and Red Devils split their season series.
Wakefield had plenty of standout performances in their win over Melrose by set scores of 25-18, 25-23 and 25-23.
Senior captain Lila Arkinstall paced the attack with 16 kills matched up with Melrose’s own standout middle, 6’6” Sabine Wenzel who led Melrose with 10 kills.
Senior Jackie Sullivan helped out at the net with 2 blocks, reaching 101 for her career. She is the program’s all-time leader in blocks.
Also chipping in on the attack was sophomore Talia Galante (5 kills), senior captain Mia Kenny (4) and junior Ila Carpenter (4).
Wakefield had another strong serving game with 12 aces led by 4 from senior captain Tori Grace and 3 from Kenny. Kenny also led the team with 10 digs. Senior captain Cara Carangelo (25 serve receptions) and senior Brendia Diaz (15 receptions) also helped lead the defensive effort.
Grace led the way with 17 assists while senior Allison Cook added 13 helpers.
Wakefield came back from a 17-14 deficit in the first, going on an 11-1 run to make a statement early. An Arkinstall kill and a Grace ace reclaimed the lead at 18-17 and forced Celli to call for a timeout but it wouldn’t stem the tide as Galante followed with a towering spike from the outside to make it 19-17 followed by two more strong kills in the middle from Arkinstall and another impressive ace from Grace.
The second set came down to the wire with Melrose leading early before Wakefield battled back to tie it halfway through. Melrose tied it at 23-23 when Wyland called for timeout. The Warriors responded by taking the next two points, first on a looping Arkinstall kill that somehow found the back corner and then on a Melrose error to end it.
The third was just as competitive. With Melrose hungry to get on the board, they started strong with a 6-0 advantage, but again, Wakefield battled back, eventually tying it at 11. It was more strong serving from Grace which evened it up at 20-20 and then Diaz tying it at 22-22. Melrose went up 23-22 but Wakefield stuck with it to win the final three in a row, on an Arkinstall cut shot kill, an ace from junior Kiera Thomson and a kill from freshman Colleen Savage.
In the end, the Warriors only needed three sets to climb their last peak on a quest to reach the top of the Middlesex League’s hierarchy.
Wakefield will bring a six-match winning streak into their last game of the regular season tonight, 5:30 p.m. in Wilmington against the winless Wildcats. The Warriors have won 10 of their last 11.
If Wakefield can stay in the top eight of the Div. 2 power rankings, they would host two state tournament matches at home if they advance past the first round. The brackets will be released next week.