Fans support Shelter Island volleyballers for ’Dig Pink’

Shelter Island volleyball’s Dig Pink celebration and fundraiser is always great fun.

The cause is serious: breast cancer remains one of the most common health challenges for women in the U.S. One in eight will be diagnosed with this disease. Just this week I learned of another friend who is receiving treatment.

The volleyball community has long been supportive of breast cancer research. The annual October Dig Pink match raised funds for the Sideout Foundation, which does groundbreaking research into treatments for metastatic breast cancer.

The foundation was started by a volleyball coach whose mom had breast cancer, and now is a major player (pun intended) in raising awareness in young women.

As soon as fans entered the gym on Oct. 19 it was obvious it was a special day. Posters for each athlete were on the walls, the stands were draped with pink streamers and the players each sported pink tie-dyed shirts as their uniforms.

As each team member was announced, they ran pink carnations into the stands, presenting them to family and friends in support of their fight against the disease. The generous fans in turn helped the team raise $502.

In addition to the fun and fundraising, the Dig Pink match against Southampton was also great because every athlete was able to attend. This season has been a minefield of illness, injury and conflicts, and it was terrific to have both teams at full strength.

The junior varsity team has had an uneven season. Due to illness and injury, their match against Babylon on Oct. 15 was canceled. Instead, Kylie Kuhr Leonard, Sadie Green-Clark and Juliana Medina helped the varsity team, which only had five athletes available.

On Oct. 16, the re-scheduled away game at Our Savior New America was a low energy affair. However, the Oct. 17 Dig Pink match against Southampton was triumphant — the Islanders swept the match 3-0.

Lily Potter started the match on the right foot, serving strongly and getting the team out to a 4-0 lead. The team was also using a new serve receive strategy, with front row players dropping back and helping on short balls. The “windows” strategy worked well. 

Sadie Green-Clark brought her strong serve in as well. As Southampton called a timeout, the grins on the faces of both athletes and coaches were awesome. “We’re back!” exclaimed Coach Kristin Sweeney. Juliana Medina, who ended the day with 17 aces, closed out the set with six straight points, 25-15.

Natalie Mamisashvili had a good night, sending high energy balls back over the net for kills and scooping up a Mariners setter dump to save the point.

The set also featured a lot more offense; a controlled pass, followed by a set and a hitter taking a nice swing. Kylie Kuhr Leonard and Lexi Bartilucci are especially good at working with one another to set up plays. Maeve Springer also served well and scored a kill.

The Islanders took the second set, 25-21, securing the match win. The loud cheers from the team, the watching varsity team and fans in the stands was great to hear.

At the JV level three sets are played to give teams experience. Coach Sweeney had fun mixing up the lineup a bit since the win was secure. Makayla Cronin’s nice passing provided a great foundation for the offense. Showing that she has grown her skills through the season, she also used her hands to pass the ball, a more advanced skill. Lily Brigham also was moving well on defense, and her confidence on a court was great to see.

The final score of 25-18 completed the sweep for the Islanders. The hopeful pink ribbons in the players’ hair and on their sneakers had proved to be a joyful portent of the match. It was an excellent day for all involved.

The varsity took the court after the thrilling JV win. The first time we saw Southampton in September we were in a draining four-games-in-a-row stretch, and it was a rather lackluster endeavor. With the excitement of Dig Pink festivities and a full squad who are settling into their roles, this match was a far more satisfying battle.

Lauren Gibbs, newly recovered from a mid-season injury, was on fire. Manager Rosie Hanley was very happy to show me the stats: El Schack had a great time setting Gibbs up and she blasted a season-high nine kills throughout the match. Lili Kuhr is a defensive specialist who has a strong arm. Following Schack’s back-to-back aces, Kuhr had a terrific back row hit for a kill.

Mae Brigham is really discovering her talent for blocking, and Southampton’s big hitter was forced to try to go over or around her on numerous occasions, resulting in Islander points. Miranda Marcello is an active part of the offense whether she is in the front or back row. She calls for sets, keeping the Mariners defense on its toes. Her three service aces also provided inspiration.

Daria Duran and Paulina Nava are a dynamic duo on the left side of the court. Nava’s calm serve receives and Duran’s court knowledge are very valuable. It was great to see the smile on Duran’s face as she also contributed a kill to the effort.

While Southampton won the match, they were noticeably impressed with the improvement of the hometown team. The officials also complimented the team on both their effort on the court and the commitment to the Dig Pink/breast health cause.

Saturday, Oct. 19 was an important day for the varsity. The Ross School, the other Class D opponent in League VII, came to town. We are closely matched teams, and we were excited to face them.

However, illness and injury once again reared its head, throwing a monkey wrench into our well-laid plans. El Schack, one of our starting setters, was not available, so we shifted lineups once again. Captain Johanna Kaasik has been called upon for her leadership in numerous situations this season, and in this match she took on the role of the sole setter for the team.

The 5-1 lineup was new to the team, but Kaasik handled the weight of that essential role calmly while chipping in two aces and two kills along the way as well.

Quinn Sobejana was in another key position. As the libero, she often handles the first touch on our side of the court. The Sobejana-Kaasik connection was working well during the first two sets, with the Ravens and Islanders both winning a set apiece.

However, in two separate instances during the third set, both Gibbs and Marcello landed hard on the court, stopping play and bringing the first aid crew onto the hardwood. While both were ultimately able to return to action, momentum was stalled. The addition of far too many missed serves was just too much to overcome, and Ross went home with the victory.

We have two matches left in the season. We travel to league-leading Port Jefferson on Friday, Oct. 25, and return home on the 26th for our final match of the season. JV kicks off the playing against Greenport/Southold at 1 p.m. We will be honoring our seniors at the start of the 2:45 p.m. varsity match.

Come cheer on athletes Johanna Kaasik, Dariana Duran Alvarado and Paulina Nava and manager Betzaida Campos in their last volleyball appearance of their high school career.