A new year of volleyball is underway at Schreiber High School as the girls varsity team prepares for their quest to get to the conference finals. With first-year Head Coach Melinda DiGiovanna at the helm, they are ready to make those aspirations become a reality.
This year’s squad boasts seven seniors, five juniors and one sophomore from last year’s team. In her first season in Port Washington, DiGiovanna looks forward to seeing the girl’s progress as they have been working hard since preseason.
“Collectively, we’ve got a solid group,” said DiGiovanna. “We’ve got strong outside hitters and our setters are becoming stronger every day. We have also been training our liberos and they’re becoming more consistent as well.”
So far this year, the Vikings are off to a slow, 0-3 start. Their latest defeat was at the hands of a tough Plainview squad, who escaped with a three game sweep. Plainview was one of the top five teams in the conference a year ago and gave the Vikings a tough outing. They were outscored 25-15, 25-10 and 25-11 in those games. However, sophomore outside/right back Emma Roberts finished the game with six kills while senior setter Alessandra Villalta chipped in with seven assists and three aces.
These two players are the catalysts to the Vikings lineup and they can be counted on whenever they are on the court. “Alessandra hustles and runs a quick game,” said DiGiovanna. “Roberts is very consistent and also a key player across the board.” Roberts along with junior outside Molly Fetherston and senior middle Halli Berrebbi are vocal and get the team going.
DiGiovanna believes that she has a good core group who really work well as unit. “We can’t do one thing without the other,” said DiGiovanna. “This is why we have so many standouts to be looking out for.” In other words, it’s one for all and all for one with this squad.
One area of the game the Vikings have been working on is the mental aspect of volleyball. Regardless of the obstacles they face, the girls will be able to battle back, make adjustments in their game and be able to put up some points against their opponents.
“We have been training the girls to become stronger,” said DiGiovanna. “No matter who they are up against, they will be consistent and confident going in and leaving any set that we play.”
Overall, DiGiovanna and her squad have a bunch of goals set for the beginning of the season. The first one is to become closer, like a family. “I’m not too sure how past seasons were but that is something the team wanted to see and we are working towards that,” said DiGiovanna. “We have ‘team bonding Tuesdays,’ which is a lot of fun and we are already making progress with that.”
Another goal made for the end of the season is to maintain consistency across the board. From defense to hitting and serving, they strive to become a fluent team as the season goes on.
Finally, the last goal on the team’s checklist is to get over the hump and make it to the finals. “They’ve been in semis for the past couple of years,” said DiGiovanna. “We want to get past that and make it to the finals and hopefully see Massapequa there.”
With these goals in mind, it comes down to hard work, preparation and overall team consistency to get to where they want to be. This team has the tools and a lot of veterans that can get them there. As DiGiovanna continues to train and work with the Vikings for a long, hard-fought season, the girls are willing to do what it takes to achieve their goals and compete for a conference title.
