Good Times are Coming for
Huntington V-Ball
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Despite its lopsided won-loss record, the Huntington High School girls' volleyball team featured several fine players, including All-League middle hitter Maia Hinton-Cadle.
The 11-player Blue Devil squad compiled a 1-15 record (0-11 mark in league play) under head coach Lynn Hefele. "While the year was difficult for the seniors, the future is bright for the underclassmen," Hefele said.
Hinton-Cadle led the team in blocks (83) and kills (48). She was second in services aces with 14. "Maia was the 'go-to' player this year," Hefele said. "Her powerful spikes intimidated other players and her timing and positioning on blocks made her a defensive nightmare for opposing strikers. She could be counted on to pass the ball to the setter and was not afraid to go for any ball at any time. As a captain, Maia displayed passion and commitment to her fellow players."
Outside hitter Raynisha Witherspoon and middle hitter Heather Forster also turned in fine seasons. Witherspoon had a team high 15 service aces and was third in kills with 29. Forster was second in blocks (66) and kills (34).
"Raynisha's uncanny ability to react in an instant made her a defensive presence on the team," Hefele said. "Ray's serving and spiking skills were a tremendous offensive weapon on numerous occasions during the season.
Forster shined, too. "Heather's spiking power, serving consistency and blocking timing and technique improved drastically over the season," Hefele said. "She was becoming both an offensive and defensive power when the season came to an end."
Hefele said the team's most notable accomplishment was "overcoming the seemingly endless series of injuries" to challenge Islip in a late season four-game match. Huntington led through most of the first game only suffer a late lapse and fall 25-22. Down 2-0 in games, the Blue Devils rallied to win the third game, 25-22, but were unable to hold in the fourth.
The season began with high expectations. The Blue Devils lost their first meet in five games to Babylon, but the team retained its hopes for a successful year. However, a "series of insurmountable injuries" struck Huntington and dealt the squad a serious blow.
Senior setter Samantha Greenidge was lost. "Sam was the cornerstone of our offense," Hefele said. "She had been working together with Maia and Raynisha for years and they had down a timing that a new setter wouldn't be able to replicate. Sam's leadership and poise out on the court proved hard to replace."
It wasn't long before several more injuries struck and the team was left with just six healthy players. Chanelle Brown and Evelyn Brandon were elevated from the junior varsity and went on to provide valuable minutes on the court. Monica Casabono, Hayley Petrizzi, Sabrina Blakely and Forster worked with Cadle-Hinton and Witherspoon to try and rebuild the Blue Devils' season.
"The team struggled to find the right combination of players and positions for a while," Hefele said. When Marygrace Trousdell and Cynthia Gowani returned to the line-up after earlier being sidelined, "the team began to gel again," the coach said. Then Superstorm Sandy struck and the season came to a screeching halt.
"While the year was difficult for the seniors, the future is bright for the underclassmen," Hefele said. Gowani, a junior, will return after a season in which she led the team with a 95.8 serving percentage. Forster, a sophomore, will also be back as a dominating middle hitter and devastating blocker.
Trousdell and Petrizzi, both sophomores, will return to the court next fall to hit in the front row. "Marygrace was just breaking through at the end of the season and is expected to be a major threat offensively," Hefele said. "Hayley could be one of the hardest workers on the court and may turn out to be Huntington's first true jump server next year."
Blakely and Brandon, two juniors who are back row specialists, will be counted on by the Blue Devils to improve the team's serve receiving and defensive passing. Brown and Lucie Lavelle, both juniors, will lead the way in the setters' positions.
So, while Huntington's hopes were dashed this past fall, the Blue Devils have every right to be optimistic about their fortunes next season.
Blue Devil Notes: Huntington's lone win came against Amityville, 3-1 . . . Blakely (87.5 percent) and Trousdell (87.3 percent) were second and third, respectively, on the team in service percentage . . . Trousdell was third in aces with 12 and fourth in kills with 19 . . . Hefele hopes to get more of her players involved in off-season volleyball . . . The Blue Devils are considering holding a Dig Pink fundraiser next fall to promote the volleyball program.