In honor of Adelia The Wonder Girl, the Hingham Harborwomen faced off against the Hanover Hawks on Monday, October 20, in their annual Dig Teal game. Before the players began their match, Adelia’s mother and the co-presidents of the Cancer Kids First Club (CKF) at HHS, Elise Fickes and Amelia Byrne, took center court.
For the last two years CKF has come together with Adelia the Wonder Girl Foundation to raise awareness for Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG), a progressive brain cancer, as well as improve treatment and federal funding for cancer research.
Back in May of 2024, Adelia passed away after a 15-month battle to DMG. Throughout her treatment, she remained a strong and courageous little girl, hence her nickname, “the Wonder Girl.” In addition to the ceremony at half court, the foundation and club held a bake sale and raffle with all proceeds going to the funding of pediatric brain cancer. The Cancer Kids First Club raised a total of around $3,500 for Adelia Strong through their bake sale, raffle, donations, and merch.
When asked about the success of Dig Teal, CKF President Elise Fickes said, “We raised almost two thousand dollars from our raffle alone tonight, and with it being our second fundraiser, it was very successful.”
While everyone who came together to support pediatric cancer made this event a great success, the Hingham Volleyball team placed the cherry on top with their huge win against the Hawks.
With the regular season ending for Hingham Girls Volleyball (12-9), they went into the game with one goal in mind…win or lose, leave it all out on the court. And the team did just that. Their opponent was a grit-filled Hanover team (16-3), who prior to the match was ranked 21st across all of the MIAA divisions.
The first set started off close, but the Hawks pulled away around half way. The Hanover offense was run through junior setter Sadie Chadwick (2), outside hitter Tess Madden (3), and their middle hitter Kalie Ronzio (10) getting numerous kills. Hingham gained footing close to the end, but ultimately the Hawks took the first set.
The second set was underway soon enough and Hingham came out hot. The first point was scored with a kill by Senior Captain Meghan Koenen (MH/MB), assisted by setter Ava Boschetto (13). The Harborwomen didn’t slow down in the second set, with Senior Captain Zoe Schulze (4) and sophomore Abby Kracunas (12) going on their own serving runs. Hingham took the second set, bringing all of the momentum with them into the third.
The third set was tighter than the first two, with multiple lead changes. The juniors took over with Reese Barnes (OH, 7), and Taylor Ferrante (MB, 18) being huge assets on offense and in the serving game. The game stayed close until the very last points. There were 9 different ties in the last half of the set. It was truly a game of grit and determination, and ultimately with two kills from Ferrante, Hingham won with a 29-27 set.
The fourth set was an all out team effort, with everyone getting in on the action. Most importantly Hingham’s defense found their rhythm and played their tails off. The team was led by number 16 sophomore Hadley Veysey (DS/Lib) and countless other girls circulating throughout the back row. Veysey held her own in all four sets and played with the composure and experience of an older player. The set ended 25-20 (Hingham), the Harborwomen securing the big win on a special occasion nonetheless.
This win was huge for the Harborwomen who are now looking to make a run in the post season. When asked about the game, senior captain Olivia Carleton said, “After a tough first set we really came back as a team and showed the depths of our perseverance and teamwork. Our energy and effort was there, and we played with a lot of grit which will help us in the playoffs.” As Carleton said, the girls came back after set one and showed how they’ve grown as a team. Carleton is a force on and off the court, always showing support for all of her teammates. Sophomore Abby Kracunas also commented, “They were one of our big competitions this week and we hope this will help us in the tournament.”
Both players stated that the team’s focus is now on to playoffs, with a new found drive after a strong second half of a season. The second half of the season also brought a lot of change for the team, with Natalia (Tal) Maccarrone assuming the role of head coach midway through the season.
When Tal was asked about the team and Dig Teal she said, “I thought that the girls played really well together. We had a lot of players in the game today so it really showed a true team win. And our chemistry and energy is always amazing nevertheless when we have a fundraiser. The sport is bigger than the game itself so we’re really grateful to be able to give back to the community with Wonder Girl Adelia.”
Coach Tal has pushed the team above and beyond these last couple of weeks and it’s clear that no one, not her nor the players, have any intention of slowing down in the post-season. With momentum on their side, the girls are ready for playoffs to begin, still awaiting their first game details.
