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Olivia Martin commits to play basketball at Salve Regina

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Martin with her parents. / Courtesy photo

Olivia Martin has committed to Salve Regina University.

Olivia Martin is following in her parents’ footsteps.

The 5-foot-7 senior wing from Whitman-Hanson Regional High announced on Twitter she has committed to play basketball at Salve Regina University.

Both of her parents, Brian and Kerry, played for the Seahawks and her mother is in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Salve is getting a steal,” said Martin’s AAU former coach Matt DellaBarba. “I think she’ll make an immediate impact there.”

An impact is just what Martin made in her final go-around for the Panthers this winter, scoring 9.5 points per game, on the strength of a team-high 40 3-pointers en route to being named a league all-star. She was the team’s lone captain, as well. W-H finished with its best record (15-7) since 2009-10 and won its first tournament game in eight years.

First-year W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa posted on Twitter:

At Salve, Martin will reunite with former high school teammate Meg Henaghan, a rising sophomore for the Seahawks.

Sister act: Martins court crossover success

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Sisters Olivia (left) and Abby Martin. / Photo by: Nate Rollins

The Martin sisters are making it a memorable time playing together.

For sisters Abby and Olivia Martin, it all starts at the dinner table.

“That’s where we game plan,” Olivia said.

And when your sister is on your team, that is the type of advantage you have.

“And then, mostly after every game, we go on Hudl and we watch the game with our family,” Abby explained. “Even though we were just in it, we want to watch it to see what happened and review it together.”

Their strategies have worked. After leading the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball team to its first tournament appearance since 2016 in the fall, as starters, they’re both starting again this winter and have the girls’ basketball team headed back to the playoffs with its best regular-season record (14-6) since the 2009-10 season.

Olivia, a senior, is in her third year on the varsity team. She captains both sports. Abby, a sophomore, is getting her first experiences at the varsity level.

“It’s so much fun having her by my side,” Olivia said. “It’s really bonded us closer together.”

Said Abby: “I think it’s a lot of fun, and I can learn a lot from her as a player and as a person. She teaches me that there’s always room where you can grow and use different skills to win against different types of teams.”

During the fall, Olivia started at right side hitter, while Abby led the girls’ volleyball team in kills and ranked second in solo blocks at middle hitter.

“[Olivia] certainly lived up to the title [of captain],” said W-H girls’ volleyball head coach Samantha Richner. “She was a player that was constantly looking to improve on her game and would put in the work to achieve what she wanted to.”

“Abby was a huge player for us. We are so fortunate to have Abby returning to the team for another two seasons, she is definitely a player we need on the court.”

In basketball, Olivia is starting at shooting guard and Abby plays forward.

“Olivia has done everything we’ve asked her to do,” said W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa. “She’s getting to the line and she’s shooting the ball when she’s open. Hopefully, we can give her a memorable senior year.

“I’ve been really happy with Abby. I like her versatility — her aggressiveness, she is very long. Defensively, she has been pretty vocal and she’s starting to have a voice on the team. She’s fearless, she’s not afraid of anybody. We like the toughness she brings to our group.”

Sophomore Lily Welch has taken the court with the Martin sisters in both volleyball and basketball season this year.

“I would describe their mentality as working hard in each sport, but still having as much fun with it as they can,” Welch said. “I think they both play a huge role in bringing each team to tourney.”

The Martins credit a large part of their success to each other and their competitive nature at home.

“Ever since we were little, we always competed outside — no matter what it was — soccer, softball, anything we did, we just wanted to be better than each other,” Abby said.

Replied Olivia laughing: “Oh, yeah.”

“Even though she beat me every time, it just brought me to think that you always have to compete for what you want and if you want it, you have to go get it on your own,” Abby said.

And with her older sister set to graduate in a few months, that message will resonate even more with Abby.

“It’s going to be wicked hard when she leaves me,” Abby said. “But I’m here to carry on what she left behind.”

Season Preview: Girls’ volleyball ready to carry over last fall’s late-season success

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The Panthers in their home opener against Silver Lake, a 3-2 win. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Panthers are looking to continue their upward trend this season.

It was an end of the season that had Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball head coach Ashley Balbian wishing last fall would never end.

Sitting at 2-17 with two contests remaining, the Panthers won out, defeating Middleboro and Bridgewater-Raynham — both by 3-1 scores — in a three-day span as it all started to come together.

“I think at the end we kind of found our groove,” Balbian said. “We had a lot more energy. A lot of younger girls felt more comfortable right as the season was ending, so now those girls are the leaders now so I could tell first practice that was the team, even better than before.”

Now the Panthers are back on the court, and Balbian, who is entering her second year leading the them, couldn’t be more ready to go.

“I’m really excited,” Balbian said. “I think that the girls coming in are just night and day compared to last year. They’re like different players. They’re more comfortable on the court, they’re confident and they’re having fun.”

Nine players return from last fall, all of whom received playing time.

“It’s invaluable,” Balbian said of her returning players’ experience. “I can already see the difference in practice.”

The Panthers do have their fair share of losses though. Halle Jillian (the program’s all-time blocks leader on record), Amanda Anderson and Tori Perry leave big holes.

Senior Nicole Scott and juniors Lexi Connolly and Olivia Martin replace Anderson and Julian as captains.

“I think it’s great to have three captains because the more, the better and they’re great leaders,” Balbian said. “They’re really positive and they always have a smile on their face.”

Scott, who was on junior varsity last season, brings an outsider perspective to the Panthers, which can’t hurt.

“I think from watching on the outside and coming in this year, I’ve realized we do need that more competitive edge,” Scott, who will play libero, said. “It’s good to keep each other positive after games but we got to take the next step and say, ‘Okay, what can we do to get better?’”

Connolly and Martin had big sophomore seasons. Connolly, an outside hitter, played in 52 of 75 sets and registered 92 attack attempts, 22 kills and 70 digs. Martin, a right side hitter, played in 59 sets, had 18 kills and 61 digs.

Both Connolly and Martin agreed, expectations are heightened this season.

“Last year was a building year,” Connolly said. “This year is definitely going to be better.” Said Martin: “[We want to] build on last year’s record.”

Middle hitter Ella Sweeney is also another key returnee for the Panthers, and she’s only a junior as well. She played in all but one set last season and posted 98 kills and 62 blocks.

“She has that experience,” Balbian said. “She brings that positive energy. She’s got that upbeat energy, which I think really adds to her as a player.”

Senior Allison Hanlon will provide a steady presence at outside hitter.

As for strengths, Scott pointed to the Panthers’ togetherness, something she watched work to their advantage last season as well.

“The home game where we played Duxbury – they’re such good competition,” she said. “They’re so good – there was one set where we weren’t ever ahead of them but we were so close and you could just tell we were having fun. We weren’t stressed. We weren’t mad or upset. We were just having fun and it definite ly showed on the court.”

The Panthers will be back on the floor Friday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. at home against Patriot League foe Plymouth North.

“I want to see them come out strong [and] confident,” Balbian said.