Girls volleyball previews: Players to watch and matchups for Fall River area teams

Four Herald News volleyball teams — Case, Diman, Somerset Berkley and Westport — have punched their ticket for the 2022 MIAA playoffs. The Bengals, Raiders and Wildcats kick off the postseason for Greater Fall River fall season teams, starting on Wednesday.

Diman and Westport will each be hosting a game. Somerset Berkley will have to make some noise on the road. The Cardinals have a bye before hosting a game on Friday.

Here are the top 16 players to watch heading into the postseason and upcoming matchups:

Joseph Case: Olivia Silva, Hannah Storm, Jamie Moniz, Loagan Brown

These four Cardinals are among the best in area. Silva, who surpassed the 1,000th assist mark, is the glue that holds Case together. The Cardinal senior captain setter is currently the area leader in assists. Storm, a junior, is one of the best outside hitters in Greater Fall River. She has close to 300 kill shots for the season and can dig with the best of them. Moniz is another dangerous hitter at the net and plays great defense. The senior outside hitter is ranked second in kill shots. Brown plays superb defense on the backline and can give you kill shots when needed.

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Diman: Lindsey Moniz, Sarah Moniz, Hannah Martin, Kacey Lynch

The Moniz sisters have been quite a combination on the floor for the Bengals. Lindsey has great athletic ability at the net, serves well from the line and plays solid defense. Sarah is another great server, plays great defense and is very active at the net. Martin is the team leader in assists from her libero spot. She can serve, picks up sneaky kill shots and plays excellent defense on the back line. Lynch has come on strong all season in all facets of the game. She plays solid defense and can contribute the occasional kill shot at the net.

Somerset Berkley: Abigail Vieira, Annabella Karpicz, Caroline Puccini, Kaelyn Rose

Senior libero Caroline Puccini leads a talented group of Raiders who are ready to take the next step. Puccini isn't afraid to get dirt on the floor, making diving digs to keep her team alive. Senior setter Kaelyn Rose sees the whole floor and distributes the ball around to the right hitter at the net. Junior outside hitter/wing spiker Abigail Vieira is very athletic and surprises people with her jumping ability at the net. She also plays solid defense. Junior outside hitter and wing spiker Annabella Karpicz is an upcoming star and has the ability to put down kill shots at the net.

Cast your vote: Who is the Herald News High School Athlete of the Week for Oct. 24-31

Westport: Kyleigh Finglas, Taylor Perry, Zoey Sylvain, Hannah Therrien

Outside hitter Kyleigh Finglas makes the Wildcats go on offense. Finglas is one of the top outside hitters among Greater Fall River teams. She also plays solid defense and serves the ball well. Setter Taylor Perry is a complete player from the backline, service line and setting up her teammates for points at the net. Zoey Sylvain is athletic and can serve the ball well. Hannah Therrien is another player on Westport who serves well and plays good defense on the backline.

TOURNAMENT GLANCE

In each of the five divisions, the top 32 power-ranked teams qualified automatically along with any teams power-seeded 33 or below with at least a .500 winning percentage. Overall, 191 girls volleyball teams will compete to see which one lands at the state championship matches on Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19, at Worcester State University.

JOSEPH CASE CARDINALS

Record: 19-1

Seed: No. 3 in Division IV

Opening matchup: Joseph Case will host the winner of either No. 30 Bay Path RVT (9-10) or Tech Boston Academy (8-8) in the Round of 32 at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Outlook: The Cardinals finished the 2022 season, winning their final 18 games after falling to Dartmouth. Case should enjoy homecoming at least until the Round of 8.

DIMAN BENGALS

Record: 12-6

Seed: No. 32 in Division III

Opening matchup: Diman will host No. 33 HS of Commerce (14-6) in the preliminary at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Outlook: The Bengals had a sensational season in the fall, sharing the Mayflower Athletic Conference title with Tri-County. Now, Diman looks ahead to its home matchup with HS of Commerce tonight. The winner of the match will face No. 1 seed Dennis Yarmouth in the Round of 32.

SOMERSET BERKLEY RAIDERS

Record: 11-9

Seed: No. 35 in Division II

Opening matchup: Somerset Berkley will hit the road on Wednesday and will take on No. 30 Danvers (7-13) in the preliminary at 5 p.m.

Outlook: The Raiders will look for the upset as they face No. 30 seed Danvers tonight. Head coach Emily Travis hopes her team is ready to rise to the challenge in their opening round. The winner will face No. 3 seed Duxbury.

WESTPORT WILDCATS

Record: 11-7

Seed: No. 26 in Division V

Opening matchup: Westport hosts No. 39 Cathedral in a Division V preliminary matchup, beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Outlook: The Wildcats open the state tournament with a home game against visiting Cathedral tonight. Westport, under the direction of Monique Jones, will look to advance to the Round of 32. The winner of the match will face seventh seed West Bridgewater.

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Case volleyball team enjoys a bye before starting its playoff journey