WILBRAHAM — Since the moment Coach John DeVine took over the girls volleyball program at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, the Titans have been climbing the ladder.
This week, the girls volleyball team will look to climb a few more steps up that ladder.
Four seasons after taking over a winless team, the Titans (15-1) earned the No. 1 seed in the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class C Tournament. WMA will host a quarterfinal on Wednesday, Nov. 12, against No. Marianapolis Prep at 3:30 p.m.
“Our team earned the No. 1 seed by coming to practice every day willing to learn, to work hard and to support their teammates,” said Coach DeVine, whose program improved from 4-12 to 6-10 to 8-8 before this season’s near-perfect record. “The spirit we have on this team has made all of the difference this season. There are some dangerous teams in the tournament and we will have to be at our best to win a NEPSAC title. Starting on Wednesday, we will leave everything on the court to be the first girls volleyball team to win a championship for WMA.”
The Titans, who last reached the postseason in 2016, closed out the historic regular season with 3-0 wins against Marianapolis and Berkshire School.
“We are peaking at the right time of the season,” Coach DeVine explained. “Our serve receiving skills continue to improve and that is the key to our success. We have the weapons to score points on offense so the game becomes pretty simple – get the ball to our setter, Adelina Brown ’28, and let our hitters hit away. Volleyball is a game of momentum so we need to continue to focus on one single play at a time and erase any past errors. The team that does that the best typically wins every close match.”
WMA gained momentum right from the start of the season, winning against a powerful Hamden Hall Country Day School. The Titans then tallied another 12 wins to open 13-0, the best start in school history.
“The strength of our team is size and power,” Coach DeVine described. “We have two great middle blockers in Gabby Ravosa ’28 and Addison Brennan ’28. They control the middle of the net with offensive and defensive prowess. In my opinion, our hitters – Cat Ravosa ’26, Selah Prignano ’26 and Jala Witherspoon ’27 – are the best in our league. Setter Adelina Brown has had a breakout season as she is closing in on 1,000 assists as a sophomore. Our liberos and defensive specialists anchor our team’s back row. Vicky Luo ’28, Julia Chang ’29, Kendall Schechterle ’27, Sarah Laporte ’28, Pristine Rithy ’26 and Genevieve Tremblay ’26 have been the unsung heroes of our season as they work harder than anyone to keep the ball off the floor.”
WMA hasn’t hosted a home quarterfinal in more than a decade. Coach DeVine noted how much the Academy’s home crowd has helped this year, especially in wins against archrivals Suffield Academy and Williston Northampton School.
“To open up at home for a quarterfinal game means everything to us,” Coach DeVine said. “The energy that we get from our home crowd makes our team even better. We hope for a big turnout on Wednesday at 3:30.”
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