Buoyed by strong feeder system, program is in top shape

By Chris Villani, Staff Sports Writer

The Nipmuc girls’ volleyball team appears poised for another strong season after racing out to a 7-1 start to the season through September’s contests. The fast start has been aided by a relatively young roster, which has head coach Brian Gerard excited for both this season and the future.

“The middle school just keeps promoting our program and we get good players coming in,” Gerard said. 

The Coyotes, who compete in Division IV in the state tournament, knocked off a pair of Division II teams and a Division III squad in its first month. By the start of October, Nipmuc had earned the number five ranking in D4.

Senior captain Alyssa Burdzel is leading the way all around at the outside hitter position.

“She has been really bringing her athleticism to the forefront,” Gerard said. “She is also helping with serving and on defense, so it’s more than just hitting in the front row.”

A key cog in Nipmuc’s offense has been sophomore Mackenzie Kirkpatrick, who has a serve that Gerard described as a “laser beam.”

“She not only gets tons of aces, but she puts opponents out of system because her serve is so hard, so low, and so fast,” Gerard said. “It causes people a lot of problems.”

One of the Coyotes’ strengths is their balance. All of Nipmuc’s outside hitters have around the same number of kills, making it challenging for opposing defenses to key on any single player.

In the middle, junior Lianna Vasilikeris returns and has had some big performances, including a standout match against Whitinsville Christian in which Gerard said the other team simply did not have an answer for her. Running the offense is freshman setter Kelsey Sanville, who has several years of club volleyball experience.

“She commands the court very well, and she knows the game very well,” Gerard said. “She just has to get used to working with older kids.”

Nipmuc is replete with veteran leadership. In addition to Burdzel, Charlotte Leitch, Ashlyn Kenney, and Maya Vercruysse are serving as captains this fall. Nipmuc will likely contend along with Blackstone Valley Tech for the league title, and Gerard said his is a team that could make a run in the state tournament.

“This could be true for any team,” he said. “But, if you cut down on unforced errors, you will have success. When we do that, I think we do very well.”