Local sports roundup
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Region - The Westborough High volleyball team captured its first Central Mass. Division 2 final Nov. 10, outlasting Medfield High, 3-2.

With the win, the topseeded Rangers, who improved to 21-1, advanced to a Division 2 state semifinal against Western Mass. Champion Longmeadow, played Nov. 13 at Marlborough High. Medfield, the No. 2 seed, saw its season end with a 20-3 mark.

The Rangers won the first two games of the bestof five match - winning by scores of 25-19 and 25-21, but Medfield rallied to win the next two games - 25-21 and 25-22 - and forced the decisive final game of the match.

Westborough won that game, and the match, 15-12.

Senior Caitlin Piper keyed the Rangers win in the decisive fifth game, her spike giving her team a 12-11 advantage. It was a lead the Rangers would not relinquish.

Piper is just one of six seniors on the Westborough roster this season. The other upperclassmen on the squad are tri-captains Mina Baban, Christina Carr and Danielle Coff ey, Kristin Collins and Alexa Ebert. Juniors on the team are Jessie Bready, Gayle Heim, Austin Murray and Kayla Volpe. Sophomores on the team are Sarah Barnes, Kasey Kraus, Aoife Feighery and Leah Ryan.

The victory was Westborough's second this season over Medfield. The Rangers also beat Medfield in the final regular season game of the season, 3-0.

The Nov. 10 win was sweeter, however, for the Rangers, who had their previous two seasons ended by Medfield, in the state semifinals last year and the sectional finals in 2005.

Boys cross country

The St. John's, Shrewsbury High and Westborough High teams finished second, third and fourth, respectively, at the Central Mass. Division 1 Meet, held Nov. 10 at Gardner Municipal Golf Course.

Nashoba Regional was the Division 1 champion.

The Pioneers' secondplace finish was a result of having five runners finish in the top 26.

Cam Tieuli was the first St. John's runner to finish, covering the 2.9-mile course in 15 minutes, 2 seconds, good for fifth overall. Ben Perron was eighth overall (15:11), Brian Clark was 12th (15:24), Chris Tieuli was 25th and Kevin Turner 26th, both runners finishing in 15:53.

Shrewsbury (125 points) was able to grab the third spot by placing five runners in the top 50, led by Anthony Fissora, who finished ninth (15:12) and Brent Underkoffler, who finished 13th (15:29).

Westborough's fourthplace finish (143 points) was primarily a result of the third-place finish turned in by sophomore Jeff Bush, who covered the 2.9-mile course in 14 minutes, 55 seconds.

Hudson finished seventh in the 23-team meet while Algonquin Regional was 13th, and Marlborough 16th.

Girls cross country

Hudson Catholic junior Jessica Jarrard was the third overall finisher at the Central Mass. Division 2 Meet, held Nov. 10 at Gardner Municipal Golf Course.

Jarrard, competing as an individual because the Green Wave does not have enough female runners to field a complete team, covered the 2.9-mile course in 18 minutes, 9 seconds.

Algonquin Regional was the top team finisher in the Division 1 meet, coming in fourth. Shrewsbury High finished eighth, Marlborough ninth, Hudson 10th and Westborough 12th.

Hudson freshman Laurie Vinciullo was the top local finisher in the Division 1 race, touring the course in 18 minutes, 10 seconds.

Contact Ken Powers at kpthesportsguy@yahoo.com with news about your sports team.