Undefeated varsity V-girls take league by storm

Despite appearances, Shelter Island varsity volleyball teams’s sixth consecutive undefeated league title was neither easy nor the result inevitable.

At the start of this season, we were thinking it was a rebuilding year. We had to replace four starters lost to graduation. We set goals back in August and the new members of the varsity squad worked hard to learn new plays, polish their skills and be ready for the big stage. There’s a long-standing winning tradition in Shelter Island Volleyball, which translates to high expectations and pressure.

On Monday, October 27 we traveled to Bishop McGann-Mercy in Riverhead for their senior send-off and sealed the deal, 25-22, 25-11 and 25-9. It was an unusual match because our normally hard-hitting offense didn’t need to produce many kills in order to win. Tough serving and persistent defense against the sometimes unpredictable Mercy play were the keys to success.

Amira Lawrence was the outstanding player of the match. Tough serves by Kenna McCarthy, Kelly Colligan, Margaret Michalak and Alexis Perlaki led to overpasses on Mercy’s part, and Amira jumped high, hitting them down. She had a team high 5 kills, with no hitting errors along with 4 blocks.

Emulating Amira, Emily Hyatt also got into the action, blocking overpasses. Taylor Rando, recognized by the gracious Mercy hosts as a graduating senior, had a great night on defense, especially digging up a couple of tough blocked balls.

Shelter Island also had two matches last week, against the second and third place teams in the league. Both Greenport/Southold and Port Jefferson were gunning to beat us this time around and improve their records as they head into the post-season.

The trip over to Greenport on October 21 featured very good volleyball and their “Dig Pink” match — the annual fundraiser for breast cancer. The Island girls wore pink ribbons and gladly contributed to the concession stand.  A vocal crowd was there to watch and friendly, competing chants between the two fan bases added a festive air. New Superintendent Len Skuggevik, who worked in the Greenport school system last year, was adamant about who he was supporting “Blue and Gray all the way!” and led the loud “Shel-ter Is-land” chant to counteract the “Let’s go, Clippers!” mantra.

After taking the first set 25-19, and up 18-8 in the second, the Islanders took their foot off the gas, figuring they could coast to 25.  But 10 unanswered points due to hitting errors and miscommunication, coupled with Greenport’s revived hitting and tough serving, allowed them to steal the set, 23-25.

Neither the coach nor the team was happy and we quickly refocused. The third set was an efficient 25-13 win and the fourth a resounding 25-8 victory as Greenport’s setter left the game feeling ill and the team had to scramble to fill the void left by their starting “quarterback.”

On Thursday, October 23 the Island gym was very pink. The bleachers were festooned with streamers, the walls covered with both individual posters and two large murals hand-painted by Colibri Lopez. It was our annual “Dig Pink” rally as well as our senior send-off. Taylor Rando, our sole senior, was presented with flowers and given an emotional tribute by friend and teammate Colibri Lopez.

Teacher Ginny Gibbs was our guest speaker for the Dig Pink portion of the program. She educated the appreciative crowd about breast cancer and told her personal story as a survivor, urging all to be proactive with their health. The generous community purchased ribbons and concessions, raising $500 for the Side-Out Foundation, which funds breast cancer research.

Determined not to let the visiting Port Jefferson squad take a set from us, the team focused. Confidence in one another was great, and Seri Kaasik both challenged their hitters at the net and contributed on offense. Melissa Frasco served well, aiming her topspin to unprotected areas of the court and earning 3 aces. We swept the Royals 25-14, 25-15 and 25-18 for a terrific last home game of the season.

The county championship is the next challenge. We will face the Stony Brook Bears at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 3 at Suffolk Community College’s western campus in Brentwood.

JUNIOR VARSITY
The junior varsity squad also played well in their matches this past week. The Greenport and Port Jefferson matches were both down-to-the-wire tiebreakers.

The Blue and Gray’s serving sputtered, leading to a 20-25 first set loss. With much better energy in the second, Coach Jim Thienert also had Genesis Urbaez become a serving specialist for Liz Larsen. Phoebe Starzee had a great dig, tracking the ball to line to prevent a kill. Sarah Lewis had a nice dig, which Jaime Castillo set to Nicolette Frasco for a kill. The nice teamwork led to 25-22 victory.

In the tiebreaker the teams matched each other point for point with 11 ties.  Julia Labrozzi scored an ace to pull us to 20-19. The lively match exchanged ended with a 23-25 third set loss, but the squad was rightfully very proud of their effort.

The Port Jefferson match was similar to the Greenport contest. It was the Battle of the Pinks — both Port Jeff and the Island were in special pink jerseys for the annual Dig Pink fundraiser.  We started slowly, a bit distracted by the set-up, cupcakes and crowd, allowing the Royals to grab a 25-13 win.

The second set was much more focused and confident. Jaime Castillo, who was playing her last game since she’s transferring to Pierson, broke out her new jump serve, scoring an ace. We will miss Jaime’s smile, nice setting hands and quick feet.  Liz Larsen continued her improvement at the net, snapping her wrist and sending the ball to the Royals court for a kill.

That confidence was contagious and we won 25-20. The third set was a tie breaker and both teams were hustling. The ref on the stand ducked out of the way as a Port Jeff defender dove to try and slow down a Liz Larsen hit. The very exciting set finished at  25-23, a loss, but as Castillo exclaimed, “It felt like we won that match!”

The JV squad brought those improving skills and fun attitude to Mercy on October 27. The “Magnificent 7” played tough, including some nice offensive work by Issie Sherman, sweeping the Monarchs 25-23, 25-20 and 25-21. The JV’s final match of the season will be against Smithtown Christian on Wednesday, October 29 after press deadline.