Shelter Island volleyball teams surging into season

With school getting into full gear, volleyball season is also starting to roll. Both the JV and varsity volleyball teams faced two opponents in the week of Sept. 7 and will be playing three games each the week of Sept. 15.

On Monday, the teams went up against Port Jefferson and came away with losses. JV played well, but the varsity faced the fastest offense we’ve ever seen. We learned some things, but the scores weren’t pretty. 

JUNIOR VARSITY

JV took the long drive to Our Savior New America in Centereach on Monday, Sept. 8. OSNA is a JV-only program, which means there are athletes from grades 9-12 on their roster. With the combination of some Islander athletes still getting enough practices to qualify to play and the long bus ride, the match was more of a shake-down cruise than a chance for the team to strut their stuff.

The Friday, Sept. 12 match against the Pierson Whalers, despite a very slow start, gave the Islanders their first set win of the year and a hint of what the team is capable of. With dual athlete Makayla Cronin not feeling well and Kylie Kuhr Leonard still getting enough practices to play, there were only seven athletes available for the match.

During the first set, the squad looked like the proverbial deer in headlights. Coach Sweeney encouraged the team, but the Whalers’ excellent serving coupled with some hesitation by the Islanders led to a quick 25-7 loss. 

However, the team looked completely different in the second set. Led by Ella Fundora’s 75% successful serving rate and Natalie Mamisashvili’s quick reflexes, the team started using three hits. Lily Brigham, at libero, has greatly increased her confidence at serve receive and Emily Shepherd is starting to show why she was selected to play middle blocker. Shepherd’s vigilance at the net was great to see. Maeve Springer’s steady serving and quick feet helped keep the ball in play, and Elizabeth Weslek’s strong serves and nice setting hands provided leadership as well. 

During the third set the Islanders had a slim lead the entire way, until the Whalers knotted the score 23-23, then pulled ahead 24-23, just one point shy of winning. But Shelter Island didn’t back down, and three quick points later, capped by Regina Kolmogorova-Weisenberg’s smart attack to an unprotected part of the court, the Islanders took the “W” 26-24.

While the third set win was great, the thing that I was most impressed by was the support the players showed one another. As Coach Sweeney was putting in the line-up between sets, the team gathered itself together and analyzed the previous set. “We’re getting better” “Just remember to get low” “Do your best.” This sporting attitude is so important, especially when teams are young. This effort in a non-judgmental zone is the best way to learn, and will pay dividends in the season to come.

VARSITY

The varsity’s first league match was at Ross School on Sept. 10. With sophomores Lexi Bartilucci and Lily Potter making the move from JV to varsity, the squad now has 10 players, providing flexibility to the roster.

It took some time for the early season jitters to wear off. Ross jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first set before the team settled in and began to “trust the process” and play in their assigned roles. After a slow 25-11 start in the first set, the team rebounded to an oh-so-close 25-23 loss and a 25-17 final. While the teams played fairly closely, the Islander’s 20 service errors were too much of a drag on the score for us to take a set. The intensity of play was encouraging.

There were some excellent plays by each athlete. Elliot Schack and Lexi Bartilucci were sharing setting duties. They also played defense well, at one point tumbling over one another to save the ball as a third teammate got the ball back over the net. Lili Kuhr made a fabulous save from the edge of the bleachers, hustling after a teammate once the initial pass went awry. Miranda Marcello also made some spectacular saves, diving to the court to keep the play alive. 

Mae Brigham normally plays the right front position and is the designated “second hands” when the active setter can’t get to the ball. She did a great job helping put up hittable balls so we could continue to run an offense, even on broken plays. While ball control and serve receive, a perennial problem for many teams, continues to be the euphemistic “growth opportunity” for us, the ability of this team to aggressively put the ball over the net is heartening.

Juliana Medina is showing confidence at the net as a middle blocker. She consistently was in the right place putting up blocks against the Ross hitters. Sadie Green-Clark is gaining confidence in her serves and hitting abilities, snagging an ace against the Ravens.

Libero Quinn Sobejana is bringing the ability to move quickly into position to pass the ball while staying on her feet. Her tumbling saves on defense are also fun to watch.

Lauren Gibbs has a take-charge personality and likes to hit from both the front and back rose which allows us to spread the offense out.

While the loss to our Class D opponent was definitely not what we were hoping for, the potential for the squad to play at a higher level is encouraging.

On Friday, Sept. 11, both teams traveled to Sag Harbor to play Pierson. The varsity squad was 10 athletes strong, which allowed us to slide Lily Potter in for Marcello, who required a quick first-aid treatment before returning to the game. Pierson served well, but Medina, Green-Clark, Brigham and Marcello were putting up coordinated blocks at the net. As that blocking ability improves even more, it will affect our opponents’ hitting effectiveness and help our floor defense pop up even more hard driven hits. Good digs lead to offensive opportunities, something the Islanders are focusing on this season.

In the third set I rotated a couple of players to better matchup against the Whalers’ attack. I was pleased to see them easily adapt to their new placements. Being flexible in playing positions will be important to this team as we continue to grow and challenge other teams.

The teams will travel to Mattituck on Friday, Sept. 19, before returning home against the Babylon Panthers on Friday, Sept. 26.

Come watch us play!