At Monday’s coaches meeting, the Chelsea High volleyball team took home the top honors in the Small Division of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference. Senior captain Erin Kelley, a member of the Lady Red Devils, was named to the All Star team and received the distinction of Small Division MVP. Her coach, Lisa Ceccherini, was recognized by her peers as Coach of the Year. “This is a great and well deserved honor for Erin,” said Ceccherini, who is entering her 15th season coaching the CHS volleyball program. “As for me, I’m very humbled that my fellow coaches chose to give me this honor.” Also earning spots on the Small Division all star squad were juniors Shuly Sejour and Karolyn Moni, joining Kelley in the honor. The Lady Red Devils had a successful week, defeating North Shore Tech, a rival in the Small Division, with a score of 30-28, 25-15, and 25-14. The win boosts Ceccherini’s team to a 6-1 record in the Small Division, putting them in a tight race for first place with Fellowship of Christian Academy. “For some reason we started slowly against North Shore,” said Ceccherini regarding the first set of the match. “But during the two minute break between sets, we figured out what we had to do and did much better the rest of the way.” The Lady Red Devils now face a crucial match against their longtime rival, Northeast Regional Vocational School, at the local gym today (Thursday). “We need to beat Northeast if we want to ensure that we keep pace with Fellowship, which also has one match left,” said Ceccherini. “Even though we beat Northeast the first time we met them, we know we’ll have a battle on our hands, as we always do when we face them. We’re expecting a fun, but hard fought match.” This contest will be the final home game for senior captain Erin Kelley, as well as seniors Joycelen Perez and Solmaira Acevedo. “Joycelen and Solmaira have been huge additions to our team,” said Ceccherini about the pair, who both joined the volleyball team for the first time this season. “They have been totally selfless and supportive of their teammates. I could not have asked for two better players on our team.” Should both Chelsea and Fellowship of Christian Academy finish with 7-1 records and share the CAC Small Division title, it remains uncertain whether a tiebreaker would be used or if both teams would advance to the state tournament. After the match against Northeast Regional Vocational School, Chelsea will have one remaining regular season game against Whittier, a team from the CAC Large School division, which will serve as a makeup for a postponed contest from Tuesday.
Erin Kelley named MVP, Ceccherini Coach of the Year
