CIAC tournament pairings were released today for girls' volleyball with no surprises in Class LL, L, M or S.
Although Newtown is a formidable No. 1 ranked opponent, Class LL looks extremely wide open with at least three New Haven area schools poised to make a huge run to the final on Nov. 17 (site, time TBA).
The favorite on paper has to be No. 2 Amity-Woodbridge with its talent, depth and experience led by captains Janice Ehorn, Courtney Brinton and Katherine Vuolo. Amity coach Paul Thees believes Ehorn is one of the best players int he state. One of it's toughest matchups could come in the quarterfinals where it could potentially meet last season's championship runnerup and familiar SCC foe Shelton led by Dorothy Sliwonik, Kristi Ibsen, Shannon Beach and Alex Loh.
No. 4 seed Cheshire can go far as long as the team stays focused. After a recent loss to Shelton, Cheshire coach Sue Bavone said when the team doesn't take a night off and plays as a unit it can play with anyone in the state. With some breaks the Rams, led by captains Taylor Abelli and Brittany Grenus plus Meryl Schorr, Colleen Dacey, Courtney Malloy, Nora Baghat and Bri-Anna Watson, could advance at least to the semifinals, if not further.
In Class L, No. 1 seed Darien, which moved up to L after winning the Class M title in 2006, defending champion No. 2 Bristol Eastern and No. 3 East Lyme, last season's runner-up, look formidable. But watch out for No. 4 Maloney-Meriden who is the sleeper to win it all with its talent and outstanding coaching of Pam Cloutier. No. 9 North Haven and No. 10 Hand-Madison should advance at least to the quarterfinals.
Class M looks wide open with defending champion Darien in another class. No. 1 RHAM has taken no prisoners this season with an 18-0 record. But watch for talented No. 2 Woodland-Beacon Falls to get at least to to the semifinals with an easy path to that point. No. 3 Barlow-Redding and No. 6 Berlin will likely get to the semifinals and be tough outs for Woodland.
The wild card in all this is No. 4 Law-Milford who lost 3-2 to Darien in the final last season. The Lawmen, led by Casey Dulin, Michelle Nantel and Chelsea Rohrig, are experienced, talented and tournament tested. With the right breaks they could be the last man (er, lady) standing when the tournament is done.
In Class S, No. 3 seed Haddam-Killingworth, which lost 3-0 to this year's No. 1 seed Coventry in the 2006 final, appears primed for another big post-season run. HK is led by middle hitter Erin Moriarty, outside hitter Ally Pratt, setter Hannah Danadio and middle hitter Laura Brayfield.
No. 4 Morgan-Clinton has a long post-season history with 15 appearances in the final and 11 titles with the last coming in 2005. That experience is usually good for at least a couple wins in Class S. The Huskies are led by outside hitters Kara Fillion and Caitlin Jones, libero Brit Dahlberg, setter Minika Kadlof and defensive specialist Alex Mauzy. The potential key game: Morgan could possibly face Coventry in the quarterfinals on Nov. 9. Get by Coventry and it could be championship appearance No. sweet 16 for the Huskies.
Good luck to all!
For complete pairings click here http://www.casciac.org/gvb.shtml