Volleyball teams finding their feet, learning ways to grow and adapt
Moving into the first third of the season, Shelter Island volleyball is seeing some successes, as well as identifying areas that need improvement. We are a team that does many things fairly well, but looking toward the heart of the season, we’ll be challenged to grow and adapt.
On September 17 we headed to Mattituck. The Tuckers varsity squad is undefeated at the top of League VIII. Famous for their defense, they also have a competent offense. The varsity played first, and despite some smart and tough serving on the Island’s part, Mattituck’s hard hitters led the way to take the first set, 25-10. Regaining traction in the second set, the Blue and Gray had a better showing of 25-17.
However, problems generating an offense combined with some serve receive miscommunications let the Tuckers earn a 25-10 win, and a sweep of the match.
The Island junior varsity squad is strong. Warming up after the varsity game, the team was relaxed and jamming out to the “Shark Song” along with fans in the stands. At the start of the first set, players found themselves in an unusual position — behind. But once the rhythm was established, there was a great Dayla Reyes dig, a Valeria Reyes set, and a Grace Olinkiewicz kill.
Allie Brush was tough on defense, following balls to the line to be certain they were in or out. A mid-game comeback tied the score at 18-18, but Mattituck surged ahead on a tough server to take the first, 25-21.
During the second set the Island buckled down. Kathy Ramos and Angelina Corbett-Rice dove for a ball and it sailed over the net for a point. Bella Springer stepped in on a broken play to set up the ball, and Myla Dougherty jumped high to swing at it. Lydia Shepherd took charge to send an errant pass back over the net, and Izzy Fonseca’s strong serve pulled the Blue and Gray ahead 23-14 before a strong-armed server got the Tuckers to 19 points to the Island’s winning 25.
The team huddled for the tiebreaker strategy: tough serves and confidence in our offense. Franny Regan has really improved her serve, and she added an ace to keep things even in the middle of the third set. Mattituck was tough, and their tough serves were just too much to overcome in the end, winning the set 25-20 and taking the match.
However, seeing tougher competition is good for team development. On September 20 the JV team traveled to the Ross School, while the varsity went to Hampton Bays. It seemed odd to play without our familiar fans, and both teams dropped those matches. The JV is looking for quick revenge against the strong Cosmos when they visit us on September 26.
The trip to Hampton Bays was illustrative for the varsity team. Libero Ella Mysliborski had family obligations and missed the match, but Abby Kotula filled in admirably. Unfortunately, team favorite Jennifer Lupo had badly sprained an ankle earlier in the day, and we had to do without her encouraging words and positive energy.
Hampton Bays is similar to us — good servers, with some nice hitters, but can struggle with team communication. Maria Carbajal got us out to a nice start with a service ace and excellent defense. A series of our errors allowed the Baywomen to build a 15-10 lead before we mounted a comeback on an Isabelle Topliff spike, a booming Nichole Hand attack and a quick swing from the middle from Amelia Clark. Tied at 17-17, both teams traded points until we took the final 3 to prevail, 25-23.
Encouraged, we got back on the court. Jane Richards got an ace to start strong, but our plans to have Audrey Wood and Amelia Reiter as our big block on the right side didn’t pan out. This set was decided by errors on both sides. Hampton Bays evened the match with a 25-17 win.
We switched things up in the next set, sending Lauren Gurney in as a middle hitter. Gurney is still developing as a volleyball player, but her strong arm and quick reflexes are assets. Richards has excellent court sense, and her ball placement to the deep corners of the opponent’s court yielded points.
A back-and-forth fight, then the Baywomen ended up in the lead at the end, 25-22.
During the final set, the Island couldn’t get an offense going. While I’m never one to blame the official for an outcome of the game, the ref was exceedingly tight on ball handling calls, and playmaker Lyng Coyne had to adjust her setting accordingly, something difficult to do on the fly. As confidence faded, hesitation ended up costing us multiple points. Hampton Bays took the final set and match, 25-14.
Despite the loss, there were some great highlights. Amelia Clark is becoming more confident on the court, and quick footed Abby Kotula is proving her worth on the varsity court. Aggressive serving is becoming more second nature, and athletes’ willingness and confidence to play multiple positions will prove beneficial.
The next home matches are Friday, September 28 against Port Jefferson and Monday, October 1 against Babylon. JV starts at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity at 6:15 p.m. for both games.
