The future of the Amherst Regional girls volleyball program is looking bright as its junior varsity squad recently completed its season with a perfect 18-0 record, earlier this month.
A 3-0 win against Belchertown on Oct. 15 capped off an undefeated season for the Hurricanes.
Of the 54 total sets the the ‘Canes competed in throughout the campaign, only five went to the opposition. In other words, Amherst won 13 matches via 3-0 sweeps. The other five results were 2-1 victories.
Elizabeth Ezekiel, the head coach of the JV Hurricanes, expressed gratitude after working with such a successful squad during her first season as part of Amherst’s coaching staff.
“I am blown away by how fortunate I am to have worked with such a wonderful group of girls in my first season with Amherst High School,” Ezekiel said. “I am confident that these players will continue to grow into strong varsity players in the years ahead and I’m excited to watch them succeed. I am sad that our season has already come to an end, as I genuinely had fun each day working with them. I am grateful for their commitment to working hard, their outgoing personalities and for welcoming me into the APRHS volleyball community. I look forward to another great season next year.”
The Hurricanes’ 12-player JV roster featured an even split between freshmen and sophomores.
Tansy Warwick (middle blocker), Malin Gubrium (setter), Lenda Ben Slama (outside hitter), Amalia Feldman (Libero), Zoe Bradbury (OH) and Lucia Scutari (setter) were Amherst’s ninth-graders.
Liberty Kaplan (defensive specialist), Noa Long (MB), Corinna Selman (right-side hitter), Ava Kelly (captain, OH), Juliana Albo (OH) and Valeria Velez Torres (right-side hitter) made up the Hurricanes’ 10th graders.
With five seniors set to graduate from Amherst’s varsity team, next season’s ‘Canes crew will likely see an infusion of fresh faces who cut their teeth on this fall’s exceptional JV corps.
