Shelter Island volleyball teams play strong, back each other up

The week of Oct. 13 was a whirlwind of playing for Shelter Island volleyball. Varsity played three games in four days, while junior varsity had two.

Tuesday, Oct. 14, was the highly anticipated varsity rematch with the Ross School. The Islanders were hoping that a win could give us a shot at a Class D playoff berth. Despite some spirited play in the second set, overall a slow start, a controversial line call that took back a point at a crucial end-of-set juncture, and too many errors derailed that dream.

However, the next day was the Senior Game against our cross-bay rivals, the Pierson Whalers. We had matched up well in the first meeting in September and there was hope that a friendly hometown crowd would provide the boost to propel our team to a win. 

Senior sendoff honored the six athletes who have all played four years of volleyball in their high school career: Elliot Schack, Lauren Gibbs, Lili Kuhr, Mae Brigham, Miranda Marcello, and Quinn Sobejana. Team manager Rosie Hanley was also acknowledged. Personal talks by teammates are always nice to hear, with family and friends joining the athletes for a photo op for the “first last” of their athletic careers.

At the start of the ceremony Schack was honored for their leadership throughout the season. With so many seniors, we did not select traditional captains this year. Instead, the players took turns being the team rep at the coin flip at the start of the match and rotated who was the floor captain. However, Schack’s work ethic and consistent efforts to encourage all teammates stands out as great sportsmanship.

The first set featured an entirely senior starting lineup. Senior Lili Kuhr notched a nice ace while Miranda Marcello scored three. Junior Sadie Green-Clark brought some serving heat with an ace of her own. A bright spot of the match was the defensive effort. “Digging up” opponents hard hits so they can be converted into offensive opportunities is something we have been working on all season. Quinn Sobejana tallied 7 digs on the match and Lauren Gibbs added another 6. 

Lily Potter has been depended on to be a versatile hitter. In this game she showed that her blocking abilities have improved as she stuffed a Whalers’ hitter to the delight of her teammates (and coach). 

In the end, despite a good effort in the first set, the Whalers’ tough serves were too much to handle and they went home with the win. 

On Friday, Oct. 17, the prevailing feeling was that the highlight of the long ride to league leader Port Jefferson would be the post-match stop at Chick-fil-A. While the waffle fries were delicious, it was the spirited play against the tough Royals that was particularly satisfying. 

When the Islanders and Royals met in September, senior setter Schack was sick, and we adjusted with Mae Brigham and sophomore Lexi Bartilucci running a front row setter offense. Bartilucci, who is also an excellent defender, has worked hard on the placement of her sets, and that has translated into more swings and gave her the top assists spot for the match.

Brigham has been counted on to be our big right-side blocker, and that presence helped slow down the fierce PJ hitters. She also made several excellent heads-up saves to get the ball back over the net to keep the play going. 

Juliana Medina is a calm, steady player, which is important in high pressure situations. Sobejana is our libero, and normally subs out when it is her turn to serve. However, she’s made great strides in her consistency. The entire team cheered as she served back-to-back points against the Royals.

At the end of the match, each player was genuinely proud of an individual achievement or goal reached and could honestly point out an outstanding play of a teammate. 

JUNIOR VARSITY

The junior varsity team seems to improve every match. Sometimes it’s individual skills that shine, and sometimes team concepts suddenly click. During the Oct. 15 Pierson game, Emily Shepherd was noticeably more confident in both blocking and transitioning off the net to get available to hit. Her heads-up passing was also appreciated.  

In the Port Jefferson match on Friday, Oct. 17, Coach Kristin Sweeney was justifiably proud of her team’s ability to work together to run plays. The words of the day were “Focus, Fun and Ferocious,” and the first rally set that tone. The Royals are a large, well-disciplined team, so balls tended to keep coming back.

The Islander blockers were well coordinated, which made it easier for the floor defense to cover the court. Regina Kolmogorova-Weisenberg was especially active and Maeve Springer dug up 10 hard balls, Kulie Kuhr Leonard had six, and Elizabeth Weslek had five. Those ups allowed setters Ella Fundora and Weslek to run the offense.

The team listened to Coach Sweeney as she directed them to attack as many balls as they could. Makayla Cronin, who normally depends on her passing to do the talking, put a really nice ball over to a deep corner to catch Port Jeff off-guard and spur on the team. Natalie Mamisashvili sent some nice aggressive passes over the net to keep the ball in play.

Lily Brigham was also in a feisty mood, her dance moves both in the huddle and on the floor kept the mood light and playful. Coach Sweeney had a great time calling out compliments to the team: “You are right where you are supposed to be, great!” “That’s all right, keep swinging!” 

In the end the Royals won 25-16, 25-17 and 25-16, but Kuhr Leonard summed up the mood of the team — “I’m proud of us!” The coaches happily concurred. 

The Islanders’ final match was Monday, Oct. 20 at Greenport. A final game report and season summary will appear in next week’s Reporter.