Island volleyball team wins 12th consecutive county title

Twelve is a nice round number. An even dozen. That’s that number of consecutive Suffolk County Class D championships Shelter Island volleyball has now won. 

It started back in 2004, when Jackie Brewer guided the team to an uncontested crown, then on to the state final four. The state tournament has evolved over the years, but that county and sectional title is always the first step toward the dream of making it upstate.

On Monday, the team arrived at the Suffolk County Community College’s Brentwood campus with plenty of time to suit up, stretch, take team photos, and be casually passing balls to get warmed up when the Pierson Whalers entered the echoing fieldhouse.

There was an air of palpable confidence and purpose to SI. Pierson, who came on strong at the end of the season to qualify for the postseason, has been improving their play, but they seemed a bit intimidated and timid on Monday night.

Our game plan was to serve tough, focus on picking up every ball on defense, and run a smart offense. We also wanted to be efficient, to save some energy for the start of the state tournament, the semifinals of which are scheduled for tonight.

Mission accomplished.

Kenna McCarthy started off the night with a bang, serving us out to a 9-0 lead. She also distributed the ball to our hitters very nicely, with Colibri Lopez and Kelly Colligan, top kill getter of the night with 10, benefiting from her sure hands. Kenna also inadvertently provided us with some humor. With Margaret Michalak serving extremely well, I substituted JV setter and heir apparent Sarah Lewis in for Kenna. Her disbelieving expression made the bench burst into laughter, but she immediately became a positive and vocal supporter, cheering loudly as Sarah notched her first varsity assist. The first set ended 25-9.

For the second set, I shifted the rotation, allowing different hitters to get some “swing time.” Amira Larence dazzled the crowd with four aces in seven serves. Emily Hyatt also took advantage, both blocking down Pierson’s offense and scoring a pair of kills of her own. Kelly Colligan was the serving star of this set, stringing 11 errorless points. During this run, Julia Labrozzi came in to the game, making a nice save, then scoring her first varsity kill in league play to contribute to a 25-4 win.

The county title was tantalizingly close, and the team resolved to push for a quick finish. Liz Larsen checked into the game, using her height to intimidate Pierson’s hitters with her block. Seri Kaasik and Melissa Frasco continued their calm defense, passing the ball nicely to set up the offense. Pierson continued to look a bit out of sync, although a nice hit and smart tip allowed them to score a bit more this set. I was pleased with our team’s focus on our goals, and the third set, a 25-13 SI win sealed the sweep and the Class D crown.

The Newsday photographer was a bit perplexed at our happy, yet restrained celebration. No dog piles on the court, no fist pumps or plaque waving. However, we did very much enjoy the police and fire truck escort when we got back to the island.

We are on the road to states — the first step has been taken, but a major challenge lies ahead in the form of the Haldane Blue Devils.