Megan Tamarro stepped up to help the team, and Falmouth went on to win its first Class A state title.

Player of the year could have gone to a number of players on Falmouth’s Class A state championship volleyball team, which was the school’s first.

ALL-STATE VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Mary Cleary, Scarborough, senior middle hitter

Cleary was central to many of Scarborough’s 16 wins. Often the go-to player, she had 27 aces, 70 service points, 123 kills, 77 digs and 19 blocks.

Grace Mallett, Yarmouth, senior setter

For the Clippers to charge back from a two-set deficit in the Class B state title match, they needed perfect sets, and they got them from Mallett.

Maddy Maierhofer, Yarmouth, senior libero

Since Yarmouth was smaller than many opponents, defense was a priority for the Clippers. Maierhofer proved key even against Class A teams, and was instrumental in her team winning its second Class B state title in three years.

Katrina Meserve, Falmouth, senior outside hitter

A three-year starter for Falmouth, Meserve finished the season with 32 aces, 57 kills, 187 digs and 48 blocks. Meserve was strong on serving, setting, hitting and digging, and her coach calls her one of the most reliable passers.

Abby Mills, Scarborough, senior outside hitter

Mills’ speed and grit in the Red Storm’s 16-1 run this season deserves recognition. She had 42 aces, 129 service points, 117 kills and 55 digs.

Sophie Moore, Cape Elizabeth, senior setter

As the Capers’ veteran setter, Moore was a big reason for their march to the state semifinals. She ended the season with 14 kills, 78 digs and 329 assists.

Lauren Raye, Washington Academy, junior outside hitter

Helped lead her No. 2-ranked team to the Class B state title match and proved she’s an all-around player – hitting, serving and helping on defense. She led her team with 186 serves, 59 aces, 116 kills, 15 assists, 69 receptions and 48 digs. After starting on the varsity as a freshman, Raye became the rare player who is composed enough to look to her coach from the court during a match and talk through eye contact.

Megan Tamarro, Falmouth junior setter

Tamarro not only helped Falmouth succeed in its state title march, she owned a position she had never learned prior to July. Tamarro boasted an 88 percent serving rate with 39 aces. She added 17 kills, 115 digs, and 11 blocks along with her 665 sets and 311 assists.

Coach of the Year

Jim Senecal, Yarmouth

Senecal led Yarmouth to its second Class B title in three years, the Clippers coming back in the state game from a two-set deficit to beat Washington Academy.

Additional Photos

Megan Tamarro, right, of Falmouth was reluctant to switch positions and move to setter. But to win a state championship, her team needed her to move. And win the title was what Falmouth did. John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

Megan Tamarro, right, of Falmouth was reluctant to switch positions and move to setter. But to win a state championship, her team needed her to move. And win the title was what Falmouth did. John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

This year proved to be a dogfight in Class A, and Falmouth won the title with a convincing upset of unbeaten Scarborough.

And the most compelling among Falmouth’s top performers was junior setter Megan Tamarro.

Tamarro not only led Falmouth with iron-clad sets and key serving, she walked into the position with little to no experience in September when her team needed her. That’s the mark of a special player.

Tamarro’s statistics suggest a player who learned the position in clinics and on travel teams, not during a historic season. Yet she helped lead Falmouth past Scarborough for the state title with dependable serving and perfect sets.

She boasted an 88 percent serving rate with 39 aces, adding 17 kills, 115 digs and 11 blocks with her 665 sets and 311 assists.

In the state final, Tamarro’s exceptional serving earned eight straight points in the second set as Falmouth pulled ahead.

“Megan has been steady all through the season. Without Megan, I don’t think we’d be where we are,” said Coach Gary Powers.

Tamarro made the varsity as a freshman, not easy on a perennial contender. She then improved as a hitter her sophomore year and was looking forward to playing the back row and outside hitter position this year as a starter.

But when the team’s setter decided to go abroad this fall, Powers and the senior-laden team had a problem.

Powers approached Tamarro in July and asked her to set.

“We sat down to figure the best candidate to take the position. Megan has really good hands. She has great court sense. She knew where to get to and where to be. Once she started the regular season, she was our setter,” Powers said.

Tamarro initially wasn’t interested. But she was interested in a state title and helping her teammates win the school’s first, so she listened.

“Our setter told me she was going to be away for the fall season so I knew he would ask. I didn’t want to do it at first. I was scared and it intimidated me,” Tamarro said.

“I wanted to pass and hit. That’s what I was working on for two years. Last winter I really got to be good at hitting. Junior year, I wanted to star at that. Setting obviously doesn’t let me do that. It didn’t make me too excited, but this team means everything to me and I wanted us to win.

“I knew if I said no, there wouldn’t be many other options. I couldn’t let my selfish reasons come between the team winning states or having a chance at it.”

Powers said Tamarro’s athletic ability helped her adapted to the position. Halfway through the season, he said she started to own it.

“I told her it’s the most difficult position. You get a bad pass, you’re expected to make a good set out of it,” he said. “She was good at it from the start, but I would say when we hit that stretch of really hard games, that’s when it kicked in. She was diving on the floor.”

Deirdre Fleming can be reached at 791-6452 or at:

dfleming@pressherald.com

Twitter: FlemingPph

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