For the first time in 21 years, Sean MacDonald’s hulking figure won’t be patrolling the sidelines at Frontier girls volleyball matches. MacDonald retired from the girls program last year after 429 wins, 18 western Mass. titles and 11 state championships.

He’s replaced by longtime assistant Courtney Parent, who’s coaching the varsity team after nine years of working with MacDonald and coaching the JV squad. Parent said MacDonald was mostly absent through preseason practice, apart from helping her set up some new equipment they had ordered.

“I’m going to let you do your thing,” MacDonald told Parent.

Parent has been working with MacDonald since 2007, when she was a seventh grader playing under him. At a recent preseason practice, it finally hit her that she was the one in charge now.

“I have my JV coach and my middle school coach to bounce ideas off of, but it was me and Sean for so long,” Parent said. “Going into my ninth season, I’m like ‘oh, it’s me. It’s me now. I get to call the shots.’”

Parent and her Redhawks team loaded with 10 seniors have “big goals” for this season and hope to make another deep run in the state tournament after last year’s loss to Bellingham in the state semifinals. Frontier most recently won the state title in 2022 and has reached the state semifinals in each of the past four tournaments, which leaves an almost-impossible standard of success for Parent to reach.

“My hope also is that people don’t feel like ‘oh, she’s not doing as good as Sean,’” Parent said. “Because I’m not Sean, and I have learned so much from him and I’m going to take that with me, but I’m not him and I’m not trying to redo what he did because I don’t know if anyone could win as many as he did. I’m just trying to start my own.”

Frontier’s roster this year features just one underclassman – sophomore Bailey Martin – and is led by senior captains Olivia Machon and Abigail Hernandez on the outside and Emilie Candalaria in the middle. Candalaria and Machon saw considerable playing time last year and Hernandez is set to see a large increase in playing time.

“I’m expecting some big things out of them,” Parent said. “They’re definitely going to be three of our go-to hitters.”

Much of the team have been playing together since eighth grade, and Parent coached them all as Frontier’s JV coach.

“To see them as seniors now is something special,” Parent said.

Frontier is 2-3 on the season so far, getting back into the win column with an impressive 3-0 sweep of Amherst on Monday night.

“As a school and as a program, we kind of have a target on our back, and we talked a little bit about how people might think that because Sean left, we’re just going to fall off the deep end,” Parent said. “We have big goals for this year and we want to make it back to a state title and we want to win western Mass. and we want to do well in our league.”

Elsewhere in Hampshire County…

Amherst, fresh off an appearance in the western Mass. Class A final, turns to new coach Eliza Grose following the retirement of Kacey Schmitt. Schmitt went 351-149 across 25 seasons at the helm of the ‘Canes program, winning a pair of western Mass. titles, most recently in 2022.

Outside hitters Ava Carey and Ruby Austin will captain Amherst this fall. Austin is going for her 500th career kill, and her sophomore sister Ella will be setting her up all season. Rosalie Davis is the first freshman on the ‘Canes varsity roster since Ruby in 2021.

“We lost 10 seniors last year and have a whole new coaching staff,” Grose said. “It’s very different but I’m proud of them.” 

Belchertown is also under new leadership, but a familiar face. Chris Shea, head coach of the boys program for the past four seasons, has also taken over the girls team.

“I hope it increases desire to play, gets some enthusiasm within the town, and hopefully we can start creating some clinics and other things,” Shea said.

The Orioles lost a quartet of seniors who made large contributions in 2023, and they’ll be leaning on Vivian Ross, Gianna Picardi, Layla Liminksi and Melina David to try to improve on last season’s 12-6 mark.

David at middle blocker and Liminski at outside hitter will both step into roles filled by seniors last year. Picardi is a returning starter and a captain. And Ross is now in her fourth year as Belchertown’s starting setter. She’s looking to reach the 1,000-assist mark.

Easthampton is also hoping to make up for production lost to graduation. The Eagles graduated a whole lineup of seniors – seven in all – from last year’s Southern League champions.

Senior Lidie Buttrick earned herself a starting spot most of the way through the 2023 season, and she’ll be counted on again this season, longtime head coach Molly Jacobson said.

“She’s just really versatile and all-around,” Jacobson said. “She’s one of our best back row players and one of our best front row players.”

Fellow senior Kierra Carson has the “most springs in her legs” of anyone on the team, Jacobson said, and she’ll play a much larger role this year.

Sophomores Summer Routhier, Camilla Corsello and Brooke Skowron are all expected to grow into more playing time as well.

South Hadley went 12-7 last year in Sabrina Bardwell’s first season with the varsity team, and the Tigers brought a host of young players with experience into the program this fall, Bardwell said.

Daily Hampshire Gazette Softball Player of the Year Ella Schaeffer will captain the Tigers on the court this season. Bardwell said the team will lean on her strength and experience.

“Obviously, she’s had a lot of success in softball,” Bardwell said. “So she wants to carry that success on in volleyball as well.”

With sophomore Milana Stefaglo at setter, the Tigers are switching to a 5-1 offense after years of playing with two setters. 

Outside hitter Raquel Losty heads into her senior year and third season on the varsity squad as one of South Hadley’s best defensive players.

Smith Voc heads into another season under Ashley Clark, who returned to the program last year after two years off and led the Vikings to their first appearance in the Massachusetts Vocational Athletic Directors Association small schools tournament.

Outside hitter Heidymar Diaz Lopez, libero Jaelyn Kulas and middle blocker Leah Franklin are all players to watch this fall. 

Holyoke will be coached by Paula Conway yet again after advancing to the western Mass. Class A quarterfinals and the MIAA Div. 2 preliminary round last season.

Seniors Nayshaliz Gonzalez, Jayleen Guzman, Yohadlie Pabon, Aurieliz Resto, Leyska Rodriguez and Serymar Santos will lead the way for the Purple Knights this fall.

Granby enlisted new coach Emil Herrera this fall to help turn around a program that won just once last fall. Katie Grabherr is the Rams’ lone senior.