Varsity sweeps continue
Kelsey McGayhey, Mariah Jacobs and Rachael Heinze hit the floor in an effort to keep the ball from doing the same during last week’s SI victory at Ross. In a clean sweep, the Indians dropped Ross 25-18, 25-11, 25-23..
Shelter Island varsity volleyball’s quest for a league championship appears to be attracting fans. A vocal and enthusiastic crowd cheered the team on at the October 8 Port Jefferson home match. One junior high player even carried a sign proclaiming, “Nothing hits the floor but us.” The support bolstered the squad’s full team victory — every person on the 10-player roster saw significant playing time during the match.
The team has completed the first half of the season with an unbroken record: 7-0, defeating each of the other League 8 opponents. However, the second half of the season will bring new challenges. Teams have seen us and will be making adjustments to try and stop our aggressive serving and multiple attacks. They will be gunning for Long Island’s smallest volleyball-playing school which has the highest of hopes. We plan to be ready.
My coaching philosophy is to build a player-centered team. The athletes take what they learn in practice sessions and are empowered to make decisions on the court during match play. So far it is paying off.
The Port Jefferson setter left herself wide open on serve receive. Mackenzie Needham promptly served her, rendering their offense rudderless. Shelby Willumsen spiked a perfect down-the-line ball around the Royals’ block. Claire Read saw a hole in the block and hit through it for a kill.
As player confidence has soared, the team has become even more fun to watch. Stephanie Vecchio can attack the ball very quickly, freezing the defense. Kelsey McGayhey’s leaping ability allows her to swing freely and pound the ball. The hometown crowd’s appreciative “oohs” are great to hear.
Rachael Heinze plays at both middle and outside hitter. Her blocking intimidated Port Jeff, rattling their already inconsistent offense. Balls that made it back over the net were calmly passed by defensive specialist Lisa Rasmussen. Even tricky short tips didn’t elude the on-fire blue and grey defense. To her teammates’ delight Dana Ramos’s quickness allowed her to get a hand on several tough balls.
Mariah Jacobs, having made the switch from golf to volleyball, has her court sense back. She played the entire third game, registering two kills. Haley Willumsen may have had the crowd’s favorite play of the day. One of her spikes hit the top of the tape, rolled the entire length of the net and dropped on the Port Jeff side, just catching the line for a point. I like to think that luck favors the well-prepared.
In the end Shelter Island swept the Royals 25-12, 25-13, 25-11. Both officials were highly complimentary about the team’s development, and wished us best of luck for the remaining season. With seven matches to go, the team’s determination to remain undefeated and capture the league championship is palpable. Come see them in action and get in on a terrific season.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Perhaps the junior varsity thinks that Coach Karen Gibbs needs more excitement in her life. Each of the last three matches has gone to a tiebreaker in the third set. She laughs, “These girls are giving me agita!”
The JV squad is small, with only eight players available for the Port Jefferson match. The downside: not too many options to switch things up. The upside: the players know each other well and can anticipate each other’s reactions. Unfortunately they also tend to be a slow-starting team.
Following the varsity’s easy victory Shelter Island’s JV team seemed relaxed and confident, but the Royals started quickly. The Indians were rattled by Port Jefferson’s style of play. Many balls were dumped over on two hits. While this strategy doesn’t allow for hard hits, it can score points on a team that expects the opponent to use its full allotment of three touches. The Royals jumped out to a 10-1 lead before an Alexis Gibbs kill brought Melissa Ames to the serving line. In her distinctive skip-step style, she served 4 points but hitting errors by the blue and grey continued to frustrate the home team and the first set ended 25-9 in the Royals’ favor.
The beginning of the second set was more of the same. Despite Tara Sturges’s increased confidence at the net, at 5-11 Coach Gibbs had to call a timeout to shift the defensive strategy. A somber but determined team took the court. As Katie Olinkiewicz stepped to the serving line, the team down 6 points, she knew it was time to make a move. She served 9 points in a row, 5 of them aces. Port Jeff wasn’t done yet, though, chipping away at SI’s small lead to tie it 21-21 and again at 23-23 before a Gibbs’ block and two more Olinkiewicz aces ended the set 25-23 in the blue and grey’s favor.
In the third set the home team settled into a more offense-oriented mode. Morgan McCarthy focused on combining her quickness with steady passes to the setter. Katy Binder notched one of her 3 assists in the match as she set up Breanna Hallman for a kill. On the very next point, Jayme Clark garnered her third kill on a Gibbs assist to tie the score 5-5. The blue and grey never trailed again, battling to a 25-21 win to seal the match.
The win pulls the JV record to 6-1. Coach Gibbs was very happy with her team’s effort. “They were able to make the adjustment to a different style of play. They didn’t give up. They are learning and growing with every match.”
The teams’ next matches are at Greenport on Thursday, October 15. JV will play first at 4 p.m., while varsity follows at 5:45 p.m. The home game on Tuesday, October 20 will feature number 2 Stony Brook against number 1 SI at the “Dig Pink” match, dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer. Wear pink and come support the team! Varsity plays at 4:30 p.m., JV at approximately 6:15 p.m..
