Blue Devil JV Girls’ Volleyball Finishes at 9-9

The Huntington girls’ junior varsity volleyball team completed its season with a 9-9 record. It was a great showing for a young squad.

Coached by high school physical education teacher Lauren Blackburn and captained by sophomore Taylor Ranft, the 13 player roster provided for many exciting moments.

The Blue Devils’ top players included Ranft, Caleigh Camarata, Adriana Garcia Cruz, Mia Gulino, Taylor Peters, Elizabeth Arra, Zoe Chiclacos, Paige Falk, Annie Lopez Berrios, Gianna Parides, Victoria Creegan, Emma Martin and eighth grader Amiyah Herring.

“All of them brought something special to the table, whether that was energy in practice or positivity on the court during tough times,” Blackburn said. “This group of girls was so special and truly fun to coach.”

The highlight of the season was beating teams in rematches. “Commack, Lindenhurst and Walt Whitman all beat us, 2-1 when we played them the first time, but when we met again after a lot of hard work and practice, we beat them,” Blackburn said.

Some players on the team will return for another year on the JV and some others will be promoted to the Huntington varsity. Blackburn said the ongoing goal is to continue improving the skills of players and build depth for the varsity team.

Blackburn and varsity head coach Jake Torres plan on holding sessions of intramurals during the off-season and a summer camp in the high school gym in an effort to elevate the program in Suffolk’s top tier.