Team building toward Shelter Island volleyball playoff run
Since its last league game two weeks ago, the Shelter Island School volleyball team has been counting down to a meeting with the Pierson Whalers on Monday, November 9.
The County Finals and Section XI crown is on the line. The Whalers have become increasingly stronger, playing tougher than their 4-4 record would indicate. Shelter Island has 11 consecutive section titles in hand and we are looking to make it an even dozen this year.
The winner of that match will, the very next day, Tuesday, November 10, travel to Pelham High School to face the Section I champs in the first tier of the New York state tournament, the Southeastern Region semi-finals.
For 12 straight years, the Blue Devils of Haldane have run the table and been the Section I champs. We certainly admire Haldane’s ability to consistently put together championship teams. To say that we are arch rivals would be an understatement.
In preparation for these important winner-take-all matches, the Blue and Gray have been working on building on our strengths and shoring up our weaknesses. We continue to work on individual skills such as hitting and serving.
In addition, the myriad of stats that has been collected all season has been analyzed and we are working on situational challenges. It’s fun to see the pieces of the puzzle click together as repetition and review provides familiarity and more automatic responses.
In order to keep sharp for team play, we revisited Hampton Bays for a scrimmage on October 29.
With the Baywomen headed to the Class B playoffs, we were able to provide each other with good serving and hard hits. We had seen each other in a non-league match in mid-October, which we won, 3-2. Although the scrimmage was arranged for mutual benefit, the detail with which the Hampton Bays coach described the final points of the tiebreaker revealed he would indeed be happy to avenge that loss.
We had a successful day, with all players getting good amounts of playing time. And while it wasn’t the focus of the day, I’m happy to report we did score more points and win the scrimmage.
The final piece of the puzzle is really strengthening the team bond. Volleyball is often considered the game which requires the highest degree of team work. No one player can truly dominate and everything builds on the actions of all. In such a fast-paced game, trust and momentum are paramount and that needs to be rock solid to face the test of high-pressure playoff situations.
This week we will be working not just on Xs and Os, but faith and trust in one another. In a break from the usual routine, the start of Monday’s practice featured pyramid building and “blanket volleyball.” The laughter and cheers were great to see and the total teamwork even better.
We will be ready for the playoffs. Come cheer on the team at 5 p.m. at the Brentwood Campus of Suffolk County Community College on the November 9. If we win there, make plans to take a trip just north of New York City to Pelham High School on the November 10 at 5 p.m.
We would love to have the support of a loud crowd to finally beat those Haldane Blue Devils!
