Forecast suggests Barnstable could reach 100 tomorrow

By Jack McCluskey, Globe Correspondent | September 9, 2007

The Barnstable volleyball team hasn't lost a match in four years. That's 99 straight matches in which the Red Raiders have come out ahead. Tomorrow they go for number 100 against Dennis-Yarmouth.

"It is what it is," coach Tom Turco said of his team's remarkable streak. "Historically it's something that we're proud of, but it doesn't get you anything."

While that may be true as far as hardware is concerned - at last check there was no trophy for the most consecutive victories - it is certainly false when it comes to respect.

The only thing the streak earns the Barnstable players? The knowledge that every opponent is gunning for them. "I don't think I've ever seen this program be surprised," Turco said, "because everyone is going to play you tough."

Barnstable loses five seniors in 2007, including four all-stars and an All-Scholastic, but if Turco seems unconcerned it is probably for good reason. "I think every year is different. It's the rebirth of a team - you lose five seniors and you have new leadership that takes over."

During Turco's tenure with the Red Raiders, he has had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of talent to draw from and that luxury has allowed his teams to capture 10 Division 1 state titles in his 19 years, including the last four straight.

Far from self-congratulatory, Turco attributes the majority of his program's success to the players' competitiveness, even in practice. "Our practices are incredibly competitive," said Turco. "A non-starter has to produce in practice, if not [she'll] get feedback [from the starters]. So our kids have to consistently produce against one of the better teams.

"The kids that didn't play? They're not bad."

The Red Raiders will look to Kara Cullen and senior setter Amanda Parker for leadership in 2007 as they attempt to secure victory number 100 and to make a run at the all-time state record of 107, set by Swansea's Case High School from 1986-1991. If everything goes according to plan, victory number 108 will come at home against the Cardinals - meaning the current record holders will be the last team with a shot at stopping a new record for consecutive victories.

"If you live down the Cape you have company a lot," said Turco. "So it's there, and you have to acknowledge it but then you have to move on. You have to be respectful, not of the team but of the program. If we win that first match all that team is is 1-0."

Putting the streak in perspective is Turco's aggressive scheduling: with the streak at 74 in 2006 the Red Raiders welcomed Beverly Hills , a top team in the top state in the country for girls' volleyball, to their gym; this fall the California team will return the favor. In addition to Beverly Hills , Barnstable will play Brentwood , a team Turco pegged as a top-20 team in California and maybe one of the country's 100 best.

Does Barnstable crack those rankings? "We're not even close," said Turco.

Barnstable 's streak, as incredible as it is, is not the only one worth noting. Medfield has run off two straight Division 2 titles, compiling a 48-1 record in doing so. And though the Warriors lost the 2006 Player of the Year to graduation, coach Jack Hastings is optimistic about finding a replacement on the roster.

"Lauren [Barrett] will be missed, but every year we find players to step up to the challenges that are presented," said Hastings .

If the Warriors make it three in a row, senior captain Arielle Pocock and juniors Caitlin Barrett and Melissa Haskell will have had a big impact.

In Division 3, Frontier coach Sean MacDonald returns six of the eight players in his rotation, including junior outside hitter Alyssa Stankowski - the team's kills leader in 2006 - as the Red Hawks go for their third straight title.

North Reading, which lost to Frontier, 3-1, in the championship in 2006, opened its season with a 3-1 win Friday over Cape Ann league newcomer Peabody . Coach Kerrianne Forrest will rely on senior defensive specialists Erica Dianantides and Lynne Anderson to get the Fighting Hornets another title shot in 2007.

"[Dianantides and Anderson] are barely 5 feet tall, but they'll do whatever it takes to win," said Forrest.