Coach: ‘An enjoyable and memorable year’: Special group wraps Shelter Island volleyball season

For the parents among us, especially those whose kids are no longer at home, you know the reality of the adage “the days are long, but the years are short.”

Even after over 20 years of coaching, the always-surreal pace of the volleyball season surprises me. There are no diapers and only occasional sleepless nights, but the progression from the extended double session days in summer, to slogging through mid-season practices, capped with the final flurry of matches culminating with a senior send-off, seems fresh every year.

With a last away game at Port Jefferson on Oct. 25, and this year’s Senior Game on Saturday, Oct. 26, Islanders volleyball players finished their season, held one final team huddle and turned in their jerseys.

There are so many words that come to mind when I think about the Fall 2024 Shelter Island volleyball season.

Leadership: Senior captains Dariana Duran Alvarado and Johanna Kaasik have played volleyball since 7th grade. Their no-nonsense approach helped me behind the scenes, organizing the Dig Pink event, ordering team sweatshirts and they were also unfailingly the first in the gym and the last to leave. They agreed to go along with some of my most “interesting” new drills and focused on bringing the team together.

Passion: Miranda Marcello loves volleyball. Her quick reflexes make for incredible defense saves, on-the-fly adjustments and her ability to absorb and apply volleyball knowledge is excellent. Quinn Sobejana is a whirling dervish on the court, never giving up on a ball and holding her teammates accountable.

Resilient: Injuries and illness were a theme throughout the season, but team members continued to push through difficult times to support the team. Natalie Mamisashvili is continuing to gain confidence and seeing continual improvement. While Elliot Schack’s main role is setting, their tough serves and determination on defense is very inspiring to see.

Progressing: When the season started, Coach Sweeney already knew that Lexi Bartilucci had nice court sense, good hands and was quick. What we didn’t see until we switched up our offense, giving her more time in defense was how good her passing is. Sadie Green-Clark can be modest on the court, but her strong serves, much improved net play and increasing confidence is awesome to see.

Supportive: Rosie Hanley and Betzaida Campos are the team managers of the JV and varsity teams. Their work in collecting game stats or filling in on work teams freed up the athletes to focus on the court. Betzaida’s not-so-quiet opinions were fun to overhear, while Rosie simply loved being part of the team vibe.

Growth: Makayla Cronin has always been quick, but her focus on passing and her determination to get a more consistent serve paid dividends at the end of the season, including a “hold your breath” moment when her serve danced along the tape and fell for an ace.

Lauren Gibbs loves to hit, but when we were short staffed yet again late in the season, she stepped up on defense. That came with the added benefit of bringing more back row attacks. That revelation will bring next year’s offense a new look.

Adaptable: Juliana Medina is usually a middle hitter for the JV team, but her ability to “play up” was very beneficial as she was asked to fill in on the varsity team multiple times. Paulina Nava originally thought of herself as a defensive specialist. Who knew that this senior would end up playing middle, outside hitter and right side this season? This versatile athlete was a boon to the team when we faced injury and absences.

Dedicated: We had multiple dual athletes on the team. Mae and Lily Brigham and Maeve Springer balanced their practices and games with playing golf. Lily Potter is a hard-working player and she managed to combine volleyball and running cross country.

Lili Kuhr didn’t have a second sport, but she has a strong love of music. When her guitar lessons bumped up against varsity practice, she asked if she could attend the earlier JV sessions so she could get training and still get to band rehearsal. I love when our little team can work out solutions so everyone wins.

Joy: Kylie Kuhr Leonard is a high energy player. Look for her to be tap dancing on court, and encouraging her teammates to be upbeat. Volleyball is a game, after all, and is intended to be enjoyable.

After the season ending Greenport/Southold game, the varsity team gathered for our final huddle. I had asked for each person to reflect on a favorite memory of the season. Perhaps unexpectedly, but in retrospect also unsurprisingly, many athletes chose not a specific play or match (although there was pride for those as well), but on practices where we were doing fun team bonding activities or favorite drills.

In this season where match wins were scarcer than hen’s teeth, the best memories ended up being when teammates were competing or cheering one another on Minute to Win It challenges, such as using chopsticks to select certain colors of Froot Loops, playing “Spider” (an oldy but goody drill from junior high days) and doing a somewhat chaotic drill where volleyball rules were adapted to allow for bounces and extra touches and led to a whole lot of running and laughing.

Seems like Michael Jordan was right when he said, “Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”

Thank you, seniors. Thank you, up-and-coming players. Thank you, parents. Thank you, community members who always ask how the team is doing. Thank you, Shelter Island volleyball.

As always it has been a learning experience even for this long-time coach, and an enjoyable and memorable year.