Athlete Of The Week: Casey-Ann McKella

HARWICH – No. 33 Douglas had been cutting into No. 32 Monomoy’s lead as the Sharks won the serve back during the first set the program had ever played in a state tournament.

Freshman Casey-Ann McKella took the volleyball and delivered an ace to end the threat and claim the set, officially putting into motion Monomoy’s eventual 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-13) Division 4 preliminary round win, in their first-ever playoff appearance.

For McKella, the play was just part of what she’s done best this year. She’s a team and Cape and Islands League leader in aces, according to head coach Lindsey Hooper.

The early match set-clinching ace was one of three that night for McKella, who also added four kills and two digs.

“She wants to work hard,” Hooper said. “She wants to play hard. Her energy is so contagious. She's screaming out there.”

McKella was the sole freshman of a group that completely set the bar for Monomoy volleyball, playing to the program’s best regular season record and a first-ever league co-championship, in addition to the historic state tournament appearance/win.

She played club volleyball and worked hard over the offseason, including showing up to every summer practice, in order to become a key player, according to senior Rory Shortis.

“It's been really awesome to see her growth the past two years,” Shortis said. “She's really stepped up this year. It's been actually amazing. I think we're all blown off our seats. We're like, ‘Wow, where'd that come from, Casey?’”