Volleyball: JV volleyball shows new confidence

Shelter Island volleyball is nearly halfway through its regular season. With two league contests, a non-league/scrimmage and a JV tournament,  September 19-24 was a very busy week.

One of the joys of coaching is seeing players develop and gain confidence on the court. Coach Karen Gibbs had that pleasure this past week as Taylor Rando exclaimed, “I’m so happy!” during a scrimmage at Mattituck on September 21. She is training as a setter and had finally grasped the sometimes difficult intricacies of defense and offensive transition.

The entire junior varsity squad is continuing to build its skills. The September 19 loss against Port Jefferson was disappointing in some ways but showed growth in others.

Overall, the blue and grey served poorly and there were a number of missed attacks. That being said, the team is regularly setting the ball up for spikers. Kelly Colligan’s steady passing presence allowed for aggressive swings by hitters such as Samantha Capello, which will pay dividends as the season progresses.

Logan Pendergrass is a calm and solid force on the floor. A steady server, passer and developing hitter, she remains composed on the court, even in tense situations. TiTi Lawrence has developed very good defensive instincts and a tricky serve.

In the tie-breaker set against Mercy on September 22, she sealed the victory by serving 14 consecutive points, 11 of which were aces. Brianna Rietvelt made her mark in that match with two kills, ably assisted by setters MeMe Lawrence and Abbie Ross-Gates.

On September 24, the JV had a new experience: they attended their first tournament. It was held in Brentwood, the largest high school in Suffolk County. Shelter Island, the smallest with a volleyball program, faced off against Half Hollow Hills East, Islip and Brentwood.

The loud gym housed eight teams and was a bit off-putting: Balls bouncing, whistles blowing, crowd noise not attuned to our plays, all rattled the young team at first.

But confidence grew throughout the day. After an 18-25 and 17-25 start against Hills East, the team faced Islip. Their JV team was very polished and featured some tough hitters.

During the second set, the blue and grey scored 19 points and began putting together some nice offense runs. Kenna McCarthy started that set with a service ace and continued to set up her teammates nicely.

The final match of the day was against Brentwood. Having scouted the Brentwood Indians, the Shelter Island Indians were primed and ready. They came out with determination and beat the host team, 25-21, 25-15, assuring a third-place finish in the pool.

Libby Liszanckie played front row as a hitter both sets and Margaret Michalak swung away at the middle hitter position.

As we waited for the other pool play to finish, the team had lunch and joined the Islip players on the court in a friendly scrimmage. Overall, it was a very good day and the team had a great experience.

As of September 25, the JV league record stood at 4-1.

VARSITY RECAP

Varsity has continued its winning ways. The home crowd was impressed with the blue and grey’s crisp plays as they dominated the visiting Port Jefferson Royals 25-13, 25-7, 25-12 on September 19.

On Wednesday, September 21, the team traveled to Mattituck. The Tuckers and Indians had traveled together to the state Final Four last fall and it was nice to see them again. The varsity approached the non-league contest confidently and, while that was nice, the edge of nonchalance was a bit nerve-wracking for the coach. During the second set, the score stood at 11-4, with the Tuckers in the lead. The Indians buckled down and secured the win, 25-19, 25-23 and 25-19.

On September 22, we were once again on the road, this time at Bishop McGann-Mercy High School in Riverhead. Mercy has an improving program but one that still struggles for wins. Using three different line ups, Shelter Island easily swept the match 25-12, 25-14 and 25-10. The varsity’s league record is currently 5-0.

The teams’ next contests will be October 3 against the visiting Greenport/Southold Clippers and October 5 at Center Moriches.