Island volleyballers become unified through adversity

Brandi Carlile’s song “Hold Out Your Hand” is a favorite of mine. This rocking anthem is about human connection, discovering the value in each person and standing together in solidarity. 

Shelter Island is known for its community support and willingness to help one another. The volleyball team, a smaller microcosm, got a good lesson on that during their Friday, Sept. 18 match against Mattituck. 

Senior and starter Sadie Green-Clark was unavailable for the match due to previous family commitments. While we knew we would miss her knowledge and positivity, we have the depth and versatility this season to mix up the line-ups and to allow growth of some of the younger athletes. By game day, Danielle Rasmussen and Makayla Cronin were likewise unavailable, shrinking our pool of athletes to an even dozen.

I knew that it would take some trial and error to find the best replacement for Green-Clark. But I had faith that with a little time to adjust, either Maeve Springer or Natalie Mamisashvili would fit well in that role. Senior captain Juliana Medina is an excellent, calm, on-court organizer and keeps the younger players comfortable in their role on the court. Normally an outside hitter who is rarely off the court, I was counting on her mentorship to ease the process.

Unfortunately, during warm-ups Medina and Regina Kolmogorova-Weisenberg collided, resulting in a bloody nose and a sore head. Warm-ups stopped as the injured were attended to and evaluated. The match preparations resumed shortly. However, seeing your friends get hurt is upsetting; it was obvious the Islanders were rattled. Not only that, we were now down three starters. 

The team nodded gamely as I announced the new line-up. The outside hitter position requires a good knowledge of varying serve receive and offensive formations. Mamisashvili and Springer normally rotate in at middle hitter, with some time spent in the outside hitter position. This match required them to jump in immediately, with little on-court guidance. Luckily, they are quick learners and adept at on-the-job training. While it wasn’t seamless, they made the best of the situation.

Lily Potter is a steady and positive presence on the court, and well versed at playing in the middle. She was our floor captain for the day. Emily Shepherd has mainly been training on the right side, but she was tapped to play middle hitter, the position she played last year on JV. Varsity has different rotations, but Potter was able to coach her through most situations. 

Sophomores Ella Fundora and Elizabeth Weslek have quickly become proficient at setting and were playing their accustomed positions. Our serve receive rotations are built around the setters, and they were adept at guiding their teammates to the correct spot. In another nice development, Fundora and Weslek have discovered that they connect well on offense, with Fundora putting up several nice back sets for Weslek to swing at. That diversification of our offense will bode well as we enter the mid-point of our season.

Lexi Bartilucci, while also a good setter, has been mainly acting as our libero this fall. Our most versatile defender, she can go in for any back row position. This means remembering several different defensive schemes, but Bartilucci is calm, can shake off bad plays, and continue to stay on task. She served well, scoring three consecutive points in the second set.

Michelle Martinez has a great work ethic. During a recent practice scrimmage I noticed she’s become much more mobile on defense and is a good communicator. Normally she’s a right front player. However, in this mixed-up match she made her mark at the left back, and then rotated to the front row to give a hand at offense.

Lily Brigham and Lida Kendall-Posner are normally defensive specialists. While a bit shaken with her teammates’ injuries at the start, Brigham rose to the occasion, taking control on multiple serve receives. Kendall-Posner, the youngest member of the team, had only her first real playing time two days previously against the hard-hitting Port Jefferson Royals. Excited to be on the court, she listened to advice and gained valuable experience.

After a difficult start in the third set, the Islanders outscored the Tuckers down the stretch, but Mattituck went on to win the match 3-0.

As the team circled up to reflect, they identified tangible lessons in the topsy turvy game. Coach Lindsay Springer complimented the team on leaning on one another, and the trust they exhibited in a tough and unfamiliar situation. 

In the traditional end of match huddle, the team literally “held out their hands” and gave a hearty team cheer in support of one another. The week ahead will hold more games and challenges, but the Islanders are solid. More practice, more growth and more fun. Here’s to it!

Upcoming home games are Friday, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 against Greenport/Southold and Center Moriches.