Whaler Sports Roundup – October 6 & October 7, 2023
David Creed •
There were only three varsity sports teams in action Friday and Saturday during the long holiday weekend. This Whaler Sports Roundup includes updates on the volleyball team, which narrowly lost their matchup to a very strong Nipmuc team, the football team, and the girls soccer team.
Volleyball Loses Three Tight Sets To Undefeated Nipmuc
Nantucket varsity volleyball head coach Andrew Viselli has proven that he is capable of leading teams to a state tournament. He won three state titles during his time at St. John Prep in the 2000s, and ever since the island’s volleyball program began in 2015 – he has made it a mission to bring similar success to the athletes here.
It led to a decision this offseason by Viselli to beef up his regular season schedule to further challenge his players and help them prepare for state tournament play after making it to the MIAA Div. 4 state quarterfinal last fall.
Nipmuc Regional High School was one of the several high-end programs added to Nantucket’s schedule, and they traveled to the island on Saturday for a late morning matchup with the Whalers.
Nantucket lost the match 3-0, but played the Warriors tough in all three sets. The Whalers lost the first set 23-25, the second set 21-25, and the third set 22-25.
Nipmuc improved to 12-0 on the season while Nantucket fell to 7-4. The Warriors are the #1 seed in the latest MIAA Div. 3 power rankings, and have lost just two of the 36 sets they have played this season – both of which came in a single match (3-2 win over Hopedale High School).
After the game, Viselli acknowledged that it was a tough loss but added that it was good to see what his team needs to work on after playing a top tier team.
Senior captain Chloe Marrero, per usual, played a strong game and led the Whalers with 20 kills. Setter Yahely del Rosario Gomez had 23 assists. Junior captain and libero Vicky Todorova had 43 digs.
The Whalers will now wait until Wednesday, October 11 to play their next match, which will take place against the Nauset Warriors on the road at 3:30 p.m. Nantucket beat Nauset 3-0 on the island on September 3.
Football Loses To DY
The Whaler football team lost on the road Friday afternoon to the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins 48-7 – dropping their record to 1-4 this season.
The lone score came from a familiar face: sophomore wide receiver/running back Arann Hanlon on a pass from sophomore quarterback Brock Beamish.
The touchdown grab was Hanlon’s third score of the season as he continues to be a dependable two-way player for a young Nantucket team that is hoping to earn their second win of the season on Saturday, October 14 when they travel to St. John Paul II to face the Lions at 1:30 p.m.
The Lions are 2-3 this season and their only common opponent with Nantucket is Tech Boston. The Whalers beat Tech Boston 19-6 and the Lions beat them 18-14.
Girls Soccer Shutout At Home
The Whaler girls soccer team lost to a tough Notre Dame Academy squad Friday afternoon 7-0. It was Nantucket’s third straight loss and their sixth loss in their past seven games.
Nantucket is now 4-7 this season and will hope to get back in the win column on Thursday, October 12th when they host the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins for a 4 p.m. game. The Whalers beat DY 3-0 late last month on September 28 in a road matchup.
SCHEDULE AHEAD:
Monday, October 9:
No Games.
Tuesday, October 10:
The golf team is scheduled to host the Sturgis East Storm at 3:45 p.m.
The boys and girls cross country teams are scheduled to host the Falmouth Clippers at 4 p.m.
Updated MIAA state tournament brackets are released on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. To view them, click here. For more sports content, follow our Current Sports Instagram page here. You can follow Current Sports photographer Chris Tran here.