The McKee/Staten Island Tech girls volleyball team can swing with some of the best teams in the city. Almost every hitter returns from a squad that advanced to the PSAL Class A semifinals last year.
There was just one issue in the preseason: who would be getting the ball to those big hitters.
The Sea Gulls graduated veteran setter Sabrina Kamran and coach Dave Mahon’s initial plan for a replacement fell through when a girl from his gym class was unable to join the team.
The solution thus far has been Nicole Lennon, who contributed last year as a defensive specialist. Mahon is thrilled with her athleticism, but her hands are a work in progress, which is to be expected for someone who has been setting for just a few weeks.
“She’s athletic enough to play it,” Mahon said. “She gets to almost every ball.”
Lennon is probably going to be bumping quite a bit at first. Luckily she does have hitters who can make her look good. Kristen Markoe is one of the best outside hitters in the PSAL and Katie Reshetnyak, a 5-foot-9 middle hitter, is very solid at net. Junior Sophia Palumbo, the school’s star softball catcher and another fine athlete, will play right side and Kseniya Kuprenko will be alongside Reshetnyak in the middle.
“If [Lennon’s touch] comes along, we’ll be OK,” Mahon said.
Another possibility is running a 6-2 with Lennon and Palumbo, who has shown good hands in the preseason. Kelly Hau, who Mahon says has improved “a lot,” will get significant time in the back row.
“I think we might be a tad better offensively,” Mahon said. “The experience of our hitters is going to help us a lot. But considering we have someone brand new setting, it’s a question mark.”
Curtis coach Eileen McKee has gotten many answers about her team already. The first few days of practice the school’s gym was closed, so she and her players trekked out to the beach in scorching temperatures and heavy winds to play on the sand.
“Their attitude is excellent,” McKee said. “Their work ethic is really great.”
She didn’t think those first few practices would have helped – especially given the swirling winds – but they have. The Warriors are further along than they were last year when they finished 6-6, good enough for third place in PSAL Staten Island 9A.
One of the biggest reasons for those strides is junior setter Gabrielle Austein. She didn’t start last year, but came in at times in a 6-2 with Samantha Santucci. McKee is expecting a lot from her in 2009.
“She’s really worked hard on her own in the offseason,” the coach said.
Austein will be getting the ball to 5-foot-9 outside hitters Ashley Astwood and Chelsea Richardson. Richardson could also play middle and McKee is not quite sure what she’s going to with Poly Prep transfer Mary Anderson yet. Anderson set at Poly, but when she started hitting in practice, her prowess impressed everyone.
McKee said she was indifferent when she heard about a volleyball-playing transfer student, but was sold when Anderson showed up in volleyball’s trademark compression shorts.
“I said, ‘There’s a volleyball player,’” the coach said with a laugh.
Curtis has a chance to compete for a playoff spot. The Warriors will jockey with Susan Wagner and MSIT for the Staten Island title. Tottenville and Port Richmond also figure to be in contention for a postseason berth.