Volleyball: Teams deliver sweeps as they Dig Pink and help raise funds for breast cancer research

Thursday, October 13 was a very colorful day at Shelter Island School. Pink hair, bright pink uniforms and big smiles were de rigueur and the volleyball team was ready to have some fun.

It was Dig Pink day and the team worked hard to raise support and awareness of breast cancer that day. The faculty and staff also supported the effort. Team Pink shirts had sold out in anticipation of both the Dig Pink volleyball match and the weekend’s 5K race.

This is the fourth year that the volleyball team has participated in the event, with great support from the community and the school. Pink balloons donated by the Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy graced the bleachers and streamers wrapped the railings and blanketed the doorways. Posters decorated the walls.

Jacki Dunning and Mark Cappellino helped sell pink cupcakes and other goodies while Annie Ross-Gates and Jackie Brewer sold pink bags, bracelets and raffle tickets. Mary Ellen Adipietro donated pink and blue ribbon pins, which show support for women’s cancers (breast, ovarian and uterine) and which the players wore during the day.

At the start of the afternoon, senior captains Haley Willumsen and Kelsey McGayhey led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and MeMe Lawrence and Libby Liszanckie raised their harmonies in “The Star Spangled Banner.” The players were introduced, each blue and grey athlete receiving a pink carnation which she ran to give to a family member or friend in the stands.

The visiting Stony Brook Bears, gracious competitors as always, were overwhelmed during the day’s contests.

The varsity match started out with a bang as Haley Willumsen, just back from scouting playing opportunities in college, served the team out to a 12-0 lead. Erin Colligan showed her versatility by tipping a ball to an open spot on the court. Tara Sturges jumped in as well, popping up several passes to start the offense. Alexis Gibbs hit several of her trademark slide spikes. The Bears just couldn’t recover and Katy Binder served five straight to close the set, 25-10.

Stony Brook started the next set with some tough serves. The Indians had to adjust their serve receive before they could get their offense going. Morgan McCarthy used her quickness and nice vertical jump to stymie the Bears’ hitters while Kelsey pounded a Haley set to the 10-foot line. She then served nine straight points to put the game away. The final score was 25-12.

The third set saw the return of Saverina Chicka to the line-up. Sav transferred back to Shelter Island after a brief stint in Florida at the start of the school year and has been working to get eligible for playing time. She and Alexis traded spots, Alexis putting her much improved defensive skills to work in the back row and Sav patrolling the net for blocks. Jayme Clark added her passing prowess to the mix and the home town team closed out the match easily, 25-13, lifting their record to 8-0.

JV SWEEPS

The JV team played its match following Nurse Mary Kanarvogel’s breast cancer mini-talk. While there may have been fewer people in the gym, it sure didn’t sound like it. The varsity team and friends did their best cheerleading imitations and the crowd noise spurred the team on to a three-game sweep.

MeMe Lawrence started the first set in style with three straight service aces. She continued to rattle the Bears with her hitting, nicely set up by Abbie Ross-Gates. Kelly Colligan showed her much improved serving form as she sent four consecutive rockets over the net, pulling the Indians ahead 21-13. The first set ended with a great volley between the two teams and a definitive ace by TiTi Lawrence to end the set at 25-14.

During the second set, Logan Pendergrass was an intimidating presence at the net, first blocking an overpass then scoring on a Kenna McCarthy set. Samantha Capello warmed up her arm and served five straight to put the team up 7-2. Margaret Michalak and Taylor Rando hooked up for two kills and assists before Stony Brook put together a four-point run of their own. Libby Liszanckie chased down an errant ball to save a point and TiTi Lawrence made a diving dig to get the ball to Kenna McCarthy who put it over for a kill and the win at 25-18.

The JV team has really started to put rallies together. While powerful serving like TiTi Lawrence’s eight straight aces provided most of the points in the final set, there were also ample examples of Abbie Ross-Gates’s quick feet and pretty hands as she ran the offense for the blue and grey. The team made quick work of the Bears, finishing the evening with a 25-6 final stanza.

As the team began the cleanup process, they did so with pride in themselves for raising over $300 for breast cancer research and with confidence in each other as they continue an extremely successful season.