The Massachusetts Maritime volleyball program is looking to build upon the momentum of posting its highest single-season win total in a decade last fall, and the Buccaneers will be sporting a new look on the bench with Head Coach Jenna-Lynn Geary taking the reins after serving as an assistant for the last two years.  Geary welcomes back five letterwinners and four starters from last year’s squad seeking to find success in the always-tough Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference race.

Geary, a former standout at Lasell, will look to junior Jennifer Roy (Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro) and sophomore Marie Harrison (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) to provide leadership as co-captains for her relatively young squad that is comprised of one senior, two juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.  The first year mentor says the duo “have demonstrated great commitment and an incredible work ethic, and their infectious enthusiasm helps our program move forward each and every day.  I am fully confident that they will continue to set high standards of excellence for themselves and for their teammates going forward.”

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the 2017 edition of Buccaneer Volleyball:

HITTER.  Harrison, who became the program’s first MASCAC Rookie of the Week honoree last year, returns after ranking second on the team with 160 kills and 303 digs while adding 23 service aces and 21 set assists.  Roy was solid in the middle for Massachusetts Maritime after collecting 125 kills and a team-leading 29 total blocks (21 solo) in 22 matches played, and the tandem will be joined up front by sophomore Meghan Sullivan (Hanover, Mass./Notre Dame Hingham) and freshman Maddie Coughlin (Monroe, Conn./Masuk).  Freshman Kaylee Tolman (East Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) looks to see time on the right side of the floor during her rookie season for the Buccaneers.

SETTER.  Sophomore Michelle Sheehan (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) ran the offense smoothly during her inaugural collegiate campaign in 2016, as she posted 240 set assists and 36 service aces to rank second on the squad in both categories while playing in all 30 matches.  Freshman Casey Sullivan (Sagamore Beach, Mass./Saint John Paul II) will be vying for a setting spot as well this fall for the Buccaneers, who will also use Coughlin in a setting role on offense.

LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST.  Sophomore Tina Ruggeri (Bourne, Mass./Bourne) ranked among the league leaders in digs (417) and played in all 30 contests during her rookie season last fall, while senior Kaleigh Hoffman (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) returns after a year’s hiatus to provide additional experience on the defensive side for Geary.  Junior April Puopolo (Abington, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) appeared in seven contests as a defensive specialist last season for Massachusetts Maritime, which also welcomes freshman Courtney Toomey (Norton, Mass./Norton).

SCHEDULE.  The Buccaneers are “gearying” up for a 29-match regular season slate that includes a trip to Maine Maritime for the Eighth Annual Maritime Classic in mid-September.  Massachusetts Maritime will play all but eight of its contests away from Cape Cod, as Suffolk, Pine Manor, Dean and Eastern Nazarene will venture to the Clean Harbors Athletic Center along with MASCAC foes Worcester State, Westfield State and Framingham State.  In addition to the Maritime Classic, Geary’s squad will hit the road for outings at Bay Path, Curry, Eastern Nazarene, Becker, Dean, UMass Dartmouth, Wentworth and Pine Manor in non-conference action while heading to Salem State, Bridgewater State, Fitchburg State and MCLA for league clashes.

Massachusetts Maritime begins the Jenna-Lynn Geary era on Saturday, September 2^nd with a non-league tri-match against Bay Path and Johnson State in East Longmeadow, Mass. at 10:00 a.m. EDT.