There are two indelible truths going into this season for the Mary Louis girls volleyball team. The Hilltoppers are going to be tall, but they’re also going to be very inexperienced. TMLA has four players 5-foot-9 and taller. It also has eight sophomores and juniors that haven’t played a second of varsity volleyball yet.
“Size wise, it’s not a problem,” coach Mike Schober said. “Young is a problem.”
His presence should ease the transition, though. Schober coached most of the current varsity players on JV and with his club team, Tri-County, last year. He’s filling in for his wife, Sylwia, on the varsity in 2009, because she just gave birth to a baby girl.
“What they lack in age and experience, they made up for in playing a lot of ball,” Schober said.
Mary Louis graduated essentially everyone from last season’s CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens runner-up squad. In their place will be girls with plenty of potential, like middle hitter Stephanie Taibe (5-10), outside/middle hitter Gabriella Mostarac (6-0), right side/outside hitter Allison Sito (5-9) and middle hitter Taylor Coy (5-9).
“They’re all volleyball players – tall, lean and athletic,” said Schober, who has been coaching girls volleyball since 1992 and was the architect of Christ the King’s dynasty in the late ’90s.
Cristina Fristachi, one of the lone seniors, will be the team’s setter and either Samantha Shevach, the JV MVP from last year, or Nicole Rios will play libero. Shevach can also play outside hitter.
Schober said there’s clearly potential, but the question is how good can Mary Louis be? The coach is hoping to make it to the second day of the CHSAA state tournament, which the Hilltoppers fell just short of last year.
“If we play up to our potential, we’ll be very good,” Schober said. “They have to be convinced that they could be that good.”
Archbishop Molloy will also be going through some growing pains. The Stanners, typically one of the top two teams in CHSAA Queens since the program’s inception nine years ago, had a tough time last year. They also lost a handful of seniors, including middle hitter Maggie Boland and outside hitter Erica McElligott.
“Without being a powerhouse hitting team, I had to make some adjustments,” coach Steve Leoutsakos said.
Samantha Lynch, who moved up from JV midseason last year to set, will move to back row to make room for super freshman setter Jenna Hoffmann, who stands just 4-feet-11.
“Sam Lynch was willing, for the good of the team, to play back row,” Leoutsakos said. “We really needed help with passing. She’s one of the best passers on the team.”
Middle hitter Christina Perez and outside hitter Ariella Levine will be two key players up front for Molloy. Katie Mulvihill will play right side and Jen Moncino and Kathleen Klein will split time on the outside. Marina Thotmann, a 5-foot-10 former basketball player, has emerged in the middle and Hoffmann’s play has drawn raves thus far.
“She’s really fast on the court, super light on her feet and sets really good,” starting libero Justina Dinko said.
St. John’s Prep, which upset Molloy last regular season and had one of its best seasons in awhile, also figures to compete in CHSAA Queens. The one thing plaguing the Red Storm is where to put Caitlin Nerich, who set last year. The senior could end up playing outside or her old position.
“In a great world, we’d have an outside and just have Caitlin set,” coach Jenn Cocchi said.
But St. John’s Prep doesn’t have a standout outside. It does have a pair of solid middles in Brandi Lekakos and Daniella Plessa and returning right side Dijana Dujmovic. Maria Barbarino will play libero and Cocchi is still looking for a spot for Amanda Morengi. Jessica Heleno could spell Nerich or even take over at setter.
“We don’t have anything set perfectly yet,” Cocchi said. “We are going to put a competitive team on the floor, though.”