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Avon spikers await the challenge of playing in CCC; Canton eyes tournament

Avon's Maddy Hart will be looking to put some spikes down this fall as the Falcons hope to contend in the CCC Central White Division race.

Avon’s Maddy Hart will be looking to put some spikes down this fall as the Falcons hope to contend in the CCC Central White Division race.

AVON – The Avon High volleyball team has played Central Connecticut Conference foes before. They’ve had a long-standing rivalry with Farmington and have played Newington in recent years to give their players another opportunity to compete and grow against bigger schools.

Now, the Falcons will subsist on a steady diet of CCC competition as they begin their first year in the league. And head coach Curt Burns is thrilled with the opportunity.

“We’re looking forward to the step up in competition,” he said with no disrespect to former NCCC rivals Coventry or Class M champion Granby, which has battled and beaten Avon over the past years. “We like this. We’re an (Class) L school and we want to play as many L and M teams as possible.”

In the realigned CCC, there are six divisions and Avon is playing in the CCC Central White division. The Falcons will play two matches each against defending Class L champion Farmington, Northwest Catholic, Weaver, Bulkeley and Windsor along with single games against Conard, Hall, Glastonbury, Simsbury and Southington (Class LL quarterfinalist).

Avon will also play Newington, Bristol Central, Woodstock Academy and E.O. Smith.

The Falcons have two returning starters and would have a third on the floor but 6-foot-4 senior Abby Laszewski, a two-time All-NCCC hitter with a team-high 278 kills last year, is out for several weeks after hurting her foot this summer playing basketball.

Senior setter Brooke Fisher returns for her third year in the starting lineup. Fisher, who had a team-high 582 assists and team-leading 72 serving aces, is a very experienced floor general. She played at AAU national volleyball over the summer. She was also an All-NCCC selection last fall.

Senior libero Della Helwig (team-leading 212 digs) returns along with 5-foot-10 senior Abby Lancaster. Look for 6-foot sophomore hitter Maggie Hart, 5-foot-9 sophomore Grace Keegan, 5-foot-11 junior Erin Sutter and 5-foot-9 junior Grace Stevens to be getting plenty of balls to hit.

Avon (18-7, 14-4 NCCC) wants to earn a spot in the CCC Tournament. That means finishing among the top two in the CCC Central White Division. Farmington (25-1, 14-0 CCC West) and Northwest Catholic look strong again this year. “We’re excited about this, our first year in the league,” Burns said. “We want to make some noise.”

The Falcons also want to be playing in the second week of the CIAC Class L tournament and that will mean earning at least a berth in the semifinals.

Top hitters return for Canton
CANTON – The Canton High girls volleyball continues to try and grow as a program. Now in their fourth varsity season, the Warriors will be looking to qualify for the CIAC Class S tournament for the first time.

Canton junior Amber Harraden

Canton junior Amber Harraden

Canton went 4-16 a year and needs another four wins to reach the necessary 40 percent to qualify.

The team’s top four hitters from a year ago return led by junior Amber Harraden, who had a team-leading 144 kills and 48 serving aces last fall. Senior setter Emma Plourd had a team-leading 178 assists, ,51 kills and 37 service aces returns. Senior Sydney Abate (33 kills) and senior Sophia Pelehach (32 kills, team-leading 25 blocks) are also back for the Warriors.

Avon’s move out of the NCCC to the CCC allowed Canton (4-16, 3-15 NCCC) to pick up additional games with three Greater Hartford magnet schools – Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) in Bloomfield, Public Safety Academy in Enfield and Med-Ed Prep (Medical Profession and Teacher Preparation Academy) in New Britain.

The Warriors will be led by a new coach Eileen Holden, the team’s third coach in three years.

 

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 30 years.

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