Volleyball: Keeping sharp while waiting for the playoffs; showdown this Friday in Bedford

Getting ready for playoffs is hard. The Shelter Island volleyball teams played their last matches on Halloween and, with no other D teams qualifying for the playoffs, we have had a long layoff. Club team tryouts, Election Day gym conflicts and field trips eat into time for whole team practices.

A newly diagnosed wrist injury has put TiTi Lawrence out of action and 8th graders Margaret Michalak, Kenna McCarthy and Kelly Colligan are in Florida on the annual Disney trip. The gym seems unusually large as our volleyball family shrinks.

But it isn’t as bleak as it sounds. The remaining players have more opportunity to work on key skills. The extra time gives us the opportunity to analyze our lineups, focus on problem spots and to mentally prep for the challenge of playing in the New York State quarterfinals on November 11. It seems destined to be a very good match.

On Saturday, November 5, five players accompanied me up to Westchester County to the Section 1 Class D finals at John Jay High School. The Haldane Blue Devils were playing the Alexander Hamilton Lady Raiders. Hardly incognito, we sat in a group with clipboards and a video camera. As the game progressed, we talked about the competitors: Who were the top hitters? Which serve caused the most problems? Were there patterns in their offense? Any holes in their defense?

As expected, the tough and talented Blue Devils won handily. They started slowly but once they started humming we recognized a lot of similarities to our own play. They run a quick offense, with combination plays. Although not overwhelmingly tall, they hit hard. They serve tough and enthusiastically celebrate points won. Both teams have seniors who have worked long and hard to make it to this point and who want to go out in style, with one last shot at the state championship.

Both teams will need to bring their A game to the Regionals to move on to the big show at Glens Falls.

Last year we met this team at the state final four, losing to them 21-25 and 18-25. But as renowned softball coach Cindy Bristow said, “Don’t get mad, get better.” The Shelter Island Indians have gotten better. So have the Blue Devils.

It’s coming: Friday, November 11, 2011, at 2 p.m. at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York. Game faces on. We’ve got some winning to do.