Volleyball teams show growing strength
It was a long trip to Bayport-Blue Point (BBP) for the Shelter Island volleyball teams on Monday, Oct. 6. It was great to see multiple fans take the journey to cheer us on. A touching moment was seeing Ella Fundora’s younger sister Ava standing with the varsity team, taking part in the pre-game sideline hand-slapping ritual as the JV team took the court.
BBP is a Class B school in League VII with a traditionally very strong program. As part of the mandated cross-league play this year, we saw them for the first time ever in league play. With all varsity athletes available to play in the low-pressure match, I took advantage of the flexibility to work in a couple of new lineups. This versatility will be important as we finish the season within League VIII. Lili Kuhr was the star of the day. She unleashed a cannon of a serve, garnering 3 aces against the tough BBP squad.
The Phantoms won both the varsity and JV matches, but it was great to hear the happy Islander chatter on the bus on the way home. Athletics have many benefits and time with friends, including stopping for dinner on the way home from away matches, is part of that rite of passage.
The highlight of the week was undoubtedly the Thursday, Oct. 9 match against Our Savior New American (OSNA). There was joy in the gym as the junior varsity volleyball team faced the Pioneers and came away with an exciting 3-0 win. When they had met during the Islanders’ first match of the season the score was the exact opposite, with Coach Sweeney struggling to find the right combination of players to ignite energy.
OSNA has a JV-only program, so there are sometimes juniors and seniors on the court. They had a couple of very nice servers, but SI has come a long way since the early days of September and their calm reliance on one another was great to see.
Regina Kolmogorova-Weisenberg set the tone for the night by scoring the first point by hitting the Pioneers’ overpass for a kill. The teams played fairly evenly for a few points, but then OSNA’s best server scored eight in a row to jump to an 11-7 lead. Normally a run like that would cause a loss of confidence and momentum, but the team continued to move well, and use three hit possessions.
Elizabeth Weslek gave the visiting team a bit of their own medicine as, backed by the heads-up play of her teammates, she served 5 in a row to pull SI back into the lead at 14-13. Natalie Mamisashvili joined the multiple points serving club and pushed the team to a 23-19 lead. A few points later, SI had the first set win, 25-20.
That early success seemed short-lived as OSNA jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the start of the second set on the strength of a tough server. Makayla Cronin’s great footwork and steady passing helped SI get out of that slump. Emily Shepherd made a couple of heads-up plays to put the ball into unattended corners of the court, but solid work by the Pioneers allowed them to maintain an 8-point advantage late into the second set. But Kylie Kuhr Leonard is not one to back down. Her smart dump for a kill put her on the service line, where she served four consecutive aces in a 7-point run, pulling the home team to within one at 18-19. A tense back-and-forth battle took place as each team added a point or two. Ella Fundora added an ace to give the Islanders a 24-22 lead, but then OSNA’s top server stepped to the line. She scored one, but the Islanders worked hard to hold the advantage and won the set 25-23, giving them their first match victory of the season.
At the junior varsity level, a match victory is gained by winning two of three sets, although three sets are always played to allow development and training for the younger athletes.
The joyful JV team assembled for the final set, determined to continue to play well. It was great to see the classic pass-set-hit sequence from the Islanders, as well as aggressive swings by Mamisashvili and Maeve Springer to catch the Pioneers off guard.
Fundora started serving at 4-3 and stopped only when the score was 153. During that impressive run, her teammates did all the right things: Lily Brigham added her passing to the mix to set up the hitters while Shepherd’s blocking and hitting presence at the net seemed to rattle the Pioneers. However, not to be discounted, the visiting team made a run of their own, to pull within 7.
But the Islanders were not to be denied. Springer aced 4 in a row in a 6-point string to advance to 22-10. Weslek sealed the deal with three consecutive points, including a jump serve to give the team their first sweep of the season, 25-12.
Coach Kristin Sweeney was immensely proud of her team, not only for the victory, but for the way they won it. Teamwork was the hallmark of the day, with all players contributing to the success. Supportive huddles, one-on-one encouragement, and the will to work together for a common goal was inspiring to see.
The week of October 13 was set to feature three matches in four days. Tuesday, Oct. 14 would be a high stakes rematch against the Ross School for a Class D showdown at 4 p.m., and Wednesday Oct. 15, the Senior Game against the Pierson Whalers with JV kicking off at 4:30 p.m., followed by the varsity match up.
