<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4RJ18g_0wDl7EYz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4RJ18g_0wDl7EYz00" width="1200" height="890" ><figcaption>Madison Shakes joins Charlotte Morris and Olivia Cueva as the Tewksbury High volleyball team captains this season. (Courtesy Photo)</figcaption></figure>TEWKSBURY — Madison Shakes was easy to notice on the volleyball court at Tewksbury High on Wednesday night.Sure, Shakes is the libero, and her white jersey differed from the rest of her teammates’ bright red uniforms. But that’s not why Shakes was unmistakable on the hardwood floor in Tewksbury’s match with Billerica.It isn’t just visual.Shakes is loud.She’s energetic, and it didn’t matter that the Redmen lost all three sets to the 15-0 Indians. Her enthusiasm didn’t waver.“Her positive attitude really is something that is so contagious and so amazing,” said TMHS coach Allie Luppi.The senior captain has used her position as libero to extend her responsibilities as captain.“It’s an extra captainship role,” said Shakes. “I’m there for my teammates emotionally on the court and off the court. I’m there as a constant (reminder) to give them that comfortability on the court that they might not have.”“She brings a consistent energy, and she has such a positive spirit,” continued Luppi. “She does a really great job in practice and in games where if people are unsure of where to be or whose ball that is, they’re so comfortable talking to her about it and asking her questions.”But that’s not all Shakes brings to the table. She’s one of the best liberos in the Merrimack Valley Conference, compiling 297 digs, 230 receptions, and 24 aces through the first 16 matches. She’s averaged five digs per set.“There have been so many games where coaches after were like, ‘Your libero is so great.’ I’m like, ‘I know,’” said Luppi.It wasn’t until her freshman year at TMHS that Shakes tried volleyball for the first time.She made the junior varsity team and got called to the varsity team as a sophomore in 2022 — just in time for Tewksbury’s state championship.Her game has come a long way.“Me and my dad used to play in our backyard,” she recalled. “He used to hit at me, and I used to work on just running from corner to corner. I would pass off of my own hits off a wall or something.”Her love for the game only continued to grow, and it wasn’t long before she was an active member of the local club circuit. She most recently played for MGA Volleyball.“She’s still getting better and better,” said Luppi. “She’s still putting in the effort and working hard.”And she’s certainly had quite the role models to model her game after in Carinna Barron and Ava Fernandes. Barron currently plays Div. 1 volleyball at Bryant, while Fernandes plays at Div. 2 Assumption.“I had two liberos prior, Carinna Barron and Ava Fernandes, and I looked up to them a lot,” said Shakes. “Every day I’d think how I could do better. I’d watch their clips and their films and everything about them.”When the coveted libero position presented a vacancy ahead of this season, Shakes knew it was her chance. Shakes was previously a defensive specialist.“The biggest difference is that I’m on the court all the time,” she said. “In my prior position, every three rotations I was on the court. I’m on the court every rotation now.”Shakes has certainly made the most of the opportunity. She posted a season-high 28 digs in a match against Andover in September. She did it in four sets.“I think my confidence is a big thing,” she said. “I knew what to do when I was a sophomore, but I didn’t know how to do it. I’m becoming a lot more confident in my mind and my body.”“She does a really great job on defense, and she wants to do a great job,” said Luppi. “She has a bit of a fire. She wants to get in there and she wants to get digs. That’s huge.”Shakes is now considering the possibility of playing collegiately — something that wasn’t on her radar when she reported for volleyball tryouts three years ago.“I didn’t think I was a very athletic person, but I figured I would try it,” said Shakes. “I built really good friendships, and the community here is just amazing. The people that coached me, I’m really close with them and I appreciate that. It’s helped me out with my confidence in the real world. I think it’s shaped me and made me grow as a person.”Regardless if Shakes decides to play at the next level, she has her mind set on studying architecture.“I love math, and I love art. So I put them together,” she said.The Redmen are 7-9 overall and ranked 18th in the Div. 3 power rankings as the final stretch of the season approaches.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Shakes leading by example for Redmen: Senior libero helping volleyball team make a run at playoffs

TEWKSBURY — Madison Shakes was easy to notice on the volleyball court at Tewksbury High on Wednesday night. Sure, Shakes is the libero, and her white jersey differed from the rest of her teammates’ bright red uniforms. But that’s not why Shakes was unmistakable on the hardwood floor in Tewksbury’s match with Billerica.

Shakes leading by example for Redmen: Senior libero helping volleyball team make a run at playoffs

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