Sacred Heart Volleyball takes FAA Championship

November 11, 2013

Captains Maggie Ellison and Bianca Chiappelloni proudly received Sacred Heart’s fourth consecutive FAA trophy. Courtesy of Mrs. Lorena Ferrara

Sacred Heart seniors Jane Gerstner, Amanda Crowell, Maggie Ellison, Bianca Chiappelloni, Christina Monaco, and Shelby Holland all enjoy the victorious end to their final high school volleyball season. Courtesy of Mrs. Lorena Ferrara — Sacred Heart seniors Jane Gerstner, Amanda Crowell, Maggie Ellison, Bianca Chiappelloni, Christina Monaco, and Shelby Holland all enjoy the victorious end to their final high school volleyball season.
Courtesy of Mrs. Lorena Ferrara

Amidst the roaring cheers of students, faculty, and family, the Convent of the Sacred Heart varsity volleyball team defeated Greenwich Academy away at Raether Gym Friday, November 8 to claim the Fairchester Athletic Association volleyball tournament title. Sacred Heart is no stranger to this title, holding the championship for the past four years, excluding 2012 when the tournament was cancelled due to Superstorm Sandy.
Sacred Heart players knew that the will to win would be one of their greatest assets. Thursday night, the team sent around motivational emails and videos, psyching each other up to be the best volleyball player each could be. The energy continued in the team’s pre-game huddle, where the players repeated the necessity of winning the first set as a base point to keep their momentum and morale up.
“We knew from the beginning that we had to come out strong against GA because they are a great team. The will to win was huge,” senior co-Captain Maggie Ellison said in an email.
Greenwich Academy was not lacking the desire to win. Their game included 11 kills from senior co-Captain Tyla Taylor, three blocks from junior Ellen Clark, and five aces from sophomore Phoebe Morris. Greenwich Academy’s players were hitting and serving hard, but Sacred Heart’s communication on the court allowed them to keep up with GA’s plays.
“We played well and not only showed GA what we are capable of, but we showed ourselves how well we can work together and play as a team,” freshman Jenna Whelan said in an email.

Strong serves and serve placement helped Sacred Heart gain significant leads in each set. Courtesy of Mrs. Lorena Ferrara — Strong serves and serve placement helped Sacred Heart gain significant leads in each set.
Courtesy of Mrs. Lorena Ferrara

Sacred Heart tallied up its own stats. Some highlights include six kills from Maggie Ellison, 21 assists from junior setter Grace McKenney, and five kills from junior Claire O’Neill.
Winning the FAA championship once again is meaningful to Sacred Heart’s relatively new volleyball program. After five years under the direction of Mrs. Kim Lippmann, the team was transferred to the coaching of Head Coach Beth Wilson-Jordan and Assistant Coach Carolina Herrera, both of whom are extremely proud of their players.
“Your effort, your attitudes and they way you carried yourselves tonight was fantastic. You believed you could do it well before the match ever started, and your attitude, confidence and desire made all the difference,” Coach Wilson-Jordan said in an email to her team after the win on Friday night.
Sacred Heart hopes to be able to continue their season into the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A competition the week of November 10. They are currently ranked ninth, needing an 8th seed or higher in order to participate. It is possible that the FAA win will move their ranking up.
Greenwich Academy already holds a place in the NEPSAC Class A tournament. There is a possibility of Sacred Heart and GA competing head to head once again if Sacred Heart is bumped up into the tournament.