Billerica Memorial High School Volleyball

Billerica Memorial High School Volleyball is the volleyball program of Billerica Memorial High School. The girls' varsity team, a fall sport, was formed in 1974, two years after Title IX, and won the Merrimack Valley Conference in four straight seasons, 1975 to 1978. It won or shared the conference title again in 1982, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2001 and 2002, and the 2002 team won the North Sectional championship and played in the MIAA state final. The 2024 team went through the regular season undefeated and reached the Division 2 state semifinals. A boys' varsity team has played in the spring since 1989 and won the Merrimack Valley Conference in 1997 and the conference's Division 2 title in 2004.

Volleyball was played by Billerica girls long before it was a varsity sport. In 1939 the physical education instructor at Howe High School, Rose M. O'Neil, listed "volley ball, basketball, field hockey, baseball" as the girls' extracurricular sports, and in the 1950s the yearbooks list intramural volleyball among the activities of the senior girls.

In the fall of 1974 "the Athletic Department formed a new Girls Volleyball Team." Coached by Mrs. Luciano, it went 6-3 in its first season and joined a fall program of football (see Billerica Memorial High School Football), soccer, cross country and field hockey (see Billerica Memorial High School Field Hockey). The 1975 team went 8-3, won the Merrimack Valley Conference title and played in the District I and II Eastern Massachusetts tournaments at Brockton, while a second team went 10-1. The 1976 team went 12-0 in the league and 14-1 overall, losing only its opening match to Waltham, for a second straight conference title. Under coach Lynn Hazel the 1977 team went 14-3, won a third straight title, finished second in the North Sectionals and reached the state tournament as one of its eight finalists; the 1978 team went 11-1 in the league and 18-1 overall for a fourth straight title and lost in state divisional play on a 15-13 tie breaker. The 1979 team, second in the league at 10-2, played three rounds of round-robin pools in the state divisional tournament and finished no lower than sixth in the state.

Steve Connolly coached the team in the early 1980s. The 1980 team, 11-5 in the league, tied Tewksbury and Methuen for second and played in the North Division tournament at Waltham. The 1981 team went 10-2, losing only to an undefeated Chelmsford, and lost to Chelmsford again in the Merrimack Valley Conference championship game. The 1982 team started 3-2, won 12 of its last 13 matches, took the conference title outright in the last week of the season and reached the North Sectional final, where it lost in four close games to the top seed in the state. The 1983 team went 14-4, second in the conference, and the 1984 team went 15-2, won the conference title and lost in the North Section semifinals to Stoneham, the sectional champion. Jack Locke coached the 1986 team, 16-2, which lost the North Sectional final to Chelmsford, "the soon to be state champions," and the 1987 team, whose coach is listed as McNulty, went 16-1, ended Chelmsford's two-year winning streak, won the conference and lost the North Sectional final to Stoneham. The 1988 team went 11-7 and the 1989 team 13-7, beating Bishop Fenwick 3-0 in the state tournament before losing to Chelmsford. The 1991 team went 17-5 and won the conference's Large School title in a three-set victory over Chelmsford.

Maureen Hovnanian became coach of the girls' team in 1992 and coached the boys' team for more than a decade. Her 1992 team went 12-5 after losing eleven seniors, the 1993 team went 11-7 and beat Dracut, the defending conference champion, and the 1995 team, after a 2-2 start, won thirteen straight matches and shared the Merrimack Valley Conference title with Chelmsford and Dracut. The 1996 team went 10-10 in the regular season and beat Peabody in the state tournament before losing to Chelmsford; the 1997 team went 13-7, and the 1998 team, 10-10, beat Tewksbury in the first round before losing to Dracut. The 2001 team went 18-4, won the conference title, beat Lawrence in the tournament and lost in the semifinals to Andover. The 2002 team went 16-2, won the Division I title of the Merrimack Valley Conference, won the North Sectional championship and played in the MIAA state final, which it lost; the yearbook called it "one of, if not the best, season in BMHS volleyball past."

The 2003 team, 9-11, missed the tournament by one match, and the 2004 team won its last match to qualify at 7-7 and lost its first tournament match. The 2006 team went 14-5, entered the state tournament as the sixth seed, and was the only team to beat Andover that year. The 2008 team went 9-10 and lost in the first round of the Division 1 tournament at Peabody, and the 2009 team went 14-6, beat Lexington at home in the state tournament and reached the quarterfinals. Brittney McGinness, now Brittney Apostolakes, became coach in 2016. Her 2021 team was 15-2 and first in the conference's Division 1 standings in late October and returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2017. The 2023 team went 16-5 and lost in the second round of the Division 2 tournament.

The 2024 team, with thirteen returning players, finished the regular season undefeated and entered the Division 2 tournament as the third seed. On November 8, 2024 it beat Canton 3-2 at Billerica in the quarterfinals, winning the fifth set 17-15, and on November 12 it lost the semifinal to Oliver Ames, 3-0, at Framingham High School. The Division 2 state final of that year was played at Billerica Memorial High School. The 2025 team, seeded tenth in Division 2, lost 3-0 at Wayland on November 4, 2025.

"A new tradition began" in the spring of 1989, when the boys' volleyball program played its first season under coach Tim Sloman, whose second team, in 1990, won four matches and lost its last match to Chelmsford 15-12 in the deciding game. The 1993 team went 12-4 and qualified for the state tournament, but the 1994 team went 1-17. Under Maureen Hovnanian the team went 9-11 in 1995 and 14-6 in 1996, reaching the state tournament, and in 1997 it went 18-2, won the school's first league championship in boys' volleyball and was the top seed in the North tournament. Lean years followed, including 1-19 in 1999 and 0-18 in 2002, until the 2004 team went 13-7, won the Merrimack Valley Conference Division 2 championship and lost to St. John's Prep in the first round of the state tournament. Lou Polan became coach in 2007, and Jeff Beckford and Nicole Cataldo coached the team in 2013 and 2014.

Billerica Memorial High School girls' varsity volleyball by fall season, from the Warrior yearbooks and news reports. Records are as printed, with league records in parentheses; blank cells are not known, and seasons with no surviving information are omitted.

Season	Head coach	League	Record (W-L)	League finish	Tournament result	Notes
1974	Mrs. Luciano		6-3			First season
1975		Merrimack Valley Conference	8-3	1st	District I and II Eastern Mass. tournaments at Brockton	Second team 10-1
1976		Merrimack Valley Conference	14-1 (12-0)	1st		Only loss to Waltham in the opener
1977	Lynn Hazel	Merrimack Valley Conference	14-3 (10-2)	1st	2nd in North Sectionals; one of eight state finalists
1978		Merrimack Valley Conference	18-1 (11-1)	1st	Lost in state divisional play, 15-13 tie breaker	Fourth straight title
1979		Merrimack Valley Conference	12-3 (10-2)	2nd	State divisional tournament; no lower than sixth in the state
1980		Merrimack Valley Conference	(11-5)	Tied 2nd	North Division tournament at Waltham
1981	Steve Connolly	Merrimack Valley Conference	10-2 (9-1)	2nd		Lost the conference championship game to Chelmsford
1982	Steve Connolly	Merrimack Valley Conference		1st	Lost the North Sectional final	Won 12 of the last 13
1983	Steve Connolly	Merrimack Valley Conference	14-4	2nd	State tournament
1984	Steve Connolly	Merrimack Valley Conference	15-2	1st	Lost the North Section semifinal to Stoneham
1986	Jack Locke	Merrimack Valley Conference	16-2		Lost the North Sectional final to Chelmsford
1987	McNulty	Merrimack Valley Conference	16-1	1st	Lost the North Sectional final to Stoneham
1988		Merrimack Valley Conference	11-7		State tournament
1989	McNulty	Merrimack Valley Conference	13-7 (12-6)		Beat Bishop Fenwick 3-0; lost to Chelmsford
1990		Merrimack Valley Conference	9-10
1991		Merrimack Valley Conference	17-5	1st (Large School)		Title won against Chelmsford
1992	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	12-5		Qualified	Regular-season record
1993	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	11-7		State tournament
1994	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	9-11		Did not qualify
1995	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference		Tied 1st	State tournament	Shared with Chelmsford and Dracut; 13-match winning streak
1996	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	10-10		Bye; beat Peabody; lost to Chelmsford	Regular-season record
1997	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	13-7		Qualified
1998		Merrimack Valley Conference	10-10		Beat Tewksbury; lost to Dracut in the second round
2000	McNulty	Merrimack Valley Conference	8-10
2001		Merrimack Valley Conference	18-4	1st	Beat Lawrence; lost the semifinal to Andover
2002		Merrimack Valley Conference	16-2	1st (Division I)	North Sectional champion; lost the MIAA state final
2003		Merrimack Valley Conference	9-11		Missed qualifying by one match
2004		Merrimack Valley Conference			Lost in the first round	Qualified at 7-7
2005		Merrimack Valley Conference	3-15-2			As printed
2006		Merrimack Valley Conference	14-5		State tournament, sixth seed	Only team to beat Andover
2007		Merrimack Valley Conference	7-10		Did not qualify
2008		Merrimack Valley Conference	9-10		Lost at Peabody in the first round (Division 1)
2009		Merrimack Valley Conference	14-6		Beat Lexington; reached the quarterfinals
2017	Brittney McGinness	Merrimack Valley Conference			State tournament
2018	Brittney McGinness	Merrimack Valley Conference			Did not qualify
2019	Brittney McGinness	Merrimack Valley Conference			Did not qualify
2020	Brittney McGinness	Merrimack Valley Conference			No state tournament
2021	Brittney McGinness	Merrimack Valley Conference		1st (Division 1) in late October	Division 2 tournament	15-2 on October 21
2023	Brittney Apostolakes	Merrimack Valley Conference	16-5		Division 2, 11th seed; lost in the second round
2024	Brittney Apostolakes	Merrimack Valley Conference			Division 2, 3rd seed; beat Canton 3-2; lost the semifinal to Oliver Ames 3-0	Undefeated regular season
2025	Brittney Apostolakes	Merrimack Valley Conference			Division 2, 10th seed; lost at Wayland 3-0

Billerica Memorial High School boys' varsity volleyball by spring season, from the Warrior yearbooks. Records are as printed, with league records in parentheses; blank cells are not known, and seasons with no surviving information are omitted.

Season	Head coach	League	Record (W-L)	League finish	Tournament result	Notes
1989	Tim Sloman					First season
1990	Tim Sloman		4-13			From the yearbook account
1991			4-11			Coaches Karen McNulty and Petty
1993			12-4		State tournament
1994			1-17
1995	Maureen Hovnanian		9-11		Just missed qualifying
1996	Maureen Hovnanian		14-6		First round
1997	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	18-2	1st	Top seed in the North tournament	First league title
1998	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	7-13
1999	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	1-19
2000	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	4-16
2002	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	0-18
2003	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	6-12
2004	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	13-7	1st (Division 2)	Lost to St. John's Prep in the first round
2006	Maureen Hovnanian	Merrimack Valley Conference	3-15
2007	Lou Polan	Merrimack Valley Conference
2008	Lou Polan	Merrimack Valley Conference	3-14
2013	Jeff Beckford	Merrimack Valley Conference				With Nicole Cataldo
2014	Jeff Beckford	Merrimack Valley Conference				With Nicole Cataldo

References

1. Billerica Town Report 1939, physical education (Rose M. O'Neil): girls' extracurricular sports included volley ball
2. Howe High yearbook 1958: senior activities including intramural volleyball
3. Warrior 1975: fall 1974 sports, including "the new girl's volleyball team"
4. Warrior 1975: the Athletic Department formed a new girls' volleyball team; coach Mrs. Luciano; 6-3
5. Warrior 1976: the 1975 team, 8-3, Merrimack Valley Conference title; Eastern Mass. tournaments at Brockton
6. Warrior 1977: the 1976 team, 12-0 in the league and 14-1, second straight conference title
7. Warrior 1978: the 1977 team, coach Lynn Hazel, 14-3, third straight title, state tournament finalist
8. Warrior 1979: the 1978 team, 18-1, fourth consecutive Merrimack Valley Conference title
9. Warrior 1980: the 1979 team, 12-3, second in the league; no lower than sixth in the state
10. Warrior 1981: the 1980 team, 11-5 in the league; North Division tournament at Waltham
11. Warrior 1982: the 1981 team, coach Steve Connolly, 10-2; lost the conference final to Chelmsford
12. Warrior 1983: the 1982 team, conference champion outright; North Sectional finalist
13. Warrior 1984: the 1983 team, 14-4, second in the Merrimack Valley Conference
14. Warrior 1985: the 1984 team, 15-2, conference champion; lost the North semifinal to Stoneham
15. Warrior 1987: the 1986 team, 16-2, coach Jack Locke; lost the North Sectional final to Chelmsford
16. Warrior 1988: the 1987 team, 16-1, conference champion; lost the North Sectional final to Stoneham
17. Warrior 1989: the 1988 girls' team, 11-7, state tournament
18. Warrior 1989: first season of boys' volleyball, spring 1989, coach Tim Sloman
19. Warrior 1990: the 1989 girls' team, 13-7; state tournament win over Bishop Fenwick
20. Warrior 1990: the 1990 boys' team, the last under coach Timothy Sloman
21. Warrior 1991: the 1990 girls' team, 9-10
22. Warrior 1991: the 1991 boys' team, 4-11
23. Warrior 1992: the 1991 girls' team, 17-5, Merrimack Valley Conference Large School title
24. Warrior 1993: the 1992 girls' team, 12-5, new coach Maureen Hovnanian
25. Warrior 1993: the 1993 boys' team, 12-4, state tournament
26. Warrior 1994: the 1993 girls' team, 11-7, state tournament
27. Warrior 1994: the 1994 boys' team, 1-17
28. Warrior 1995: the 1995 boys' team, 9-11, coach Hovnanian
29. Warrior 1996: the 1995 girls' team, Merrimack Valley Conference tri-champions
30. Warrior 1996: the 1996 boys' team, 14-6, state tournament
31. Warrior 1997: the 1996 girls' team, 10-10; tournament win over Peabody
32. Warrior 1997: the 1997 boys' team, 18-2, first league championship in boys' volleyball
33. Warrior 1998: the 1997 girls' team, 13-7
34. Warrior 1999: the 1998 girls' team, 10-10; beat Tewksbury, lost to Dracut
35. Warrior 2002: the 2001 girls' team, 18-4, conference champion; lost the semifinal to Andover
36. Warrior 2002: the 2002 boys' team, 0-18
37. Warrior 2003: the 2002 girls' team, 16-2, North Sectional champion and MIAA state finalist
38. Warrior 2004: the 2003 girls' team, 9-11
39. Warrior 2004: the 2004 boys' team, 13-7, Merrimack Valley Conference Division 2 champion
40. Warrior 2007: the 2006 girls' team, 14-5, state tournament
41. Warrior 2007: the 2007 boys' team under new coach Lou Polan
42. Warrior 2009: the 2008 girls' team, 9-10; Division 1 tournament loss at Peabody
43. Warrior 2010: the 2009 girls' team, 14-6; state tournament win over Lexington
44. Boston Globe, Oct. 21, 2021: Billerica girls' volleyball, 15-2, coach Brittney McGinness in her sixth year
45. Boston Globe, Oct. 30, 2023: Division 2 seedings; Billerica 11th seed, 16-5
46. Boston Globe, Oct. 3, 2024: unbeaten Billerica girls' volleyball, coach Brittney Apostolakes
47. Boston Globe, Nov. 8, 2024: Billerica beats Canton 3-2 in the Division 2 quarterfinals
48. Oliver Ames beats No. 3 Billerica 3-0 in the Division 2 semifinal at Framingham, Nov. 12, 2024
49. MIAA: fall 2024 state championship lookahead; Division 2 volleyball final at Billerica Memorial High School
50. Boston Globe, Nov. 4, 2025: Wayland ends Billerica's season in the Division 2 tournament
51. Wikipedia: Billerica Memorial High School, athletics (girls' and boys' volleyball)