Young Shelter Island middle school volleyball team notches a win

The fall high school sports season is wrapped up, and the winter sports are just gearing up. However, when the basketball, cheer and track teams start thinking about their preseason, the  middle school volleyball team has already started competing.

The team is made of both 7th and 8th grade athletes. The 7th grade is the smallest in the school, with only five students.

Alice Potter, who attended a few summer training sessions, is the only 7th grader who has decided to give the sport a try, and is beginning to mesh well with the rest of the team.

The remainder of the squad are 8th graders. Emily Shepherd will be beginning practice this week once she returns from a family commitment, but the other returning players have already started strong.

This group is enthusiastic and committed, and Coach Kristen Sweeney is impressed with the more advanced drills she can already run with the team.

The team seems to love setting. That is an excellent sign, since setting is a demanding skill and early training will pay off. Having someone who is actively focusing on getting the ball to hitters will also boost the competitive level of the team.

Often at the middle school level, simply getting the ball back over the net is a challenge. When focusing on running an offense, the whole team is more involved and goal oriented.

Coach Sweeney is challenging the team to the highest standards of middle school volleyball, designating setters and running the same offense as the JV team.

Luckily, this year’s team is heavily stacked with 8th graders who already have played for a season and have enthusiastically embraced an excellent work ethic.

Friday, Nov. 15, was the first match of the season. It came after only six practices, which is very difficult when athletes are still shaking off the rust from not playing for a year. However, the inaugural trip to Greenport went very well.

The very first point of the first set started off with a service ace from Elizabeth Weslek, a portent for the rest of the match. With the team’s focus on generating an offense, Michelle Martinez passed to Eliza McCarthy for a quick kill on two hits, which brought a lot of momentum and confidence.

Greenport scored some points, but at 24-19, Weslek secured the win with another ace.

Ella Fundora has very good court sense and she clipped in an excellent tip while exhibiting great control at staying out of the net. She has been tapped as one of the team’s primary setters and put up a lot of great sets for her teammates.

Alice Potter earned the team a valuable side out with a strategic free ball that Greenport couldn’t chase down.

Serving throughout the match was exceptional, with five different athletes scoring aces. Regina Kolmogrova-Weisenberg, Jayla Jones and McCarthy each scored an ace. Fundora scored eight, and Weslek had 14.

Reliable serving is an excellent indicator of success at the junior high level. Weslek served 14 points in a row in the final set. However, serving isn’t everything. The last point of the match was earned off a tough Greenport serve with a classic pass from Weslek, set from Fundora and a kill from McCarthy.

The jubilant team won the match 2 sets to 1, and checking off numerous personal and team goals along the way. This first match was a great experience for the team, and they are excited to continue learning and playing.

The team will be visiting Mattituck today, Monday, Nov. 18, and will have its first home match against the Mattituck Blue squad on Wednesday, Nov. 20, beginning at 4 p.m.

Come support this enthusiastic and talented team!