Mountaineers Volleyball interest spikes; Coach returns to her roots.

Byline: Jay Gearan

HOLDEN - The Wachusett Regional girls' volleyball team is off to a solid start this fall, winning three of its opening four games under the direction of new coach Jen Burton.

Actually, Ms. Burton, a Rutland resident, is not a new coach, but a returning coach after a 10-year absence from the team. She, along with former Wachusett Regional Athletic Director Rich Lewis, founded the girls' volleyball team in 1997.

After three years, Ms. Burton, deciding to spend more time with her growing family, left the coaching scene. A physical education teacher at the high school, she's back with the volleyball squad. In her three years with the team in the late 1990s, the Mountaineers made it to the postseason three times.

"The girls are doing a great job," said Ms. Burton, whose team competes in the Mid-Wach A Division. "And I have the best kids on the planet. They're just wonderful. I love coming to practice with them."

About the sport of volleyball, Ms. Burton said, "I love watching it. I think it's a beautiful sport. When it's played well, it has a great fluidity to it. It's also much more intricate and detailed in terms of rotations and things like that."

Ms. Burton, who succeeded coach Phil Jackson, said interscholastic volleyball competition is much different from the typical volleyball games played in physical education classes.

"It's going well," said senior co-captain Kingsley Catalucci, a talented outside hitter on the team. "We're all getting to know each other and getting used to working on plays and rotations."

Added senior co-captain Kelsey Lyford, who has a terrific serve and performs well as an outside hitter, "We lost a lot of seniors from last year, but with the new players, we seem to be meshing well."

"I'm thrilled to be back coaching, and I love being at Wachusett," said Ms. Burton, who forged her own remarkable athletic career with the Mountaineers...

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