2011 Section VI Girls Volleyball - Playoff Brackets
December 2011

2011 Girls Volleyball Playoff Bracket

2011 Section VI Boys Volleyball - Division 1 & 2 Playoff Bracket
12/18/11

2011 Boys Volleyball Playoff Bracket

WNY Volleyball Hall of Fame: Faust shares lessons learned from volleyball 
by Michael J. Petro
MetroWNY 
December 22, 2011

William P. Faust, pictured in the middle, who helped start Frontier boys 
volleyball in the late 1970s, among his many accomplishments, stands with 
his son, Bill Faust Jr. (left), who he helped mentor in the sport, and 
Charles O'Brien, who was a coach and mentor, during his playing days at 
Cleveland Hill. Faust was inducted into the WNY Boys Volleyball Hall of Fame.

William Faust didn't help begin volleyball programs at several high schools in New York State, including Frontier and Hamburg, for self gratification and the potential wins that could be piled up. He did it in an effort to serve as a teacher and role model for student-athletes, spreading to them the importance of commitment, attitude and character, which are qualities he felt fortunate enough to learn himself as a player.

Even with the most selfless of intentions, Faust's contributions at a number of high schools and clubs did not go unnoticed. As a result of his impact on the game of volleyball and his players, the Western New York Volleyball Officials Association and WNY Boys Coaches Association came calling when selecting its second class of inductees to the WNY Boys Volleyball Hall of Fame. 

Faust was one of three inducted into the Class of 2011 as part of the second annual ceremony last month at Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant in Blasdell. 

It was an honor not only celebrating him starting programs for girls at Ripley and boys at Frontier, before restarting the Hamburg girls program, but also for his performances on the court as an All-Western New York player, who starred at Cleveland Hill from 1963 to 65. He became the first actual player, as well, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which now includes 10 names.

"Coaches are given a very special gift," Faust said in his induction speech as part of the Class of 2011 which also included longtime Orchard Park coach Walt Stefani and referee Joe Enser. "Your wins and losses will fade with time, but how you've influenced players will never be forgotten."

"It didn't matter to me if I was at Ripley, Frontier or Hamburg, or coaching with Eden Club, I coached for the love of the game and more so for the character building of young men and women," he added. "I tried to give back to my players what the game of volleyball had given to me."

Not only did his work influence future generations of the student-athletes he coached but it also caught the attention of his son, Bill Faust Jr., who wound up traveling down the same path. 

So influenced by watching his father and traveling around with his teams as a youth, Bill became a star volleyball player himself, helping Lake Shore win its last Section VI title since the program earned one again this year, then, ironically, following in his father's exact footsteps as the head coach of the boys program at Frontier.

"His influence has been profound on so many levels," said Bill Faust, who's led the Falcons to consecutive Section VI titles. "He's a always been in it to help kids. For him, it's about integrity and commitment and striving for perfection. He just had a knack of being a leader and role model for the kids he coached. He taught them how to make the right decisions. I just happened to be the kid who was fortunate enough to grow up living in the same house."

William Faust wound up being a strong influence on those he came across inside and outside his home thanks to him prioritizing an environment of character building before the wins and losses. He said he even has a signed volleyball from many of his players with those same three words written on it that sits atop a bookshelf in his family room. 

"I went to one of my son's games the other night and one of his player's fathers asked me how many wins I had, and I smiled and said, ‘Oh, I don't really know; I've never really counted,'" Faust read. "I'm not going to stand here and tell you I didn't play to win or that winning wasn't important to me, but for me, it was never at the top of my priority list. As long as we were based in commitment, attitude and character, I may have never had a losing season or for that fact, have ever lost a game."

Much of what he learned was as a result of playing under former coach Charles O'Brien, who was one of seven of the original inductees into the WNY Volleyball Hall of Fame last year. Faust was on the Cleveland Hill volleyball team that started O'Briens 94-match win streak and named the captain of 1965's All-Western New Volleyball Team.

During his speech, Faust told the story of a student, the youngest of four brothers, whose father worked the late shift and mother had taken ill and because of that, he found himself often in some trouble. It wasn't until O'Brien approached and asked this young man to play volleyball that the student took a turn for the better.

"One day in school, the volleyball coach came up to this young man and gave him a candy bar, which the young man proceeded to take out of the wrapper and eat; at which point the coach asked him to come out and play volleyball," Faust said. "For the next three years of high school, volleyball and sports became the crutch that this young man needed to stay out of trouble. Of course, this young man was me 50 years ago."

He added, "I later asked coach about the candy bar — He told me, Bill, you give a young man a candy bar and if he takes it out of the wrapper to eat, you invite him to play volleyball; if he eats it with the wrapper on, you tell him to try out for football."

As a coach, Faust started the girls program in Ripley in 1974 and went undefeated in his first season, then two years later, moved on to Frontier where he also made history in beginning its boys program. He coached there from 1976 to 79. In 1978, the WNY Coach of the Year also took a club team from the area to play at the Junior Nationals in Poland.

By 1983, Faust was back at Frontier, this time coaching the girls team to a Division I South title. Just two years later, he would restart the Hamburg girls volleyball program and go on to the 1986 Class A finals in short time.

From there, Faust moved on to a new chapter in his life, as his son described it. When his children were in high school playing competitively, William put coaching aside to be there for his son and daughter and watch their games. Bill said that's what his father was all about — prioritizing. Like building character came before the wins; his family always came before anything else. Both siblings are still appreciative to this day.

"It's still exciting for him to talk about coaching and things that coaches go through," Bill said. "There's not so much a (Faust) legacy being built; it's just something we've both done and enjoyed for the right reasons...It's still very humbling to see all of the time and effort he's put in get rewarded. There are so many people he's touched through his work." 

Pierce's Sister Act in volleyball actually a family connection 
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Wednesday November 30, 2011

Lainy Pierce (left) and her older sister, Kendall, stand with their brother,
Declan, an eighth grader, who may be the next star Pierce volleyball
player, after Eden's Far West Regional win. (Photo by Michael J. Petro)

Kendall and Lainy Pierce aren't just two sisters playing volleyball at the same high school; they're stars of a sport with a rich tradition in their family and at Eden, and most importantly, they're best friends.

Within the family, particularly by their father and uncle, a culture of love for the game has been fostered and the siblings have grown together within that environment. It has helped them connect with each other and given both Division I college prospects the tools to share the spotlight.

While they may play contrasting styles and individually have their own strengths, the results are very much the same. The sisters respect the game of volleyball, their team and each other, which has helped them lead an effort to carry on the tradition of excellence associated with both the Eden program and Pierce name.

Kendall, a senior at Eden, and Lainy, a sophomore, have grown up learning these values from two brothers and coaches, who while also different people with different approaches, have taught them the value of being good teammates and working hard for everything they get. Their father, Robert Pierce, the boys volleyball coach at Eden, and uncle, Stephen Pierce, the girls' high school coach, have both provided the tools for them to succeed and the two have run with it.

"You can even see it at Randolph with Marah and McKenna Maycock (who's mother, Robin coaches the two girls at the Class D power) — there's kind of a sister power there that's tied to family," said Kendall, who is set to play as a preferred walk-on at one of the nation's top women's volleyball programs in Penn State.

"The communication has got to be there, so we're not bashing into each other on the court going for the same balls. I'm fortunate, too, because not many people get to play with their sister on the court or get along with their sister so well like we do. It's going to be weird next year (without her)."

Over the weekend, the sisters got to share in a third consecutive state title as Eden rolled through Class C without losing a game in pool play (6-0) and then defeating Rhinebeck in a three-game sweep (25-20, 25-12, 25-12) in the final led by the team's two biggest offensive threats.

Kendall, whose uncle believes she is the best player in New York State — thanks to her unstoppable work ethic and ability, in a small 5-foot-6 frame, finished with 18 kills in the final and 55 overall in being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Lainy was not too far behind, compiling 47 kills in nine games, including 19 kills and a team-leading 24 total points in the final.

"It's been a pleasure to have them for the past three years," said Stephen Pierce, who last season coached three of his nieces at once with Anna King on the team, as well. "Some sisters squabble but they work very nicely together. Their personalities may be different but they're both very supportive. They both have a love for the game and play at such a high level."

The past two-plus seasons, the two have steadily grown into bigger contributors at the highest of levels. Both played for a state championship team in 2009 – Kendall just breaking into the starting lineup and Lainy as an eighth grade call-up. Last year, they became two of the key hitters on a squad that repeated as Class B state champions.

"Even in eighth grade when I came in to serve for her, I felt so special being able to do that," Lainy said. "Then ninth grade came and I got to start and play all the time with her, and our relationship as sisters and teammates has just skyrocketed from there. I really love that I had the opportunity to play with Kendall."

Their roles expanded even further this year as Kendall was the team's go-to hitter and Lainy, sort of the 1-B option. All the while, they've been coached by their father and uncle, in addition to some of the area's top mentors while playing for the Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club and nationally at camps and in showcases.

"As a coach, it's easy for me to take a back seat, because when Stephen coaches them his standards are very high," said Robert Pierce, who has coached both his daughters at the 12-and-under, 10-and-under and 18s level, in addition to at camps. "They've also had other club coaches with the same personality and who make them work hard. We've been blessed with what they've been exposed to."

"They've played other sports like soccer and track, but what we were able to give them in the sport of volleyball allowed them to see success quicker and be happier in the sport," he added. "They always want to be out there on the court. They enjoy playing and practicing. Being in the arena of volleyball is their sanctity. It's where they forget about their problems and are most comfortable."

Their father said each have taken different paths to get here. He describes Kendall as a powerful player who absorbs and acknowledges instruction right away. She's somewhat of an old soul, who's a romantic, according to her father. On the other hand, a lankier Lainy has a smooth and athletic look to how she plays the game. She is a free thinker who takes a more easy approach to the game and is always excited about what the future holds, her father noted.

"There's always a lot of comparisons between the two because they're sisters but it is really not the same animal," Robert Pierce said. "They may have a different approach but both play hard and are very skilled. Both approach each other and their teammates with adoration and excitement and they admire each other's abilities."

While Kendall said she is impressed by how far her little sister's game has come along and Lainy is in awe of how successful her big sister has become, there's a competitiveness between the two that remains. That healthy competition has now also come to include their little brother, Declan, the next star in the family, who's following the same path to success, having played on the varsity at Eden this fall as just an eighth grader.

"We always keep in competition with each other," Kendall said. "We always want to be at our best so that neither of us are showing each other up. That's what helps drive and motivate us."

Much of the competitive juices come from a father and uncle, who both have accomplished so much in their own playing careers and as coaches both at Eden and the club level. It also doesn't hurt that their mother, Kiernan, was a Division I track and field athlete, as well. While both their father and uncle encourage them to train hard on a consistent basis, Kendall and Lainy appreciate being pushed to be at their best.

"They always make sure your ready," Kendall said. "They'll be tough on you, but that's what you're grateful for. That and my team is what has gotten me here and to Penn State."

"I have already seen it with my sister and what she's gone through and now I'm going to go through the same," Lainy added. "They keep on you and make sure you know your stuff."

What both girls have also gotten from their father, and mother, is a love for Penn State University, which is where the two attended and played at the collegiate level. Kendall will be fulfilling a childhood dream by getting to go to Penn State next fall.

"Above my bed and all around our room, I've always had magazines and posters of Penn State and USA volleyball," Kendall said. "It always seemed so far to reach out and touch but I've remained determined and with all of my coaches and players around me, they've helped push me to get there. We got the opportunity to go to a few Penn State camps. They liked my hard work but it wasn't until a year-and-a-half ago that I was able to get to that level."

Lainy has always thought about going to Penn State, as well, but she's keeping her options open. Of course, there's a part of Robert that admires her daughter's sense of wonderment about what's out there but another part of him that hopes she follows in the footsteps of her parents and sister.

While Lainy will have big shoes to fill when her sister leaves for college, both coaches agree that she'll be better for the experiences she had along side her sister.

"Lainy has had the luxury of watching her sister and will have the opportunities at the next level because of what she's learned," their father said. "The younger sister always seems to have an advantage, because she can sit back and watch the mistakes then through repetition, get it right."

"Kendall will be a tough act to follow but Lainy has already really come into her own," Stephen Pierce said. "She's a very gifted athlete who will do anything to finish off a play."

Their father believes that although his daughters may not want to admit it, both are feeling the anxiety of no longer playing together on the same team. But no matter who they're playing for in the future, they'll always have the connection created by volleyball, family and sisterhood.

Solid season by Kenmore West volleyball team 
By: Dave Ricci, Sports Reporter | Sports
Friday November 18, 2011

When it was all said and done, it was a pretty good season for both the Kenmore West girls' and boys' volleyball teams.

The Ken-West boys saw their season come to a close when they fell in three sets to top-seeded Frontier in the Section VI quarterfinals. The Blue Devils earned their trip to Frontier by virtue of a three-set sweep of Niagara Falls in the AA Prequarterfinals that were played at the Ken-West Athletic Complex.

The Blue Devils had more than their fair share of struggles early on. 

Never mind winning a game, early on they were unable to keep it together long enough to win a single set. But through it all coach Gary Tocke never lost faith in his team and the kids kept trying. 

The pay off came in small doses, like the unmatched look of satisfaction on everyone's face when they finally scored a single-set win over North Tonawanda on Oct.3. To the outsider it may have been a small victory, but those close to the team know it was watershed moment and the reward for never giving up on themselves or each other.

The boys say goodbye to co-captains Tim Kelly and Scott Lachut as well as fellow seniors Matt Ellsworth and Michael Burgio. 

Tocke is very excited about the returning players he has, especially sophomore Niko Mancuso, freshman Charles Manzella and junior libero Chris Dymond.

"I think we'll be a better team," Tocke said as he looks to 2012. "While have a group of kids returning that have varsity experience."

H.S. Boys Volleyball: Lake Shore again finds a way to beat Hamburg, wins first sectional title since 1995 
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Friday November 18, 2011

Lake Shore's 2011 Section VI championship winning boys volleyball team included
Dylan Prohavic, Ryan Spears, Nick Burbige, Austin Van Slycke, Ryan Joslyn,
Connor Govenettio, Billy Pinter, Dane Cala, Tyler Freeman, Cody Pudlewski,
Clark Brueckl, Travis Wright and Brad Owens.

Both coaches knew it going in to "Hamburg/Lake Shore Part III." The team that played the most consistent until the very last point was going to win a sectional title.

Hamburg looked like it would be that team. In fact, the Bulldogs were just one point away from a victory. But they'd never get that decisive point and Lake Shore escaped with a thrilling win and the Class B championship in the third five-game match between the two ECIC Division II rivals this season.

Lake Shore won its first sectional title since 1995 by coming from 2-1 down to win the fourth game, 25-21, then find a way in a 27-25 victory in Game 5 on Nov. 9 inside Hamburg's home gym. Hamburg had opened with a 25-23 victory and after dropping Game 2, 25-20, bounced back to win the third game, 25-21.

"When it's that tight, back and forth through fives games, we're fortunate that we were able to be a little more consistent at the very end," Lake Shore head coach John Coyle said. "As erratic as we were at times in Game 5, they were able to show their toughness at the end. It's a real nice group of kids."

The Bulldogs led 24-21 but squandered two match points on unforced errors. Lake Shore junior Ryan Joslyn, who finished with a match-high 26 kills, came through with four straight service points to give the Eagles a 25-24 lead. 

"I knew it was no time to go for an ace," Joslyn noted. "Just get it in; that's all I was thinking."

After a Connor Krolikowski kill tied the game at 25 apiece, Connor Govenettio notched the biggest of his 11 kills to put the Eagles back in the lead, then the decisive point was scored on a Hamburg miscue.

"We've played them twice before and it's gone to five games," Joslyn said. "It's just been about digging deep and playing defense."

Coyle noted that his senior leader Ryan Spears came up with a key block of Hamburg's lethal senior middle Eric Moscato late in the match that helped turn the momentum back in Lake Shore's favor. Moscato led Hamburg with 20 kills, while Spears recorded 13 kills and 13 blocks.

"That was something else," Coyle said. "These guys always find a way to win. It's really hard to explain sometimes. Hamburg played a great match. They came out and were ready. It was the best they played in our three matches."

Still, it was Joslyn that was the driving force behind the Game 5 win. The Eagles repeatedly went to the outside in allowing Joslyn to square up and swing. He notched six kills in the fifth game.

"Ryan came up big," Coyle said. "I kept telling my setter (junior Billy Pinter), go to Ryan, go to Ryan. He may have gotten blocked once or twice and doesn't have the greatest vertical in the world, but he masks his shots, he hits lines, crosses and dips and pulls the block toward him to open the court. He was our key figure tonight."

Also for Lake Shore, which received the all-around team effort Coyle hoped for, senior Nick Burbige guided Lake Shore to a fourth game win with four kills and four blocks — he finished with 15 kills, while junior Dane Cala came up with 19 digs and senior Austin Van Slycke added seven kills.

Joslyn believed it was the maturity that grew from the first time playing Hamburg in a division match in mid-September to finishing as runners-up in the Orchard Park Tournament late last month that has helped Lake Shore along on this path.

"We matured a lot since the first Hamburg match, which was close but we didn't play our best," Joslyn said. "By the time, we got to the Orchard Park Tournament, you could tell we got a lot better. Mentally, we're definitely tougher now."

Coyle contributes his team's big finishes to its ability to stay calm no matter the circumstances.

"I told them the pressure is off you guys," Coyle said to his team before the match. "We're going there and Hamburg's got the pressure on them to win at home. I told them to go in there relaxed, work hard and don't get too stressed out about anything. Once in a while it happens, but they usually don't get frazzled."

Hamburg senior Matt Birt stood out in Game 5 in a losing effort, recording four of his 16 kills, while adding a key block. Fellow upperclassmen Eric Simoncelli, Josh Babcock and Brian Kiel were also big contributors for Hamburg.

The Bulldogs, under Brian Carroll, were playing in their third straight championship match, last year losing to Eden and the year prior winning Class A. This season was another fine one for the program; its only undoing was three losses to regular season division champion Lake Shore. In all three, the Bulldogs led either 2-1 or 2-0 in games.

In the Far West Regional, Lake Shore bowed out in three games to Section V Victor of Rochester, 25-15, 25-20, 25-21, on Nov. 12 at Webster-Schroeder. Joslyn led the Eagles with seven kills. The Eagles ended their season with a 17-4 mark.

H.S. Boys Volleyball: Frontier celebrates two years at the top of WNY 
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Friday November 18, 2011

Frontier's 2011 Section VI championship boys volleyball team included
Muhamed Catovic, Matt Taylor, Drew Durni, Nick Smalter, Joe Crozier,
Tom Scheck, Kevin Hannon, Derek Hosken, Spencer Avery,
Dave Piniewski, Dylan Durni, Jake Gleason and Matt Monaco.

Frontier's dominant talent has been on clear display for the past two seasons. It's the Falcons fortitude that was tested when faced with a lopsided game lost in the Section VI championship.

The Falcons looked well on their way to coasting to consecutive Class A titles, but before so, had to overcome what all of a sudden became quite the competitive match with Orchard Park, after the Quakers dominated in a 25-12 Game 3 to pull within 2-1 in the match.

It could have been a demoralizing, match-changing loss, but the senior-led Falcons were able to pass the test of will. Frontier, winners of the first two games, 25-20, 25-13, regained its usual form and finished off the match, 25-22.

"In that third game, I had no answers and I don't think my team did either. Boy, the wind went right out of our sails there," Frontier head coach Bill Faust said. "But a lot of our guys are seniors and have seen a lot of volleyball, so I thought they'd respond and they did answer. I think some of our guys were a little fatigued and we had other guys step up. That's why it's a great team."

Senior outside hitter Nick Smalter, who was the focus of the Orchard Park block in Game 3, bounced back in the deciding game with five of his 13 kills. Drew Durni took advantage of the attention given to Smalter on the outside, pounding down six of his 14 kills throughout the court in Game 4. Matt Taylor made much of that happen, recording 33 assists and adding five well-timed kills from his setter spot. 

Orchard Park tied the score at 20 apiece in Game 4, but Frontier relied on all that it has done so well and its experience from over the past two seasons to find a way to close out the match.

"We just started to play as a team," Smalter said. "We got back to what we do best, which is passing, blocking and hitting. We just got back to our game."

Smalter also pointed out that his teammates, fellow senior Kevin Hannon and sophomore Dylan Durni, in the middle, notched some big kills and provided contributions which became turning points in the match. "It was an all-around good team effort," he noted.

The Falcons coasted through the second game and looked on their way to an easy match as the two teams met for a second straight season in the Class A final. However, Orchard Park could do no wrong and put Frontier's celebration off for a game. The Quakers hit with authority and mixed up its defense in confusing Frontier enough to get out to an 18-3 start, before finishing off the game.

"We had to have some guys step up for us," Faust said. "We had a game plan and for the most part, we stuck to it, except for in that third game. I've got to hand it to O.P. — they brought it. I thought we had the mental toughness and heart to persevere and we did. I'm real proud of my guys for that."

Faust believed if Frontier was at its best, his team could hang with anyone. In the opening game of the Far West Regional, he was exactly right. Frontier knocked off McQuaid in the opener, but the team out of Rochester, perceived to be the state's best, came back strong to win the next three and advance to the state tournament. The Falcons finished this season at 29-4, two of its losses coming at the hands of McQuaid.

The loss ended the high school careers of college prospects Tom Scheck, Smalter, Durni and Taylor, whose emergence in the program has helped lead the varsity to a remarkable 59-5 mark the past two seasons. Freshman two-year starter Jake Gleason, along with seniors Muhamed Catovic and Hannon have also been contributors during that time.

"It feels great to be able to win (a sectional title) two straight years," Smalter said. "I love this group of guys and I know I'll remember this forever...A bunch of us also play club together so we see each other all the time and hang out all the time."

North seniors sign letters of intent
Attea decides on West Virginia for volleyball, Battaglia to swim at Canisius 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee 
November 16, 2011

Nikki Attea will continue her volleyball career in the Big 12.

The Williamsville North senior left-side hitter signed a letter of intent with West Virginia University on Monday in the North gymnasium. West Virginia is scheduled to move from the Big East to the Big 12 starting next year.

“The Big 12 is one of the best volleyball conferences in Division I volleyball,” the 6-foot-3 Attea said. “It’s definitely a big step up. I hope I’m prepared when I get there.”

Attea had offers from the University at Buffalo and Syracuse University as well as the University of Maryland, which she originally verbally committed to. After decommitting from Maryland, she became interested in West Virginia as soon as she visited the campus.

“West Virginia is such an amazing college town,” Attea said. “There is so much spirit and history. The coaching staff is great, and they have what it takes to help us compete at a high level in collegiate volleyball. It’s going to be really fun.”

Attea will have a great chance at seeing significant playing time as a freshman. Three of the five outside hitters on West Virginia’s current roster will graduate this year. Attea is one of five players to sign letters of intent but is the only outside hitter.

“It’s something to work for because it’s a definite possibility,” Attea said.

“Nikki will bring nice size and a great skill set as an outside hitter to our program as we enter the Big 12 conference,” West Virginia coach Jill Kramer said in a statement on the West Virginia website. “She is experienced attacking from the left and right side and is one of the premier volleyball players coming out of the state of New York this year.” 

Attea credits her Niagara Frontier club volleyball coaches, Robert Pierce and Don Pieczynski, for getting her exposed to colleges.

“We went to big qualifying tournaments where most of the exposure is, but I wouldn’t be half the volleyball player I am without my club coaches,” Attea said. “They were a tremendous help in developing me into a Division I volleyball player.”

Attea will major in computer science and software applications with the hopes of being a software engineer. She will attend West Virginia on a full athletic scholarship.

Attea led North to its first ECIC Division I and Section VI titles in school history. A four-year starter, Attea holds single-season and career records for kills, with 699 in her senior year, and 1,471 in her career.

In addition to the 699 kills this fall, Attea recorded 162 blocks, 95 aces and 284 digs. She finished her career with 494 blocks, 213 aces and 689 digs.

Attea is one of four finalists for New York Gatorade Player of the Year and was selected as a preseason Under Armour All-American. She also helped North’s girls basketball and softball teams to section titles last year.

“How often do you get a Division I stud athlete on your team?” North coach Keith Hopkins said. “She jumps and is athletic. She’s dominant at the net and has a great jump-serve. Her defense has really improved over the last year and a half. It’s going to be tough to replace her. She’ll have a great career at West Virginia.” 

Clare Battaglia 

Battaglia was looking to go away for school but ended up choosing Canisius College.

“I told myself I didn’t want to go there,” Battaglia said, who was also looking at Duquesne University, Bucknell University and Geneseo State College. “It was too close to home. I saw that my [Tonawanda Titans] club coach [Scott Vanderzell] is the head coach at Canisius, so I went on a recruiting trip and fell in love with it. A week after my trip, I definitely knew I was going there.”

Battaglia wants to major in athletic training or health and wellness with a minor in psychology. She wants to be an occupational therapist.

Canisius is getting a great swimmer. She’s the most decorated swimmer in North history, earning seven ECIC titles and four section titles (100-yard backstroke, 200 medley relay, two in 200 IM) in her six-year high school career. She has school records in the 200 free, 200 IM and 100 back and has the North pool record in the 200 free. She won the team’s high-point award the past two years, was chosen as the team’s most valuable swimmer from 2008 to 2010, and was unanimously chosen as the team captain this past fall.

“I think it’s a great fit for her,” North coach Doug Cassidy said. “She wanted to continue her swimming career. She’s worked with the Canisius coach in her club team. She’ll not only get the type of high-level elite training that she needs, but she’ll be part of a supportive team.”

Battaglia is also a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society and is a New York State Scholar Athlete.

Battaglia is going to Canisius on an athletic and academic scholarship.

North wins first section title, loses in regional
Girls Volleyball 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 16, 2011

Williamsville North’s greatest season in girls volleyball came to an end in the Class “A” Far West Regional on Saturday at Sweet Home High School.

The Lady Spartans lost to Section V’s Our Lady of Mercy, 25-17, 25-16, 15-25, 25-18.

“The difference in the game was they picked up balls off their block and we couldn’t seem to get to them,” North coach Keith Hopkins said. “They were just outside the reach of our fingers. It’s a game of inches.”

North had a tough time in the first game handling the jump-serving of junior Jess Simonetti, who served 13 of Mercy’s points.

North fell behind by five points early in the second game and never recovered.

The third game was close until North scored seven points in a row to extend a 17-14 lead to 24-14.

“We told them after game two, we’re playing too tentative,” Hopkins said. “We can’t be giving them free balls. We have to be the hammer instead of the nail. Any chance we get, rip at a ball — and they did, and that changed momentum and they started giving us free balls. Unfortunately, the shoe was on the other foot for only one game.”

North grabbed an early 4-1 lead in the fourth game but never led the rest of the match, only cutting the deficit to 16-15.

“We were doing it for each other,” senior left-side hitter Nikki Attea said. “We worked so hard together for all of these years, and we weren’t about to let it go without a fight, and we did for the last few matches.”

Attea led North with 23 kills and four blocks. Junior setter Emily Hopkins fought through a twisted ankle she suffered toward the end of the third game to finish with 31 assists and four kills. Junior Haley Adams had eight kills and five blocks. Junior Haley Short added 17 digs.

Top-seeded North opened the week by winning its first Section VI girls volleyball title in a thrilling five-game match with second-seed Hamburg on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Sweet Home High School. Hamburg was the two-time defending section champions.

The Lady Spartans won the first two sets, 25-23, 25-19, lost the next two games, 21-25, 21-25, and registered the win in the fifth game, 25-17.

“It’s so special to be a part of something this great, building from the ground up and to have a sectional championship for it,” Attea said. “It shows off all our hard work throughout the years and how close we have grown together.”

“It’s unbelievable,” Emily Hopkins said. “It’s been our goal for the entire season. The girls pulled together and worked hard.”

After losing the third and fourth games in what coach Hopkins called a crisis of confidence, he felt his team finally played its best game in the fifth game.

“That was the match we finally played to win rather than not to lose,” coach Hopkins said.

The fifth game was tied at 15-15, but back-to-back kills by Attea moved North ahead. 17-15. Attea registered kills on six of North’s final seven points, many off of assists from Emily Hopkins, to clinch the win.

“They struggled throughout this match connecting, and it showed,” coach Hopkins said. “When it mattered in the fifth game, they were there.”

Attea finished the match with 33 kills on 66 swings. She had nine kills in the fifth game.

“Nikki came through like we expect her to,” coach Hopkins said. “She was the best player on the court. She dominated game five.”

Emily Hopkins handed out 55 assists. Short had 22 digs, senior Erika Sercu tacked on 12 digs and freshman Lauren Schreiner added 12 kills and 11 digs.

North finishes 31-6-2. The 31 wins are a single-season school record. They also won the ECIC Division I title for the first time ever.

“It’s been a great year,” coach Hopkins said.

“I don’t regret anything about it,” Attea said. “It’s been such an incredible ride. It’s nice to know we’re leaving the program as something we built up into something so great.”

Attea, Sercu, Tori Manzella, Kristen Kubala and Erica Lyskawa are the five seniors on the team.

Coach inducted into Volleyball Hall of Fame 
November 10, 2011

Walt Stefani, Orchard Park Central School District's longtime varsity volleyball coach, will be inducted into the Western New York Volleyball Hall of Fame on Thursday, Nov. 10, at Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant.

Stefani, who has coached for 30 years and is also an Orchard Park teacher, has had countless achievements as a varsity volleyball coach in Orchard Park, according to a release.

The team has won 18 divisional championships, eight Section "A" championships and three Regional 

New York State championships. The team has had several undefeated seasons including a 25-0 season and winning all Western New York tournaments in 1991 and a 34-0 undefeated season in 2008, the second in the high school's history.

South upsets Eden, falls to Lake Shore in semifinal 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter
The Amherst Bee 
November 9, 2011

Eleventh-seed Williamsville South made its deepest postseason run in the Section VI Class B boys volleyball tournament since losing in the 2006 section final to Eden, falling to second-seed Lake Shore, 14-25, 21-25, 19-25, in a Class B semifinal on Saturday at Orchard Park High School.

"I told the kids to be real aggressive and they were," South coach Thom Knab. "Lake Shore is a really good passing and attacking team and their passing and attacking was a little better than ours."

Senior Brian Kraus led South with five kills.

Williamsville South's Anthony Podgorzak attempts a kill versus Ryan Joslyn of Lake Shore 
in a Section VI Class B semifinal on Saturday at Orchard Park High School. The Billies lost, 
13-25, 21-25, 19-25. Photo by John NormilePurchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Knab lauded the play of senior right side hitter Jimmy Spellman, who was active on the court in his hitting and blocking.
"His overall game was strong on that day," Knab said.

South advanced to the semifinals after upsetting third-seed Eden, 25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 25-23, in a quarterfinal on Wednesday. It's South's first win over Eden in a dozen tries in the 25 years Knab has coached the Billies.
"I knew we had the talent to do it," Knab said. "It was a matter of getting the talent to come together and perform on the same day. I'm happy they were able to peak at the right moment."

Kraus led the Billies with 10 kills and 10 blocks. Sophomore Anthony Podgorzak had 10 kills.

Knab also lauded the play of senior setter Leo Lynett.

"He was very active and did a good job running all over the court and had good placement," Knab said. "His setting allowed us to be a lot stronger on our attack."

South finishes 13-8, including 6-6 in ECIC Division II. Knab graduates five seniors: Kraus, Lynett, Spellman, outside hitter Dylan Cottrell and middle hitter Mike Mutignani.

Podgorzak led South with 516 attacks and 180 kills. 

Kraus recorded 171 kills out of 483 attempts and 135 blocks out of 181 attempts. Lynett handed out 527 assists on 1,873 attempts. 

Injury derails Amherst volleyball versus Hamburg 
Amherst Bee
November 9, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team’s season came to an end in the Section VI Class B quarterfinals.

Fourth-ranked Hamburg beat visiting fifth-ranked Amherst, 16-25, 16-25, 15-25, on Wednesday.

Amherst coach Peter Wlosinski said both teams started the first game alternating points and then his team made a few errors.

About halfway through the first game, senior co-captain Evan Thielman, after going up for an attack, tried to avoid hitting the net and twisted his ankle. Wlosinski substituted 6-foot-2 sophomore Christian Green for Thielman.

In the second game, Wlosinski moved junior Alex Turecki from middle blocker to outside hitter and Green to middle blocker.

“Our team was used to the changes in lineup during the season, but we struggled to establish ourselves,” Wlosinski said. “Hamburg set a good block and went all out on defense. It was hard for our team to overcome Evan’s injury and the power that Hamburg brought at the net. We still left the gym with our heads held high as our season came to an end. Our team was laughing and reminiscing on the entire ride home.”

Senior Tom Mellody led Amherst with eight kills, two aces, nine digs and four blocks. Turecki had seven kills, three aces, eight digs and two blocks. Thielman added two kills and eight digs.

Junior Jesse Summa-Dowd (16 assists), junior Gabe Radoccia Feuerstein (10 digs), senior Jailyn Twitty (four kills, two blocks), juniors Mike Fowler (three digs) and Colton Probst (four digs) and Green (one kill) also contributed.

Amherst finishes 12-7. Wlosinski said he will miss the senior class of Mellody, Thielman, Summa-Dowd and Twitty.

Throughout Mellody’s three years on varsity, he recorded 41, 145 and 195 kills, totaling 381. He also accumulated 126 blocks and 90 aces.

“Overall, he helped the team earn 564 points, and if you put all those points together, he won over 22 games for Amherst,” Wlosinski said. “Tom was a quiet, yet powerful player. He was humble about his athletic ability and had an incredible knowledge of the game. Last year, he earned ECIC III First Team honors.”

As a two-year starter, Thielman had 85 and 150 kills, totaling 235. He also provided 71 aces and 35 blocks. Thielman earned 200 points this season, improving on last year’s 128 points.

“He was a true leader of our team,” Wlosinski said. “His command on the court and inspirational words helped bring the team together. Last year, he earned ECIC III Second Team honors.”

Summa-Dowd was a starting setter for two years. He provided 376 and 395 assists, totaling 771. He also had 64 aces.

“Jesse will be missed as a setter,” Wlosinski said. “The position demands so much from a player and Jesse brought everything he had. He controlled much of the game and made the appropriate decisions when they were needed.”

Twitty only played a little over a month, but acquired 42 kills and 38 blocks.

“His ability to jump caught the eyes of everyone,” Wlosinski said. “He skied above the net with ease and took his athleticism to the court.”

H.S. Boys Volleyball: Hamburg/Lake Shore to meet in "B" final; Frontier back to defend "A" title
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Wednesday November 9, 2011

It doesn't get much better than when two of the best teams in Class A renew a local rivalry that has already provided two of the more entertaining five-game matches in Section VI high school boys volleyball.

After each coasted to three game sweeps on "Semifinal Saturday" (Nov. 5) at Orchard Park, Lake Shore and Hamburg got the opportunity to face off for a third and final time in 2011, but this time with a sectional title on the line. 

Lake Shore came out on top in both of the regular season matches between the pair of evenly matched teams, but that took coming from behind in the first match after being down two games and in the second after trailing 2-1. You can only imagine what's in store for Round 3, on Wednesday, Nov. 9 starting 6 p.m. at Hamburg High School.

"It's going to be fun," said Hamburg head coach Brian Carroll, who said his relationship with and mutual respect for Lake Shore head coach John Coyle goes way back. "I look forward to it. I have a lot of respect for their program. I hope it goes five games. I mean, it's already gone five twice. I just hope it turns out better for us this time."

The first two times around, Lake Shore was the more consistent team and passed with a little more effectiveness in eking out matches against a taller Hamburg squad. Coyle knows that same continuity from each and every player on the floor will be imperative to again getting by last year's Class B finalist, especially playing in the Bulldogs' home gym.

"We've had two or three kids who were our big hitters so far in the playoffs; when we play Hamburg, all of our guys need to contribute," Coyle said. "Just like in the first match at their place, I'm sure the gym will be packed and their fans will be loud. Both teams will need to be firing on all cylinders to win. It's going to be some match."

Hamburg will be looking for that edge in attempting to shut the door on their rival this time around.

"Both teams weren't in high gear today (in the semifinals), but I think both teams will turn it up when we play each other. Now that we're in the same division and now that there's a real rivalry and just the fact that we lost twice and they were all such close games, makes this a great match," Carroll said. "The difference may be whether the kids want it. The match could turn on what team will make two more plays or which team makes two more ball handling errors at the end of a game." 

While Hamburg makes a third straight appearance in a Section VI final, Lake Shore is back for the first time since 2001 when it lost to Lancaster with a Class A title on the line. After spending most of the 1990s playing Eden teams in the Class B finals, the Eagles have been one of the smallest teams playing in Class A for most of the past decade.

That ended last year as Lake Shore was back down in Class B and just in the nick of time. The Eagles program has been building back up and on the rise, last season losing to eventual Division II champion Eden in a five-game semifinal thriller. 

"For years, we had been stuck as the smallest team in Class A," Coyle said. "It's good to have gotten over the hump. I look at a kid like Billy Pinter (junior setter) who I brought up during the playoffs and had on the bench as a freshman, and he's come full circle in our program. It's good to see a guy like that get to the next point." 

Though Coyle noted that his team was not totally in sync during the semifinal, Lake Shore beat fellow ECIC II foe Williamsville South for a third time this season, 25-14, 25-21, 25-19. The Eagles relied heavily on Ryan Joselyn, who finished with 18 kill and nine blocks, Ryan Spears, who contributed 10 kills and seven blocks, and Connor Govenettio, who added 10 kills. Pinter also notched 47 assists.

Coyle realized his team needed to clear up some lapses, such as 14 service errors in the semifinal, and some he saw in the quarterfinal round in beating Williamsville East in four games.

"We get in little lapses where we're not as aggressive and we have not served as well as we could," said Coyle, whose team last won a title in 1995. "Our strength is still in our passing and we'll rely on that."

South was actually a surprise semifinal opponent after the Billies upset defending champion and third-seeded Eden in four games in the quarterfinals. The Raiders had been missing some of their regular starters down the stretch of the season, including their injured starting setter.

"We knew South could give teams some problems; when they're on, they're tenacious," Coyle noted. "I didn't think they'd beat Eden but I knew they'd have a chance. They just were able to jump on them."

Hamburg used its strength in the middle to get by top-seeded Grand Island 25-15, 25-13, 25-19. Eric Moscato, a 6-foot-5 senior, was on his game, according to Carroll, and delivered some powerful kills in the middle, while Matt Birt came alive in the third game with five kills. Carroll noted that junior libero Mitch Shafer was the best player at his position for Hamburg.

"We went to our strength," Carroll said. "We didn't show everything we can do because we knew Lake Shore was watching like we watched them so we didn't want tip our hand. Playing in a sectional final, you take a win any way you can. It doesn't have to be pretty all the time. At times, we've looked really good and at times, we've been a little lazy."

Frontier heats back up, to defend title against O.P.

Even a team like Frontier, which has maintained a span of dominance over the past two seasons, experiences issues that result in players taking the time to refocus themselves on their goals and how they can be captured.

In the wake of the team's first loss to a Western New York opponent in two seasons — falling 3-1 to Canisius in the regular season finale, Falcons' head coach Bill Faust said his group took a moment for reflection over the past week before going forward in the playoffs.

As a result, Frontier came out with an inspired performance to get back to the Class A final, one match away from consecutive Section VI titles.

Top-seeded Frontier recorded a three-game sweep of No. 4 Lancaster, 25-18, 25-16, 25-18 in the Class A semifinal on Nov. 5 at Orchard Park. That win, coupled with second-seeded Orchard Park beating Lockport, sets up a fourth showdown this season between the division rivals on Nov. 9 after the Class B title game.

"These guys looked at themselves and on their own, came up with what they had to do and I think you saw that tonight," said Faust, whose team improved to 28-3 overall. "We really had to execute tonight and we did that. We did it at the net, serving and passing. I think when we do the things we need to do and bring our "A" Game, we're a hard team to beat."

Faust knows the hitting power we'll be there in virtually every match, but he wanted to see whether his team could bring the same intensity in other facets of the game. He was pleasantly surprised.

"We know we can hit, but can we play defense at the same level?," Faust said. "That was our goal tonight. We did some of the little things. When we become a good defensive team, I think it makes us an even tougher team."

Senior Nick Smalter led Frontier with 14 kills and three service aces. Faust also noted that his other standout seniors gave a little extra effort as they played through ailments. Setter Matt Taylor played well despite nursing a leg injury and Drew Durni enjoyed a big game while playing through a cold. The high-flying Tom Scheck also helped pace the team at the net and on serve.

The Class A final will pit Frontier, which is the co-top ranked team in Western New York with Canisius, against WNY's No. 3 in Orchard Park. The Falcons have won the team's two regular season matches and one in the semifinals of the Eden Tournament but they were challenged in all three.

"It's an awesome rivalry, there will be electricity in the air for this one," Faust said. "We've got experience; we've got guys that want it; and I hope we take it."

Lake Shore ends East's season
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter
The Amherst Bee 
November 9, 2011

Second-seed Lake Shore ended seventh-seed Williamsville East's season, 25-10, 14-25, 25-15, 25-10, in a Section VI Class B boys volleyball quarterfinal held on Wednesday at Lake Shore.

"We could play with them for short periods of time but could not match their hitting and passing," East coach Mike Braunscheidel said. "Their serve-receive passing was incredible."
Braunscheidel said his team was passing the ball for a good set only 37 percent of the time, well below the team's season average of 60 percent.

East only amassed eight kills in the match.

The only area that kept East in the game was its serving. They got 98 percent of its serves in play.
Tom Wisniewski had four blocks and had an ace and nine playable serves to finish 10 for 10 on serves.

East finishes 13-6, its best record in 21 years.

"The JV and varsity teams had outstanding seasons," Braunscheidel said. "As coaches we continue to stress the evolution of a winning culture and winning attitudes on and off the court. The culture change started this past winter when several of the players attended Panther Volleyball Club, which gave them the opportunity to gain experience and continue to develop in the offseason, which in turn translated to more rapid player development."

East graduates six players — Tom Styn (setter), Tom Kline (weakside hitter), Connor Keenan (middle hitter), Max Schwarz (outside hitter), Ryan Zaloom (utility player) and Matt Petrie (libero).

Styn led the Flames with 301 assists and 15 aces, Kline was second on the team with 24 blocks, Keenan led with 32 blocks, Schwarz paced East with 180 kills and 147 playable passes off the serve, Wisniewski led with 238 attacks and was second with 97 kills, Petrie finished second with 11 aces and freshman call-up Dylan Cicero led the team in serving percentage with 96 percent. Cicero, Wisniewski and James Purkiss are returning starters.

North rallies over NT, reaches first section final 
Girls volleyball 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 9, 2011

Williamsville North is one win away from making girls volleyball history.

The top-seeded Lady Spartans came from behind to beat visiting fourth-seed North Tonawanda, 25-19, 19-25, 25-22, 25-12, in a Section VI Class A semifinal on Thursday.

The win moves the Lady Spartans (35-2) into the Class A final against second-seed Hamburg. The match was held on Tuesday at Sweet Home High School, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. It’s the first time North has appeared in a girls volleyball final.

The winner plays Section V’s Mercy in the Class A Far West Regional at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Sweet Home.

North missed eight serves in the first game against NT and still won by six points.

After losing the second game, the Lady Spartans trailed, 22-16, in the third game before senior Erika Sercu served out the last eight points of the match, including two aces, to rally the team.

Junior Emily Hopkins had a key block and Sercu dove for a dig to set up a pass for Hopkins, who set it for Nikki Attea for a kill, in the rally.

North’s performance in the third game carried over in the fourth game. Junior Haley Adams served 10 points in a row and had two digs during the rally.

Attea finished with 26 kills. Emily Hopkins had 34 assists and six blocks. Sercu and Adams provided some key digs, coach Hopkins said. Junior Haley Short added 15 digs.

Coach Hopkins said senior Tori Manzella, Adams and freshman Lauren Schreiner also contributed to the victory.

North opened its postseason with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-16 prequarterfinal win over West Seneca East on Tuesday, Nov. 1. 

“We hadn’t played in eight days so we were a little rusty, but we improved as the match went on,” coach Hopkins said.

Attea paced North with 29 kills and six aces. Emily Hopkins added 26 assists and five aces. Short contributed 16 digs. 

Williamsville East 

The Lady Flames will not appear in its second straight Class A section final after falling to North Tonawanda, 23-25, 23-25, 16-25, in a Class A quarterfinal on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

“I think we let the frustration of the first two losses get to us, and we did not have anything left for the third game,” East coach Scott Wright said.

Wright said the third game was close until NT scored six straight points and then another four points to put the game out of reach.

Throughout the match, Wright felt NT served tough, and his team struggled in passing and serve-receive.

“We missed two serves and mishandled six serves in the first two games,” Wright said. “That’s 18 chances where we did not have chances to score points based on our mistakes.”

Junior Erica Moser led East with 21 kills. Junior Allyson Rung and freshman Natalie Berrafato split 32 assists.

East finishes 13-4. Four seniors graduate: defensive specialist Storey Nowaczyk, middle hitters Melissa Davis and Savannah Smith, and outside hitter Tara Schiumo.

The good news is many players return, including Moser, Rung and Berrafato. 

Sacred Heart 

The fifth-seeded Sharks won the Monsignor Martin Association title the past two years but they won’t this year, losing to fourth-seed Nardin, 26-24, 19-25, 19-25, 18-25, in a quarterfinal on Monday, Oct. 31.

“It was a hard-fought game by both sides,” Sharks’ coach Mike Jans said. “Nardin was able to catch us in a few rotations in each game to get a lead on us.”

Jans said his team rallied to win the first game. Jans said Nardin cleaned up its serving in the second, third and fourth games and tightened its game down with a lot of rallies.

Sharks junior Emily Ludwig posted nine blocks and four kills.

Senior Sam Boron closed out a stellar four-year career with 10 kills. Boron is the only senior on the team. She was named to the All-Catholic First Team.

“She has been a key to the program for the last four years,” Jans said. “This year, she’s taken on more of a different role with hitting. We switched our scheme from a 5-1 to a 6-2, allowing her to hit in the front row, and she was our best hitter across the year. No matter what role I gave her, she excelled at it. She makes everyone else on the court better.”

Sacred Heart finishes 8-7 overall and 7-6 in league play.

Eden defeats North volleyball in four 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 9, 2011

Williamsville North’s run in the Section VI Class B playoffs ended with a four-game loss to Eden in a quarterfinal match on Oct. 28. Eden won 25-15, 19-25, 25-23, 25-19.

North coach Mike Minnuto did not like the way his team played in the first game but they responded well in the second game.

“It was our worst game of the year,” Minnuto said. “We dominated the second game and gained a lot of confidence.”

Minnuto said his team carried the momentum into the third game. North led 21-20 and then served two balls out of bounds, had a net call and a carry call and trailed, 24-21.

“That was a huge swing in the game,” Minnuto said.

Marc Peterson had 10 kills and Tyler Penberthy recorded eight blocks to lead North.

North opened sectionals with a 25-18, 25-20, 25-17 prequarterfinal home win over Sweet Home on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Ryan Winkler recorded 12 kills. Justin Fillmore had three aces and Tyler Penberthy posted 10 blocks. Mike Szelazkiewicz handed out 23 assists.

“I think it was our best game of the year,” Minnuto said. “We served really strong and had a good block.”

North finishes 8-12. The only senior on the team is Winkler.

Penberthy averaged nine kills per match. Peterson averaged eight kills per match. Szelazkiewicz averaged 12 assists per game and Penberthy averaged 10 blocks per match. Justin Fillmore led North in serving percentage with 90 percent. All five are juniors. Other returning players will be juniors Conor Gust, Scott Keily, Zack Morrison and Cam McDonald, sophomore Will Stryker and freshman Owen Green.

“We made lots of improvement this season with a young team and are looking forward to a much more confident team next year,” Minnuto said.

Tim Kelly Sets a Good Example
By: Dave Ricci, Sports Reporter | Sports
Saturday November 5, 2011

Tim Kelly was there because, well, quite frankly it was the right place to be.

On Oct. 20 the Kenmore West Blue Devils volleyball team fell in for games to rival Ken-East. It was the final game of an all too challenging regular season for the Blue Devils. But before the players went their separate ways for the night coach Gary Tocke reminded them that the very next night the JV team would be playing Ken-East at home. Tocke added that it would be nice if the varsity guys went to the game to support the JV boys and show the younger kids that the program is one big family.

That's why Tim Kelly was walking into the Ken-West Athletic Complex on Friday, Oct.21. To support the younger kids. Because that's what a good a leader does. And Tim Kelly is nothing if not a good leader and teammate.

"I said we practice and play the same way (hard). And guess what? He practices hard and he tries hard" said Tocke. 

"Sometimes he might do too much and it takes a little away from his game. But you know what he's made a tremendous contribution. We have played better. We are playing better as the season goes on and the big reason is Tim Kelly."

Knowing that this was going to be a transition season for the program the Blue Devils knew from Day One of training camp that with no pure volleyball stud on the team, they were going to be facing tough battles every night.

Coming into his second season of varsity, Kelly, who is a co-captain with Scot Lachut, knew that it was vital that he set a good tone for everyone to follow, each and everyday on the court.

"I tried helping everybody out as much as I could," Kelly said. "Do as much as I could in every game. Pick up every ball try to help everybody. Try to show them where to be (on the court)."

While leaders seem to be defined in two separate categories, either by example or vocally. Kelly, who was the team's top outside hitter, tried his best to blend both skills into his style of leadership and just react according to the situation at hand.

"It's more depending on the situation," Kelly explained. "If I had to yell I yelled. If I had to place them or show them where to be that's what I would do."

A passionate competitor Kelly, as coach Tocke pointed out, would sometimes try to do a bit too much. But that was only because he knew so much was on his shoulders and he didn't want to let anyone down. 

Knowing the season would be a tough go, the Blue Devils soon found out just how tough it would be to win. Heck, never mind win a game.

In the first half of the season the Blue Devils were struggling to win a single set. It was Kelly's leadership that kept them together until they found their voice as a team.

"I think he really tried to keep everything in perspective," said coach Tocke.

Looking over the season as a whole Kelly's hope is that everyone is able to walk about with a greater understanding of teamwork and what it means to face and succeed through adversity.

Kelly was also quick to say that he truly hopes his teammates understand that whatever he said or did during the course of the season was with the best of intentions, and hope that he was helping everyone get better.

And even though he knows his days wearing Ken-West blue and white are quickly fading into history, Tim Kelly is hopeful that he helped set a positive foundation in place that the can help the younger guys succeed next season.

"I'm hopin," Kelly said with a smile.

Amherst boys volleyball plays its best in playoff win 
Amherst Bee
November 2, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team saved its best performance for the Section VI Tournament.

The fifth-seeded Tigers downed 12th-seeded Cheektowaga, 25-13, 25-17, 25-16, at home on Friday in a Section VI Class B prequarterfinal.

“This match was by far our best performance as a team,” Amherst coach Peter Wlosinski said. “Everything we’ve worked on and planned for was exhibited in our play.”

Wlosinski said nerves got to the team early in game one as it trailed 8-3.

After a timeout, Amherst rallied to tie the game at 9-9 and then took off to a 19-11 lead thanks to serving from Gabe Radoccia-Feuerstein and Jesse Summa-Dowd.

Wlosinski said his team had about 13 unforced errors in game two but still brought a strong serve-receive for Summa-Dowd to run the offense.

He said the third game was a battle that went back and forth until Cheektowaga called a timeout when it was down, 16-13.

“It was good for our team to get the little reminder that playoffs demand the best from you on every play,” he said. “We went on to finish the game on a 9-3 run. Our team brought a lot of excitement to the game. We were mentally focused and I am extremely proud of our team.”

Tom Mellody led Amherst with eight kills. Alex Turecki (seven kills, three blocks, five digs), Evan Thielman (four kills, three aces), Summa-Dowd (20 assists), Radoccia Feuerstein (eight digs, three aces), Mike Fowler (two aces, six digs) and Jailyn Twitty (three kills, two blocks) aided the Tigers to victory.

Amherst (11-6) travels to fourth-seeded Hamburg for a quarterfinal match at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner faces top-seed Grand Island or eighth-seed Maryvale on Saturday at Orchard Park High School.

Amherst closed out the regular season with a 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 home victory over East Aurora on Monday, Oct. 24.

Thielman (10 kills), Mellody (six kills, nine assists), Summa-Dowd (16 assists, six aces), Twitty (five kills, two blocks) and Turecki (six kills, six aces) paced Amherst.

“It was a senior night for Tom, Evan, Jesse, and Jailyn to remember through a convincing victory,” Wlosinski said. “Our team had 29 kills and 18 aces.”

The win improved the Tigers to 10-2 in ECIC III. They went 8-4 last year. Amherst finished in second place for the second straight year.

Sweet Home falls to WS East in prequarters 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 2, 2011

Had Sweet Home limited its mistakes, there’s a good chance the Lady Panthers could have advanced in the Section VI Class A girls volleyball tournament. Instead, Sweet Home’s season ended with a 21-25, 25-15, 24-26, 20-25 defeat at West Seneca East on Thursday.

Sweet Home coach Breean Trapasso said her team fell behind by nine points in the first game before they started competing.

Trapasso said the play of her team later in the first game carried over into the second game, which she felt they dominated.

Lydia Penberthy served nine straight points in the second game, including seven aces.

“Her serving was impeccable,” Trapasso said.

Sweet Home led the entire third game up to 23 points but ended up losing by two points.

“We should have had the third game,” Trapasso said.

The fourth game was tied at 18-18. Sweet Home trailed 21-19 but could not close the gap any further. 

Jenna Reeser paced Sweet Home with 16 kills. Bridget Burch had 13 kills and four blocks. Penberthy added eight kills.

Trapasso said setter Brittany Smith did a great job distributing the ball and handing over 30 assists.

Sweet Home finishes 4-8 in ECIC II and 7-8 overall.

“Our motto of the season was it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Trapasso said. “I think they got better every time they stepped on the court. They fought and did not let any team roll over them. I’m proud of them.”

Seven seniors graduate including Burch, a four-year starting middle hitter, Smith, a three-year varsity player and two-year starter at setter and libero Rachel Ward. The other four seniors are Jessica Fenter, Ashley Gangi, Rachel Frase and Kathryn Shields.

East, South boys volleyball earn prequarterfinal wins 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 2, 2011

It wasn’t its greatest performance of the season but the Williamsville East boys volleyball did enough to advance in the Section VI Class B Tournament.

The seventh-seeded Flames downed 10th-seeded Holland, 25-18, 25-16, 25-12, in a prequarterfinal on Friday.

“We did not play as well as I was hoping but we got the ‘w’ to move on,” East coach Michael Braunscheidel said.

East plays a quarterfinal match at second-seed Lake Shore at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. East lost to Lake Shore in four games and three games during the regular season.

James Purkiss had six kills and Tom Kline and Tom Wisniewski each had five kills to lead the Flames’ attack.

The team also was able to pass the serve 83 percent of the time. East had been averaging at about 60 percent.

“Everyone was passing appropriately and moving their feet,” Braunscheidel said.

East also was successful on 91 percent of their serves in the match. Wisniewski was the team’s best server, going 14 for 14 on playable serves. Matt Petrie went 10 for 10.

“When you can force the other team to play the ball and not get easy points off our mistakes, it’s very difficult for teams to win,” Braunscheidel said. “I’ve been stressing ball control, keeping the ball in play and letting the other team make the mistake.” 

Williamsville South 

The 11th-seeded Billies needed five games to down sixth-seeded Kenmore East, 26-24, 25-23, 15-25, 21-25, 25-12, in Friday’s Section VI Class B prequarterfinal.

“We did not play four the first four games even though we won the first two,” South coach Thom Knab said. “We did not pass well or have a strong attack. In the fifth game, we finally took control. We passed better, were more aggressive and started communicating better. We seemed to come to life more in the fifth game.”

Jimmy Spellman led the Billies with 13 kills and two aces. Brian Kraus added 10 kills and 16 blocks. Dylan Cottrell had eight kills and two aces.

South travels to third-seed Eden for a quarterfinal match at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

“We need a bunch of the guys to come up with big games and good passing so we can run our whole offense,” Knab said. “They’re traditionally a really good team and will be skilled in all areas so we need to come with our best possible game to compete with them.” 

Sweet Home 

The Panthers’ season came to an end in the Section VI Class B prequarterfinals, losing to Williamsville North, 18-25, 20-25, 17-25.

“Our passing broke down so we couldn’t run an offense,” Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero said. “North put up a nice, solid block. I don’t have guys who can jump over people so we had to find holes and spots on the court. My kids worked hard. We were down 14-2 in the third set and lost 25-17.”

Steve Mazurkiewicz led Sweet Home with five kills.

Sweet Home finished the season with two wins. Eight seniors graduate: Mazurkiewicz, Ryan Allen, Jon Chatelle, Brian Rosiek, Mark Mackowski, Chris Stiver, Jeff Spengler and Zach Spawton.

North girls volleyball draws top seed for Class A sectional tournament 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 2, 2011

Williamsville North has never played for a sectional championship in girls volleyball, but it has a great shot at it this year.

The Lady Spartans (14-1) are the top seed for the Section VI Class A Tournament. They hosted eight-seed West Seneca East in a quarterfinal match on Tuesday, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. Semifinals are on Thursday at the higher seed. The Class A final is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Sweet Home High School.

North’s last match before playoffs was a 25-17, 25-14, 25-19 road win over Williamsville East on Monday, Oct. 24.

Nikki Attea led the way with 17 kills. Haley Adams added eight kills, Haley Short contributed 17 digs and Erika Sercu had eight digs.

East coach Scott Wright said his team had a tough job with their serve-receiving.

“They put a lot of pressure on our serve-receive, and we did not get the offense started like we wanted to,” Wright said.

Erica Moser led East with 17 kills.

North could face East in the semifinals if both teams win their quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, Nov. 1. East, seeded fifth, played at fourth-seed North Tonawanda.

To have success, North coach Keith Hopkins said the team must do well on serve-receive, get out of problems quickly and defensive intensity.

East advanced to quarterfinals after beating 12th-seed Kenmore East, 25-10, 25-14, 25-13, in a prequarterfinal on Thursday.

Moser led East with 21 kills. Dominque DiPietro added nine kills.

Wright liked the play of setters Allyson Rung and Natalie Berrafato. 

Williamsville South 

Without one of their top players, the 10th-seeded Lady Billies lost to seventh-seeded North Tonawanda, 16-25, 21-25, 15-25, in a Section VI Class A prequarterfinal on Thursday.

Outside hitter Rebecca Postek injured her pinkie finger in the second game of the team’s 22-25, 15-25, 26-28 loss to Clarence on Monday, Oct. 24, and was not unavailable for playoffs.

“She’s our most complete player,” coach Tom Sproull said. “The kids who were there competed to the best of their abilities. Without her in the lineup, our passing was off and we weren’t getting the ball to the setter like we normally do.”

Sproull liked the play of freshman right-side hitter Jess Miller (six kills, three assists, two blocks) and junior setter Diana Frysz (14 assists, kill).

“I thought Jess had one of her best matches, and Diana set the ball as well as she all season,” Sproull said.

Miller had 10 kills against Clarence. Junior Marley Talvite had five kills.

South finishes 7-13 and only graduates one senior, Claire Haumesser.

For the season, Miller recorded 149 kills and tied with Haumesser with 13 blocks. Postek had 132 kills. Frysz added 426 assists.

“The future looks promising,” Sproull said. “We had the same number of wins as last year and we only returned two kids from last year. We’re looking to do better than last year.”

H.S. Boys Volleyball Playoff Overview: Locals in a class of their own
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Wednesday November 2, 2011

Frontier, Eden, Hamburg, Lake Shore, St. Francis all playoff contenders

Look at Section VI Division I and II and even the Monsignor Martin, and not surprisingly, a whole bunch of Southtowns' teams are taking aim at bringing home a title. 

In Division II alone, Southtowns squads Eden, Lake Shore and Hamburg control three of the first four seeds in Western New York's small school classification, while Frontier for a second straight season sits atop Division I with Orchard Park, a Southtowner but not in The Sun's coverage area, sitting at No. 2. Among the Catholics, St. Francis is an upstart second seed looking to dethrone longtime champion Canisius.

"The Southtowns' teams have done well for themselves," said John Coyle, the Lake Shore head coach who has led his team to a second straight ECIC II title and unbeaten division mark. "We've built a good tradition as far as the strength of teams here."

A look at the top of Division II paints the most similar scenario to last season. All semifinalists in last year's tournament, defending champion Eden finds itself as a No. 2 seed, Lake Shore, a No. 3, and Hamburg, a fourth seed. Only Niagara Frontier League champion Grand Island has broken up the Southtowns' domination as the draw's top seed. 

All three locals have won first round pre-quarterfinal matches and with one more victory would once again advance to the semifinal round to be played Saturday, Nov. 5 at Orchard Park. Last year, among a larger than usual Division II field, it was Eden eking out hard-fought, five-game thrillers, first over Lake Shore in the semifinal then Hamburg in a finals match that went down to virtually the last point. If all three advance, Lake Shore would meet Eden again and Hamburg would most likely see Grand Island again.

Among a field of 19 teams in 2011, a much younger Eden squad, which won ECIC III with a 12-0 mark, will have its work cut out for it to repeat. In losing senior setter Dalton Crowe to a season-ending knee injury, Eden head coach Robert Pierce said his team will need to be ready with a revamped lineup and having to "throw some younger players into the fire."

"With one guy going down that's changed three positions for us," Pierce said. "Through their training and commitment, I expect they'll still do well...Not taking anything for granted, we have our eyes on Lake Shore. That's an excellent and athletic team. We definitely fell into the tough side of the bracket." 

Lake Shore's pairing of hunger and confidence may make it the most dangerous team in this year's draw. Not only did the Eagles repeat as ECIC II champions with a 12-0 mark, they defeated Hamburg twice in five games and overtook Eden to advance to the finals of the Orchard Park Tournament later in the season.

"For this time of year, my guys do seem relaxed," said Coyle, who joked that sometimes this group seems a little too calm. "But it's not a bad thing, because they've always had the ability to get focused once the game starts. I'm always all about preparation and they always seem to find a way. They play with a lot of pride and self motivation."

Hamburg (10-2 in ECIC II this year) may once again have to go through top-seeded Grand Island to get back to a sectional final for a third straight season. The Bulldogs won Division I in 2009.

"Every team is pretty even now that we have had a whole season to work on things," Hamburg head coach Brian Carroll said. "Whoever can play the most consistently will most likely have the best chance of moving on to the finals. An off night could really effect any team, no matter how well they have played all season."

With the setback for Crowe, who had returned from a torn ACL which cost him last season, Kyle Acker, one of Eden's top scorers, has been moved to setter, while eighth grader Declan Pierce and freshman Hayden Herc have been asked to pick up their offense. Cody Smith, a 6-foot-8 middle hitter, will also be returning to the lineup for the playoffs after missing some time due to academics. 

Physical junior Ryan Vondell will switch back-and-fourth between the middle and outside, while senior Bob Blodgett will be looked to for defense from the right side. Freshman Cole Overhoff has moved into the starting libero spot. 

"We're just going to have to play ball control Eden volleyball and outlast opponents, whether it's in three, four or five games," said Pierce, who noted that Crowe has remained upbeat and a part of the team despite the injury. "We'll try to wear down teams and win by attrition if we need to."

Coyle believes his players will need to continue to fulfill their roles and perform them consistently if Lake Shore is to have success. The group's standouts include setter Billy Pinter, outside hitter Ryan Joselyn and middle hitter Ryan Spears.

Pinter gets to most every ball on the floor and with better than average size for a setter at 6-foot-2 and a tough service game, he is one of Lake Shore's top weapons. Joselyn will be the Eagles go-to hitter who uses both power and an ability to find the open spots on the floor to score. Spears, a senior, is the team's emotional leader who can also create a spark with his play. Among a group of additional contributors, Alex Govenettio can make the Eagles an even tougher out if his passing is on target.

"Consistency is what helped us get past Hamburg and Eden this year," Coyle said. "Whether we can stay consistent will be key." 

In advancing past Starpoint in the quarterfinal round, Hamburg counted on its reliable three-year starting seniors Eric Moscato at middle hitter and Eric Simoncelli at setter to lead the way, but the recent addition of junior right side Connor Krolikowski may actually provide the biggest lift in the postseason. After missing about three weeks with an injury, Krolikowski has helped make Hamburg's offense more balanced.

"Connor has come up very big for us in about the past three weeks since his return," Carroll noted.

Also for Hamburg, senior middle blocker Matt Birt came into his own toward the end of the regular season, after a career-best weekend in which he earned all-tournament honors at Hamburg Invitational on Oct. 22.

Carroll said Hamburg will also be counting on the passing of Josh Babcock, Tony Guzzetta, Mitch Shafer and Ben Michaels and contributions of Brian Kiel, who has switched from a right to left side hitter.

The last time St. Francis was a second seed in the Monsignor Martin tournament the Red Raiders advanced to the final where they fell to Canisius in 2008. They'll look to advance once again to the championship game on Monday, Nov. 7 at Daemen College but first must get through third-seeded St. Joe's on Thursday, Nov. 3. The two teams split a pair of regular season matches.

Leading the way this season have been four seniors in setter Matt Smith, outside hitters Brett Cawthorn and Chris Busha and middle blocker Nate Cichocki. This group has led a team that beat St. Joe's for the first time in their careers, won the Lockport Tournament and have St. Francis ranked among Western New York large schools.

"They're looking to add more to that list, including a championship appearance," St. Francis head coach Andy Lanigan said. ‘With this group, anything is possible."

Remaining Section VI Playoff Schedule

D-II Quarterfinals (Wed., Nov. 2)
8-Maryvale at 2-Lake Shore
7-Will. East at 3-Eden
5-Amherst at 4-Hamburg

D-II, D-I Semifinals (Sat. Nov. 5)
2, 6 p.m. & 4, 8 p.m. at Orchard Park 

D-II, D-I Finals (Wed., Nov. 9)
6, 8 p.m. at Hamburg

South boys volleyball holds ‘Dig Pink’ event for breast cancer awareness 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 26, 2011

Williamsville South lost to Clarence in a non-league boys volleyball home match on Friday, 22-25, 16-25, 18-25, but there were no losers on that night.

That’s because the South volleyball program raised $200 for breast cancer awareness by holding a “Dig Pink” event to raise awareness for breast cancer. Varsity players from both teams wore pink shoelaces and socks and the South JV team also wore pink headbands. All JV and varsity coaches from both teams wore pink shirts.

Both teams used a volleyball with a pink stripe. The center line under the net was pink as was the antennas on the tape to hold up the net.

The idea came from South coach Thom Knab, who wanted to add a community service project to the program. 

“They were really psyched about it,” Knab said. “One of our players, Jimmy Spellman, ordered the pink socks. We decked out our refreshment stand in pink. I made big pink ribbons out of construction paper and put them on the wall.”

The Billies were without two starters, Anthony Podgorsak, who had missed the previous two and a half weeks with a hairline fracture in his fibia, and middle hitter Brian Kraus, who was out of town.

Over the past few weeks, Knab also lauded the play of outside hitter and serve-receive specialist Steve Zaprowski for filling in for Podgorsak, Kraus at middle hitter and Spellman at right side hitter.

Knab said Kraus has been a good constant for the team and does a lot on offense and defense and Spellman plays smart, has good body control so he can cover a lot on the court and has improved his hitting. 

South is 6-5 in ECIC Division II and 11-6 overall. Recent league wins have come over Iroquois, Starpoint and West Seneca East. Their final league match of the regular season was at home against Williamsville South on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

South competed at the Grand Island Tournament on Saturday. They went 3-3 in pool play and lost to Lockport and St. Mary’s of Lancaster in quarterfinals. Four starters did not play due to various reasons. 

Sweet Home

The Panthers haven’t won an ECIC Division I match as of press time, but they’ve been competitive in the losses.

“We went five games with West Seneca West and four games with Williamsville North,” Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero said. “We’ve been competitive. I knew we would be facing some tough competition but their attitude is good and they have stayed positive.”

Cicero lauded the play of outside hitters Jon Chatelle and Steve Mazurkiewicz, middle hitters Ryan Allen and Mark Mackowski and setter Bobby Puchalski. He said Chatelle, the team captain, has done a good job leading the team, and Puchalski hustles to every ball.

Sweet Home owns two non-league wins over Kenmore West.

The Panthers play in the Section VI Class B Tournament this week.

For the team to have success, Cicero said they will need to outplay the other opponent, play good defense, put up a good block and get second and third chances to get their points. email: pnagy@beenews.com

League wins secure home playoff game for Amherst 
Amherst Bee
October 26, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team earned three huge ECIC Division III road victories last week to finish 9-2 in league play and 10-6 overall.

The Tigers beat East Aurora, 25-17, 25-9, 25-15 on Monday, Oct. 17, Depew, 25-18, 25-12, 25-21, on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and Cheektowaga, 25-14, 27-29, 23-25, 25-18, 25-15.

The wins enables Amherst to host a Section VI Class B quarterfinal game at 6 p.m. on Friday. The opponent is yet-to-be determined as of press time.

“This week was extremely important as all of our matches were divisional matches that affect our seed in playoffs,” Amherst coach Peter Wlosinski said. “In the previous two years, we hosted a playoff match but lost in five each time. One of our team goals was to win a playoff match and I’m counting on everyone to live up to that goal.”

Wlosinski said the Cheektowaga match was a battle.

“I wanted the team to start getting in the playoff mentality for every point and this was good preparation,” he said. “We came out with a good win in game one. I sometimes think our team thinks that when they win game one, the rest of the match will be easy and they don’t have to try. We lost the next two games and finally woke up.”

Evan Thielman led Amherst with 13 kills, 12 aces and eight digs.

“Evan had a dominant serve,” Wlosinski said. “Every time it was his turn in the rotation, Cheektowaga took a timeout and hoped for a miss.”

Alex Turecki (13 kills, three digs), Tom Mellody (seven kills, two aces, eight digs), Jesse Summa Dowd (32 assists, three aces, three digs) and Jailyn Twitty (five kills) added to the victory.

Mellody (six kills, seven assists, three aces), Turecki (10 kills, three aces), Thielman (nine kills, seven digs), Summa-Dowd (19 assists, two aces), Gabe Radoccia Feuerstein (two aces, four digs) and Colton Probst (four aces, four digs) paced Amherst against Depew.

The Tigers recorded 20 aces against East Aurora, which Wlosinski said helped set the tone for the match.

Mellody had five aces to go with five kills and six digs. Turecki (three kills, two aces), Thielman (two kills, three aces), Summa Dowd (two kills, three aces, 10 assists), Radoccia-Feuerstein (three aces, five digs), Mike Fowler (two aces), Probst (two aces, four digs) and Twitty (five kills) also contributed.

“Jailyn stood out as the leading hitter for our team,” Wlosinski said. “Colton stepped in and provided another defender for us to rely on.”

In another matter: Summa Dowd was honored as Athlete of the Week at Amherst High School.

“He is very deserving of the award,” Wlosinski said. “This is his second year as a starting setter on the boys varsity team. Setters rarely get praise because they’re not the one’s making the attack during the game. They’re the ones setting up the play and have a leadership role without even knowing it. He’s up to 315 assists and averages over five assists per game.”

East posts best win record 
Amherst Bee
October 26, 2011

It’s been a year to remember for the Williamsville East boys volleyball team.

With two regular season matches left, the Flames have already posted a 12-6 record. The 12 wins are the most by any East team in the past 21 years.

The Flames did not win a match two years ago and earned only three victories last year.

“I’m pleased,” East coach Mike Braunscheidel said. “We’re playing consistent. If we make a mistake, we’re not letting it turn into two or three mistakes.”

Braunscheidel has been getting consistent play from right side hitter Tom Kline, middle hitter Connor Keenan and setter Tom Styn. James Purkiss has emerged as a presence at outside hitter as evident by being named to the All-Tournament team at Saturday’s Grand Island Tournament.

Braunscheidel estimates Purkiss recorded between 25 to 30 kills throughout the tournament.

“He was very consistent and was our go-to guy at certain times in matches,” Braunscheidel said. 

East finished fourth at the GI Tournament. They won their pool with a 5-1 record, beating Kenmore East and Holland and splitting with Lockport, then lost to NT and beat West Seneca West by a point to move on to the quarterfinals where they fell to Lockport, 17-25, 20-25.

East is 6-5 in ECIC II. Leading up to the Columbus Day weekend, they earned hard-fought wins over Williamsville South in five games and Maryvale in four games and beat West Seneca East in three games. The South match saw the return from injury of middle hitter Tom Wisniewski.

After the Columbus Day weekend, they lost in three games to Lake Shore and St. Francis, beat Iroquois and Sweet Home in three games and West Seneca West in four games and then lost to Starpoint in three games and dropped a four-game decision to Hamburg. Braunscheidel said the team’s play against Hamburg carried over into the Grand Island Tournament.

East played at Williamsville South on Tuesday traveled to Clarence for a non-league match at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

South girls volleyball snaps long losing skid 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 26, 2011

It’s been a roller coaster of wins and losses for the Williamsville South girls volleyball team.

After starting the season 5-1, the Lady Billies (7-11, 3-9) dropped 10 matches in a row before earning non-league victories this past week over Amherst, 25-19, 25-21, 25-22, on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and Maryvale, 26-24, 26-24, 25-23, on Thursday.

That came off of playing well in a 14-25, 14-25, 14-25 home loss to ECIC Division II champion Hamburg on Oct. 13. They also lost to Clarence, 22-25, 20-25, 26-28, on Monday.

South coach Tom Sproull said rebounding after losing 10 matches in a row speaks volumes of their mental toughness.

“They said they did not want to finish with another four losses in a row to end the season,” Sproull said. 

South’s lack of depth hurt them during the losing skid. Without starting sophomore outside hitter Gabriella Mancino, the Lady Billies lost to Starpoint, 15-25, 23-25, 27-25, 20-25 on Sept. 29. Mancino had 13 kills in South’s 22-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-20, 26-24 win over Starpoint on Sept. 7.

Without starting senior middle hitter Claire Haumesser, South lost to Lake Shore, 17-25, 19-25, 23-25, on Oct. 8. South swept Lake Shore, 25-14, 25-23, 25-20, on Sept. 16.

Freshman right side hitter Jess Miller had nine kills and two aces and junior left side hitter Rebecca Postek added eight kills and five aces to lead South over Amherst. Junior setter Diana Frysz added 20 assists.

Miller had nine kills and two aces against Maryvale. Mancino added six kills and Frysz handed out 20 assists.

For the season, Miller leads South with 133 kills and 35 aces followed by Postek with 129 kills and 41 aces. Frysz leads with 43 total aces and 394 assists.

The Section VI Class A Tournament begins with prequarterfinal games on Thursday.

“It’s an enjoyable group,” Sproull said. “The kids and I don’t want the season to end. We’re still getting better.”

North girls volleyball finishes undefeated in ECIC I 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 26, 2011

Williamsville North’s first ECIC Division I girls volleyball title in school history is a memorable one.

The Lady Spartans capped off a 12-0 season in ECIC Division I with a 14-25, 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 25-16 home win over Orchard Park last Wednesday. It was also North’s senior night.

“At the end of the game, they were chanting ‘undefeated season’,” coach Keith Hopkins said.

Senior Nikki Attea recorded 24 kills to lead the Lady Spartans.

North closed out last week with a 14-25, 19-25, 25-23, 17-25 loss on Friday at St. Mary’s of Lancaster. North is ranked first in Western New York large schools; St. Mary’s is ranked first in small schools.

“In every game, there was a small stretch where our serve-receive went down,” Hopkins said. “In the second game, we trailed 14-13, did not have a good stretch of passing and went down 20-13. In game three, we were up six or seven points and all of a sudden, we couldn’t serve-receive again. In game four, it was 15-14 them and we had five mistakes and it was 20-14. St. Mary’s served well.”

Senior Tori Manzella led North with 15 kills and three blocks. Junior Haley Adams added 13 kills and three blocks. Junior Haley Short contributed 16 digs.

Hopkins liked the play of freshman left side hitter Lauren Schreiner and senior defensive specialist Erika Sercu, right side hitters, sophomore Becky Mann and junior Allison Corretore, contributed important points and senior Kristen Kubala served well. 

North (24-5-2) played at Williamsville East on Monday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They will be the top seed for the Class A tournament and will not host an opponent until Tuesday, Nov. 1. 

Williamsville East 

After winning the ECIC Division II title last year, the Williamsville East girls volleyball team finished second this year, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.

First place Hamburg (12-0) beat East (10-2) for the second time this season, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-21, on Monday, Oct. 17. East lost to Hamburg in four games on Sept. 27.

“The fifth game was 17-16 before they went on a three or four-point run to pull away,” East coach Scott Wright.

East libero Storey Nowaczyk had 47 digs. Hamburg’s libero Alicia Porack had 42 digs.

“It was an unbelievable display between those two girls, along with a lot of other good volleyball,” Wright said.

Erica Moser added 21 kills.

East (12-2 overall) also beat Starpoint, Iroquois and Lake Shore over the past two weeks.

Wright anticipates hosting a Section VI Class A prequarterfinal match at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

“I’m happy with where we’re at,” he said. “They’ve done a great job competing in every game. Last year we had a better block and did not have to play as much defense behind the block whereas this year our block is not as good so we’re really doing it all with digging the ball and playing good team defense.”

H.S. Boys Volleyball: Frontier keeps competing as it rolls through WNY
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Thursday October 20, 2011

Falcons defeat rival Hamburg in four games

Frontier hasn't lost many matches over the past two seasons. In fact, the Falcons aren't even used to dropping many of the games within those matches.

So, when they do, you can bet it is something that Western New York's top ranked large school takes very seriously.

Cross-town rival Hamburg was able to take a game off Frontier during the rivals' non-league match on Oct. 17. The Bulldogs even threatened to pull even at two games apiece, taking a 10-8 lead in Game 4, but Frontier shifted into another gear and went on to finish off the match 3-1 (25-13, 25-19, 26-28, 25-20).

After losing only twice last season, the Falcons have yet to lose to another team from Western New York in 2011. Their only slip ups were in falling to Rochester powers McQuaid and Victor. Hamburg joined Orchard Park and West Seneca West as the only other schools from Section VI to take one game from Frontier in a match. 

Orchard Park, WNY's second ranked large school, has done it three times, in a pair of regular season ECIC Division I matches and in the semifinals of the Eden Tournament. Still, that's about as close as any team in this area has come to beating what became early on last season and continued into this year, the undisputed top team in WNY.

Frontier head coach Bill Faust believes matches such as that in which his team is challenged will only motivate this group to play at its highest level on a more consistent basis.

"With matches against Orchard Park and a match like tonight, our goal is to play and compete at the highest of levels," said Faust, whose team is now 20-2 overall and at 9-0 in ECIC I, has all but clinched consecutive regular season titles. "We had a slip up in the third game tonight. The guys were not happy about it at all. But that's a good thing in the long run. It helps us to set some goals."

Leading Frontier through some of its more difficult matches has been its group of four senior standouts — Nick Smalter, Tom Scheck, Matt Taylor and Drew Durni. Smalter and Scheck showed off their dominance on the outside when the going got tough against Hamburg, while Taylor continued to run the offense effectively at setter and Durni exhibited his versatility as an opposite, having moved to that spot this season.

Faust has rotated four players in the other two starting spots. Fellow senior Kevin Hannon has seen the majority of the time as a middle hitter, while Muhamed Catovic has fit in nicely as a libero. Both freshman, Jake Gleason has contributed solid defense and a deceiving serve and Matt Monaco has chipped in with a monster left-handed jump serve.

"This team can do a little bit of everything," Faust said. "We're able to control the net and have passed well but at times, the defense and serving need improvement. When we put those together, we're a real tough team." 

Hamburg head coach Brian Carroll said that junior Mitch Shafer took over at libero, a position he has not played all season, and guided the Bulldogs to the tough Game 4 victory and hot start in the ensuing game before Frontier regrouped.

Hamburg used the match to do some shuffling in the lineup as competition for playing time is ongoing after the team experienced a disappointing performance at the Orchard Park Tournament on Oct. 15. In a recent hard-fought five-game match with Lake Shore, Carroll liked the passing efficiency of Tony Guzzetta, Ben Michaels, Josh Babcock and Shafer. 

"We came off a tough weekend, so for us to pull together and have that kind of third game and go up in the fourth, shows a lot," Carroll said. "But Frontier made some adjustments and took care of business. Frontier played well."

At the Orchard Park Tourney, the host team won with a two-game sweep over ECIC Division II front-runner Lake Shore, 25-22, 25-22, in the final of the eight-team event. It was the second time in a week Orchard Park had beaten Lake Shore in a hard-fought match. 

Eden finished as a semifinalist, while the Bulldogs were unable to qualify for the top four. Among the locals named to the all-tournament were Eden's Kyle Acker and Lake Shore's Billy Pinter and Ryan Joslyn.

Hamburg will host its own tournament on Saturday, Oct. 22 and be pitted in the same pool with Frontier. Up until this season, the two teams were in the same division, but Hamburg moved down to ECIC II. Carroll said he's looking forward to seeing what his team can do with Frontier given another chance over the weekend. Faust is also excited for another matchup with his team's rival.

"Frontier and Hamburg is always a spirited match," Faust said. "I like it. It's a nice rivalry."

After that tournament, the postseason will soon get underway. While Hamburg attempts to get back to the Class B final, where it lost to Eden last season, Frontier looks to regain a Section VI title and possibly once again meet McQuaid. The last two times they met, McQuaid came out on top in both last season's Far West Regional and then this year's Eden Tournament finals match.

"This team's goal is to win and to them, nothing is going to get in their way," Faust said. "If we can reach our goal of a sectional title and meet up again with McQuaid, they're focused on being at their best at the end of the season. I think these guys are up to the challenge."

In other local action, St. Francis swept three games from Cardinal O'Hara (25-14, 25-16, 25-12) on Oct. 12 to improve to 9-7 overall and 4-2 in the Monsignor Martin, which helps the Red Raiders keep pace with second-place St. Joe's and front-runner Canisius.

Senior Brett Cawthorn continued his dominant play on the outside, recording 15 kills. Junior Taylor Walber added 10 kills, while senior Matt Smith led the team in assists. Juniors Alex Warthling, Ben Alessi and Mike Maroney played well defensively and senior Nate Cichocki continued to be a blocking force in the middle. St. Francis took on St. Joe's on Oct. 18, before tangling with Canisius on Oct. 26.

Sharks fall in silver bracket semifinals 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 19, 2011

The Sacred Heart girls volleyball team advanced to the silver bracket semifinals of Saturday’s North Tonawanda Tournament, losing to Sweet Home, 17-25, 25-27.

The Sharks went 1-5 in pool play, splitting with Lake Shore, and losing matches to Lockport and Orchard Park. They then beat Starpoint in a game up to 30 in quarterfinals.

“It was a growing tournament for us,” Sacred Heart coach Mike Jans said. “We’ve been fighting through some injuries, so we were trying to get some people in different positions. We’re trying to get a feel for what the team is all about.”

Jans lauded the play of junior Natalie Reesor for leading the team in aces in pool play and in playoffs and with her serving, as well as the play of middle hitters sophomore Caroline Auricchio and junior Emily Ludwig, for filling in for injured middle Kelly Farrell.

Jans said senior Sam Boron gave it her all in the last regular season tournament of her high school career.

“She was trying to spur on the team through every single game,” Jans said.

Earlier in the week, the Sharks lost at St. Mary’s of Lancaster, 10-25, 16-25, 19-25, on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

“It was one of our better defensive games of the season,” Jans said. “They were in position to dig everything and had a lot of good rallies. It was encouraging to see.”

Sacred Heart hosts Mount St. Mary at approximately 6 p.m. following the JV match at 4:30 p.m.

They close out the regular season with road matches next week at Immaculata, Frontier and Cheektowaga.

Jans is looking for the team to finish out the season strong and have starting positions set up for playoffs. 

email: pnagy@beenews.com

Amherst boys volleyball splits recent matches 
Amherst Bee
October 19, 2011

Amherst’s boys volleyball team improved to 6-2 in ECIC Division III and 6-6 overall after beating Maryvale, 25-11, 27-25, 25-16, at home last Wednesday and losing a non-league match to West Seneca West, 13-25, 25-23, 22-25, 22-25 on Thursday at the Buffalo Niagara Court Center.

Amherst coach Peter Wlosinski said his team was excited to play at the BNCC but had a difficult time adapting to the environment.

“When there’s six courts with gymnastics, volleyball practice and basketball competitions going on at the same time in the same gym, it’s difficult to adapt to,” Wlosinski said.

Wlosinski said the first game showcased that struggle with many missed serves and hitting errors.

After they adjusted, Wlosinski said the second game was a good battle for the team to go through.

“We were down, but came back to take the lead,” he said. “We lost the lead and then found a way to win. I wanted them to be proud of this accomplishment and to build on it.”

He said the third and fourth games went back and forth.

Wlosinski said Jailyn Twitty came away with a strong blocking performance and Mike Fowler continued with his strong serving as well as setting when Jesse [Summa-Dowd] made a dig.

“I also liked his positioning and movement on the court on defense, where he’s needed,” Wlosinski said of Fowler.

Tom Mellody (11 kills, five digs), Alex Turecki (11 kills), Evan Thielman (three kills, 10 digs), Gabe Radoccia Feuerstein (eight digs), Summa-Dowd (20 assists, five digs) and Twitty (six blocks) paced the Tigers.

Overall, Wlosinski said it was a non-league match the team could build from.

“We only have four league matches before playoffs begin and I want our team to be ready to play their best,” Wlosinski said.

Mellody (six kills, two aces, five digs), Turecki (six kills, three aces, four digs) and Summa-Dowd (15 assists, three aces, two blocks) led the Amherst offense against Maryvale. Radoccia-Feuerstein had seven digs at libero to lead the defense.

“This match showcased a good team performance,” Wlosinski said. “We had a powerful serve that earned 17 aces. I always remind our players to make smart decisions and we did. There’s no need to see how hard a player can hit. What matters is ball control and placement.”

Amherst played at East Aurora on Monday and Depew on Tuesday but results of both matches were unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Cheektowaga following the JV match and close out the regular season hosting East Aurorafora5p.m.varsitystartonMonday, Oct.24.

Collin Kowalski: Quiet Man of the Bulldogs
By: Dave Ricci, Sports Reporter | Sports
Sunday October 16, 2011

Some people just have that way about them. That intangible quality that makes others want to follow them. 

Collin Kowalski is one such person.

Kowalski, a senior, really wasn't sure what his role would be as he came into his second season with the Kenmore East Bulldogs volleyball team. Coming off of the bench last season in more of a defensive role, Kowalski he more or less expected to once again play libero and, hopefully, get a little more playing time.

But with 10 players from last year's team having graduated, that door of opportunity flung open for Kowalski and he has made the most of that chance.

Now, at the midway point of the season, Kowalski has established himself as one of the most reliable setters in the NFL.

"I did a little setting last year. I didn't care which one I did (this year)," Kowalski said. "Whatever (coach) wants me to do."

From day one of tryouts, Kowalski's play told Bulldogs coach Kyle Horvatis that Kowalski would factor into the mix far more prominently than expected.

"Going into the season I was undecided if I wanted to run the five-one set up with one setter or a six-two set up with two setters," said Horvatis. "I was really sticking (more) with the five-one until I saw that Kowalski was quicker around the court and that he was talking and directing. He won the role, with it being a six-two with him and Mike Crawford and we never looked back from there. Because he does have really good hands and puts the ball in a lot of good spots for our hitters."

Noting that Kowalski has "soft hands" Horvatis said that he thought Kowalski's quick rise at setter was a mix three key factors.

While Kowalski is a quick study and seemingly a natural at setter, it was vastly improved footwork that helped Kowalski take his game to the next level.

But if you were to ask Kowalski about his contributions he'd simply say he's just trying to make the most of his playing time.

"It feels good. Leading the team and all that," Kowalski modestly said. "It feels right. I just want to be a leader and help the team out."

Helping the Bulldogs win the Gary Tocke Tournament on Sept.2, Kowalski made his mark the following week when a strong performance at the NT Tournament earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team.

An honor that still has the humble Kowalski in shock. 

"I was actually a little surprised. It was unexpected," he said. "I was like ‘oh wow.' It was a little shocking to me."

But while getting all-tourney was a proud moment that told Kowalski he could indeed be a solid contributor game-in and game-out, the fact that the team made a strong showing is what mattered most to him.

"We played good. It was a good tournament overall," Kowalski said. "I was proud of the team."

Entering the season the Bulldogs did not have that definitive voice of leadership. Horvatis hoped someone would step up and fill that role. But he didn't want a leader that was only interested in barking orders at people.

He wanted someone that gave and got respect from the team. Though Kowalski was never dubbed the unquestioned leader of the squad, the combination of his down-to-Earth personality and his ability to relate to everyone has made him a natural leader.

It's a blend of Kowalski's qualities that even Hortvatis isn't quite sure how to describe.

"I don't know," Horvatis said with a brief pause. "It's hard to put the leadership tag on him, too. Because he's not, but people just listen to him."

H.S. Boys Volleyball Lake Shore solidifies ECIC II top spot, beats Hamburg in five games
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Thursday October 13, 2011

Ryan Joselin, pictured here earlier this season, provided Lake Shore
with its best offensive threat in a five-game win over a Hamburg team
with a size advantage in the middle. (Photo courtesy of Ron Larson)

St. Francis gains confidence with tourney title

Even if the ECIC was trying to do so, it could not have come up with a much better pairing for division mates and rivals than Hamburg and Lake Shore.

In a second thrilling five-game ECIC II match between the two combatants, Lake Shore once again pulled out the win 3-2 over its new division foe, Hamburg, which moved down a division when Sweet Home moved up to ECIC I due to a slightly larger school enrollment .

The Eagles continued an unbeaten streak that last season led to a 12-0 final divisional record and coasting to an ECIC II title. There would be no coasting this season with the insurgence of Hamburg, just two seasons removed from winning a large school sectional title.

It took wins in games two, four and five, the final one by a 25-23 margin, to get Lake Shore to a 7-0 mark and in prime position to repeat as ECIC II champions. The match ended with a standing ovation from the home crowd at Lake Shore.

"They're a very good team so I knew coming in that I'd be on pins and needles throughout the match," Lake Shore head coach John Coyle said. "It almost had the feel of a sectional final match. Both teams have grown since the last time we played and both will be tough teams to play in sectionals."

Neither team had lost a game to a fellow ECIC II foe coming into this match, so both seemed to welcome and rise to the challenge. By the end, each had nothing but positives to take from a match that was even better than when the teams met for the first time.

"Both teams played really well. I wish we played each other five times a year," Hamburg head coach Brian Carroll said. "I think both teams have been waiting for this match. You look toward the second half of your schedule to help prepare you for the playoffs. I think we grew up a little, knowing that we can stay together and go five games."

Coyle said this match was much like the first one in that Lake Shore had some difficulty matching up with Hamburg's taller 6-foot-4 middles Eric Moscato and Matt Birt, but his team's athleticism, ball control and strong defense was able to overcome it. Moscato finished with a team-leading 26 kills and Birt recorded five blocks.

Junior right side Ryan Joselin provided much of the Eagles offense with 21 kills, including ending the match on his final one, in addition to recording five service aces. With Lake Shore down 2-1, his big serve helped get the Eagles out to an early 8-4 lead in Game 4.

He was aided by Ryan Spears' 12 kills and Connor Govenettio's 10 kills and the 54 assists from versatile 6-foot setter Josh Pinter, who Coyle said has adjusted well moving from an outside hitter spot. He still also sees Pinter as a threat from throughout the court with his 35-inch vertical leap.

"It was a similar scenario to the last time we played them," Coyle said. ‘We had a tough time with their middles. We're not a tall team, but we move and jump well and we were able to rely on that. We found a way to be consistent at the end and win. It came down to a battle of who would make the least mistakes in the end."

With only two regular starters back from last year – Moscato and senior setter Eric Simoncelli, who finished with 48 assists, Hamburg has continued to grow throughout the season and is beginning to find its way and mature. Carroll said toward the end of the fifth game his team made some unforced errors, including a few out-of-bounds serves, and that turned out to be its undoing.

"Maybe the adrenaline was a little too high," Carroll noted. "Some of these guys hadn't been in many of those situations...This was real positive for us. Afterward, the kids felt they played real well."

Game 5 was a back-and-forth affair that featured plenty of intensity and some impressive defense. Among the biggest defensive plays, Hamburg's Mitch Schaefer notched a point-saving dig on ball as close to the gym floor as it could be, leading to an eventual kill for Moscato putting Hamburg in its last lead of the game at 22-21. 

"We proved that our team can get in its swings," Coyle said. "Even if we're at a size disadvantage, we can find other ways to even it up."

St. Francis wins Lockport Tournament

Andy Lanigan rolled the dice a bit by changing up the positioning of his starting six before St. Francis began play at the Lockport Tournament, but the gamble turned out to be a risk worth taking.

Not only did the Red Raiders sweep through the tournament with a 10-0 mark to earn a title, but the head coach got to see his team come out of the competition the most relaxed and poised it has been all season. That can only bold well for a group trying to get over the hump in beating Canisius and St. Joe's when the Monsignor Martin rivals meet during the second half of the league season.

"I was a little nervous at first but the results were just awesome," said Lanigan, a former St. Francis volleyball player himself. "It shows the versatility of the guys and that we can mix and match. It was nice to see them play without the stresses and pressure that they've felt at other tournaments."

Chris Busha made such a smooth transition from middle to outside hitter during the tournament that the senior was named to the all-tournament team, along with teammate Brett Cawthorn, the squad's other outside. Lanigan had moved sophomore Tom Duszkiewicz to the middle, where he joined the team's senior emotional leader Nate Cichocki. 

Lanigan said the Red Raiders only significant challenge came during pool play as they held on to beat Kenmore East 26-24 with both teams coming into the match at 4-0. St. Francis met East again in the final but cruised to a 25-15 and 25-19 win. In the semifinal, St. Francis beat Tonawanda 2-0.

"After beating East in pool play, we were in cruise control and very loose," noted Lanigan, whose team has had a few rough times playing in some of the most competitive tournaments in Buffalo and Rochester this year. "I think this is a good stepping stone as we play our league rivals the second time around. I think they now have the confidence that they can beat anyone."

In losing in three games to reigning MMAA champion Canisius, 25-20, 25-23, 25-19, on Oct. 4, which also marked the fifth annual "Blackout Game," Cawthorn and Busha led the offense, while Cichocki led the team in blocks but had his mobility hampered by an ankle injury in the second game. Taylor Walber and Alex Warthling aided the defensive effort in the back row. The loss dropped the Red Raiders to third place in the MMAA and 5-7 overall.

At the Webster Tournament on Oct. 1 in Rochester, the Red Raiders split against eventual champion West Irondequoit, 17-25, 25-21, and went on a four-game winning streak, defeating Fairport 25-21, 25-23 and the tournament host, 25-18, 25-20, before losing five straight games to end their day. Cawthorn led the offensive attack; Matt Smith was the team leader in assists; and Ben Alessi led the team in digs.

East girls volleyball loses to Hamburg in four 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 12, 2011

Williamsville East went undefeated in ECIC Division II last year to win the school’s first division title in girls volleyball. Another perfect league season is not in the cards this year after the Lady Flames fell to Hamburg, 25-16, 18-25, 19-25, 22-25, on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at East.

Hamburg is undefeated at 7-0. East is 7-1.

East coach Scott Wright said Hamburg has overall talent at every position.

“They don’t have many superstars, but every person might be an all-star,” Wright said. “They are solid at every position. They move the ball around. You always have to defend all three positions because they’re not always setting the ball to the outside or middle. That’s why they were the top-ranked team in Western New York.”

Erica Moser led East with 28 kills. Setters Allyson Rung and Nika Berrafato had 23 and 22 assists, respectively.

The rematch is at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17, at Hamburg.

East’s other recent matches were three-game victories over Iroquois and Williamsville South and a five-game victory over West Seneca East. Williamsville East trailed 2-1, won game four and rallied from a 22-19 deficit in game five to win, 26-24.

Moser led East with 33 kills. Storey Nowaczyk had 14 digs.

The Lady Flames, 10-1 overall and ranked seventh among Western New York large schools, played on Tuesday at Starpoint, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Iroquois on Thursday at approximately 7 p.m. following the JV match.

North girls volleyball clinches at least tie for ECIC I title 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 12, 2011

The Williamsville North girls volleyball team has never won the ECIC Division I title but as of press time, they have clinched at least a share of the league crown.

The Lady Spartans won at Frontier, 25-27, 25-14, 25-20, 25-14, on Monday, Oct. 3 and picked up home victories over Sweet Home, 17-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-20, on Wednesday and Lancaster, 25-19, 25-18, 25-18, on Friday to improve to 9-0 in ECIC I with three league games left.

If North wins two out of their last three league matches, they will win the title outright. If they finish undefeated in the league, they’ll earn the top seed in Class AA for the Section VI playoffs. They are ranked first in Western New York among large schools in the latest coaching poll.

North headed into the Frontier match after taking runner-up at the Eden Tournament two days earlier.

“We were concerned about a letdown and being physically tired,” North coach Keith Hopkins said. “We did not play real well in game one but we reminded them between games one and two of what we were playing for and the girls refocused and went up 24-12 in the second game.”

Nikki Attea (12 kills), Haley Adams (seven kills) and Haley Short (15 digs) paced the Lady Spartans.

Against Sweet Home, Hopkins lauded the play of Lauren Schriner and the hitting and blocking of Tori Manzella.

Attea served four aces and scored seven straight points to help North erase a 17-15 first game deficit to move ahead 22-17 against Lancaster. Attea finished with 16 kills. Manzella added seven kills.

Abigail Cimato served four straight points in the second game. Hopkins lauded the defensive play of Erika Sercu.

North’s only match last week was at Clarence on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They compete in the North Tonawanda Tournament on Saturday and travel to the Buffalo Niagara Court Center to play West Seneca West at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17.

Including tournament play North is 20-2-2.

Sweet Home builds to end of season 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 12, 2011

With a 3-7 ECIC Division I record, the Sweet Home girls volleyball team isn’t racking up tons of victories in league play but coach Breean Trapasso keeps stressing to her players that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Sweet Home will compete in Class A for sectionals.

“We’re building our team for the end of the year and growing as a team,” Trapasso said.

Sweet Home’s recent losses have included four-game defeats to Frontier, 18-25, 17-25, 26-24, 17-25 on Sept. 29 and Williamsville North, 17-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-20 on Oct. 5 and a three-game loss to Lancaster, 21-25, 24-26, 18-25 on Oct. 3.

“We’re definitely putting up a fight, just not finishing,” Trapasso said. “We’re still battling some inconsistencies that changes momentum in games.”

Sophomore Jenna Reeser led Sweet Home against Frontier with 12 kills. Junior Lydia Penberthy added six kills, senior Bridget Burch tacked on six kills and three blocks and freshman Emma Hubert added three kills and two blocks.

Against North, Reeser recorded seven kills and seven digs, Hubert had five kills and three blocks and senior Rachel Ward contributed 10 digs.

Against Lancaster, Reeser had eight kills, Penberthy tacked on six digs and five kills, senior Brittany Smith had 15 assists and four aces and Burch blocked four shots.

Sweet Home’s latest league match was a five-set victory last Friday at Clarence. The Lady Panthers fell behind after the first two games, 23-25 and 20-25 and bounced back by winning games three through five, 25-10, 25-23, 26-24.

Burch recorded 20 kills and four blocks.

“She really dominated,” Trapasso said. “She was a huge force for us.”

Reeser tacked on 12 kills and nine digs and Penberthy added nine kills. Junior Kelly DiNatale filled in for Smith at setter.

Sweet Home’s other recent league win was a 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17 win over West Seneca West at the Buffalo Niagara Court Center on Sept. 24.

Reeser (11 kills), Penberthy (eight kills), Burch (seven kills, two blocks), Hubert (five kills, block), junior Jess Padley (three kills) and Smith (27 assists) also contributed.

Sweet Home also appeared in the Frontier Tournament, beating beating Immaculata, 30-23, in the gold bracket finals and Eden Tournament, falling to West Seneca East, 33-31, in the silver bracket semifinals.

Sweet Home, 5-7 overall, hosts West Seneca West at approximately 6:30 p.m. following the JV match at 5 p.m.

Amherst boys volleyball rebounds versus Holland 
Amherst Bee
October 12, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team bounced back from a three-game loss at Eden on Tuesday, Oct. 4, with a three-game win at Holland on Thursday.

The matches moved the Tigers to 5-2 in ECIC Division III and 6-5 overall.

Amherst beat Holland, 25-23, 25-14, 25-22. Tom Mellody paced the Tigers with 13 kills, Alex Turecki had 10 kills and five aces, and Jesse Summa-Dowd added 24 assists.

Tigers’ coach Peter Wlosinski was impressed with the improvement Jailyn Twitty demonstrated in the match.

“His blocking and attack have really come around,” he said.

Amherst lost to Eden, 9-25, 15-25, 18-25. Turecki led the Tigers with four kills. Mellody had three kills. Summa-Dowd handed out eight assists.

“Eden was too much for us to handle,” Wlosinski said. “We struggled to pass their serve, and from there, we couldn’t run much of our offense. We ended up giving Eden too many free balls. This loss was tough on our team. We need to move on and refocus.”

On a brighter note, three Amherst players already have more than 100 kills on the season: Mellody (150), Evan Thielman (109) and Turecki (104).

“In previous seasons, we’ve had one or two players with over 100 kills for the season,” Wlosinski said. “This year, three already have that achievement.”

Wlosinski said Summa-Dowd, at setter, has enjoyed having them as options to utilize in any game.

Wlosinski also said with consistent passing from Gabe Radoccia Feuerstein, Mike Fowler and Colton Probst, they’re able to use all of their hitters at any moment. 

Amherst hosts Maryvale with a 6 p.m. varsity start on Wednesday, plays West Seneca West following the JV game at 5 p.m. on Thursday at the Buffalo Niagara Court Center, and travels to East Aurora for a 5 p.m. varsity start on Monday andDepewfora5p.m.start following the JV match on Tuesday, Oct. 18. 

“We need to utilize all of our abilities and take our team to that next level we enter the final weeks of the season,” Wlosinski said.

H.S. Volleyball: Lake Shore improves to 6-0; match with Hamburg looming
By: Sun Staff | Sports
Thursday October 6, 2011

St. Francis defeats Timon, now 2-1 in MMAA

Lake Shore improved to 6-0 in ECIC Division II with big tests in key matches approaching. Most recently, Lake Shore beat fellow ECIC opponents Starpoint of Sept. 30 and West Seneca East two days earlier, both in three game sweeps. 

In defeating East 25-8, 25-11, 25-15, Lake Shore displayed strong serving, recording eight aces. Connor Govenettio paced the team offensively with 10 kills, while Austin Van Slycke notched seven. Ryan Spears and Ryan Joslyn added six kills each. Defensively, Govenettio finished with 12 digs, while Billy Pinter and Clark Brueckle added seven each. Billy Pinter recorded 35 assists and three locks in a match that exhibited the team's offensive strengths and speed. 

The Eagles now host Hamburg in a first-place battle in ECIC II on Oct. 6, then take on Western New York's top-ranked teams in No. 1 Frontier on Oct. 7 and No. 2 Orchard Park four days later.

St. Francis improved to 5-6 overall and 2-1 in Monsignor Martin play with a three-game sweep of Timon-St. Jude (25-7, 25-8, 25-15) on Sept. 27. Brett Cawthorn had 17 kills in just two games, and Matt Smith had a solid game leading the team in assists. Nate Cichocki had 10 kills and Chris Busha added 7 kills. Matt Kunselman and Garrett Hitzel saw extended action and both played very well. 

In the match prior, the Red Raiders dropped a three-game match to Niagara-Frontier League leading Lockport, despite Cawthorn's 10 kills. St. Francis lost a tight five-game match to WNY seventh-ranked St. Joe's (20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18) during Homecoming week on Sept. 22. Cawthorn led the team in kills, while Matt Smith led the team in assists. Alex Warthling added a solid defensive effort, while Chris Busha and Cichocki dominated the middle of the court. 

According to head coach Andy Lanigan, the Red Raiders came out fired up for a big match and were aided by a passionate crowd that was dressed in red to match the team's red jerseys as part of Homecoming festivities.

After playing in Webster over the weekend, the Red Raiders turned their attention to the fifth annual "Blackout" game against Canisius on Oct. 4. Fans were encouraged to wear black to the game in support of the team. It was a battle for first place with Canisius, which is undefeated in league play.

North girls volleyball takes runner-up at Eden 
Attea, Hopkins selected to all-tournament team 
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 5, 2011

The Williamsville North girls volleyball team’s banner season continued with a second-place finish at Saturday’s Eden Lady Raiders Tournament.

St. Mary’s of Lancaster beat North, 17-25, 28-26, 15-10, in the final. It’s the Lady Spartans’ highest finish at the tournament.

North coach Keith Hopkins said his team had a 9-7 lead in the third game but could not hold on.

North swept Lancaster and Falconer and split games with Eden but won their pool because North won their game by more points than Eden. It was the first time in school history that North had ever taken a game from Eden. Eden is the two-time defending Class B state champions. 

Out of pool play, the Lady Spartans defeated Grand Island, 25-21, 25-18, in the quarterfinals. They then avenged a 30-28 loss to Section V’s Mercy in the quarterfinals of the Frontier Tournament a week earlier with a 25-17, 25-23 win in the Eden Tournament semifinals.

“The Mercy win was a quality victory,” coach Hopkins said. “It’s always nice to beat a team that beat you the week before.”

Nikki Attea and Emily Hopkins were both named to the all-tournament team.

“Nikki was leading us in kills and bombing away from left, right, middle and back row,” coach Hopkins said. “She was dominant. She also played great defense as well. Emily was setting the ball for us and moving the offense around, which helped us dramatically.”

Coach Hopkins said libero Haley Short made some great defensive plays, middle hitter Tori Manzella hit key kills at critical times, middle Haley Adams provided key blocks, middle Abigail Cimato served key points, and Erika Sercu and Lauren Schreiner had some great defensive plays.

“It was a total team effort,” he said.

North is in first place in ECIC Division I with a 6-0 record and 7-0 overall. They are ranked second among Western New York large schools.

Recent league victories have come over Clarence, 25-11, 25-18, 25-18, on Monday, Sept. 19, and West Seneca West, 25-7, 25-16, 25-15, on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

They also beat Lockport, 25-13, 25-20, 25-22, in a non-league match on Sept. 21. Lockport is ranked first in the Niagara Frontier League.

Coach Hopkins said his team was ahead, 19-4, in the first game of the Lockport match.

“It was the best we had played all season,” coach Hopkins said. “They had beaten us the year before at sectionals. We came out ready to play.”

Schreiner served nine straight points to start the match. Attea led North with 19 kills. Kristen Kubala had three aces.

North played on Monday at Frontier, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. North beat Frontier, the reigning ECIC I champion, earlier in the season. The Lady Spartans also host Sweet Home at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Lancaster at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Lancaster has league losses to North and Frontier.

“If we take care of business, we can put ourselves in position to win the division for the first time ever,” coach Hopkins said.

Amherst boys improve to 4-1 in ECIC III 
Amherst Bee
October 5, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team survived a five-game home match with Cheektowaga last Wednesday to improve to 4-1 in ECIC Division III and 5-4 overall. The Tigers won, 25-22, 27-25, 23-25, 19-25, 25-23.

Coming into the match, both teams were tied for second place in the division.

Amherst coach Peter Wlosinski said the team needed perseverance to win the match.

“We began warm-ups without some of our starters,” he said. “Our emotions from that set the tone in our players from the beginning. Then when a few calls don't go your way, it builds up frustration inside. We had to adjust our game and communicate. Each game was a hard fought game and game five came down to who wanted it more.”

Jailyn Twitty had seven digs and three crucial blocks in game five for the Tigers. For the game point, Wlosinski said Tom Mellody made a dig and Colton Probst set the ball to Twitty, who made a kill.

“It’s nice to win on a point we earned and a victory to appreciate,” Wlosinski said.

Evan Thielman (12 kills, four aces), Alex Turecki (10 kills, four digs), Mellody (eight kills, seven digs) and Gabe Radoccia-Feuerstein (26 assists, four aces) also contributed to the Amherst offense.

The Tigers opened the week with an 18-25, 21-25, 25-18, 18-25 loss at St. Joe’s on Monday, Sept. 26.

Wlosinski said the match was highly competitive and that he couldn’t be happier with what the team is learning from their losses.

“Three of our losses are to top 10 teams, but we are quite capable of winning because each time we found a way to win at least one game,” Wlosinski said. “We need to find a way to play an entire match. In each game, we relaxed with an early lead and St Joe’s got a run. If we want to play at a higher level, we need to stop allowing the opponent so many runs in a match from our errors.”

Mellody (11 kills, four digs), Thielman (nine kills), Turecki (eight kills, three blocks) and Jesse Summa-Dowd (25 assists) also contributed for the Tigers.

Amherst played at Eden on Tuesday but the match was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

They travel to Holland for a 5 p.m. start on Thursday.

South wins own tourney for second time in three years 
Boys volleyball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 5, 2011

For the second time in three years, Williamsville South won its own boys volleyball tournament.

The Billies beat Williamsville North, 25-15, 27-25, in Saturday's final to win the seven-team tournament. North led 24-23 in the second game but South rallied. South was runner-up last year.

"They were ecstatic to win it," South coach Thom Knab said. "I told them at the beginning that if they play their good, solid game that they could win the tournament. They played well and they did. The tournament was the first time this season it seemed like we were in synch with each other."

South beat Lockport, 25-19, 25-21, in the semifinals after going 5-1 in pool play. 

Senior outside hitter Dylan Cottrell was named tournament MVP. He only had three errors on 50 passes and added 20 kills.

"He passed incredibly well in serve-receive," Knab said. "He became a vocal leader on the court."

Senior middle hitter Brian Kraus was named to the all-tournament team. Kraus, along with junior middle hitter Sam Scime, each recorded 12 blocks.

Knab also lauded the play of sophomore outside hitter Anthony Podgorzak (43 kills) and senior right side hitter Jimmy Spellman.

"Jimmy did some good hitting and blocking but whenever the setter takes the first pass or dig, he's the guy who usually jumps in and makes the set for us," Knab said. "He's a really strong placement server."

Including the semifinals and finals of the tournament, South is 8-2 overall. They are 3-2 in ECIC Division II with three-game wins over West Seneca East and Iroquois and a five-game victory Starpoint. South also beat Holland twice and Williamsville North in non-league matches.

South played at Williamsville East on Monday and Iroquois on Tuesday but the results were unavailable before The Bee went to press. The Billies host Starpoint at approximately 7 p.m. on Thursday. 

Williamsville North 

At one point, coach Mike Minnuto only had six players dressed for the tournament but the Spartans dropped one game in pool play on their way to a 5-1 record and the second seed before beating Starpoint, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, in the semifinals. North started the day with 10 players and had eight for the finals.

"I had a short bench with kids going to other activities," Minnuto said. "We really found our game. I was happy with the way we performed. The tournament fell at a good time for us. I figured it would take a couple of weeks to get these kids playing at the level they should be. The first three weeks have been a struggle for us with inconsistent play."

Juniors Tyler Penberthy and Marc Peterson were both named to the all-tournament team. Penberthy hit middle and set from the back row and Peterson hit on the outside.

"Tyler played well in the middle and calmed our team down a little bit," Minnuto said. "From the first game, Marc was elevating and swinging well. He's got unlimited potential."

Minnuto also lauded the play of junior setter Mike Szalazkiewiez, who because of a lack of players, had to hit middle in the front row and set in the back row, and sophomore libero Will Stryker.

Juniors Connor Gust (right side hitter), junior Justin Fillmore (outside hitter), Cameron MacDonald (right side) and Scott Kiely (right side) also contributed throughout the day for North. Freshman Owen Green (right side) and senior Ryan Winkler (middle) played early in pool play and returned for the finals. Junior Zack Morrison left after the second game of pool play and did not return because of a prior commitment.

North headed into the tournament after beating Lockport, 21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-23, in a non-league game on Friday. It was the Spartans' first victory of the season. Lockport is the top team in the Niagara-Frontier League. Peterson led North with eight kills.

The Spartans are 1-4 in ECIC I, picking up their first league win over Sweet Home, 25-18, 25-20, 27-25 on Monday. Fillmore recorded eight kills. They played at Frontier on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

"They're really finding their game," Minnuto said. "I hope we can continue to play at a strong, consistent level in the second half of the season."

North girls volleyball takes runner-up at Eden 
Attea, Hopkins selected to all-tournament team
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 5, 2011

The Williamsville North girls volleyball team's banner season continued with a second-place finish at Saturday's Eden Lady Raiders Tournament.

St. Mary's of Lancaster beat North, 17-25, 28-26, 15-10, in the final. It's the Lady Spartans' highest finish at the tournament.

North coach Keith Hopkins said his team had a 9-7 lead in the third game but could not hold on.

North swept Lancaster and Falconer and split games with Eden but won their pool because North won their game by more points than Eden. It was the first time in school history that North had ever taken a game from Eden. Eden is the two-time defending Class B state champions. 

Out of pool play, the Lady Spartans defeated Grand Island, 25-21, 25-18, in the quarterfinals. They then avenged a 30-28 loss to Section V's Mercy in the quarterfinals of the Frontier Tournament a week earlier with a 25-17, 25-23 win in the Eden Tournament semifinals.

"The Mercy win was a quality victory," coach Hopkins said. "It's always nice to beat a team that beat you the week before."

Nikki Attea and Emily Hopkins were both named to the all-tournament team.

"Nikki was leading us in kills and bombing away from left, right, middle and back row," coach Hopkins said. "She was dominant. She also played great defense as well. Emily was setting the ball for us and moving the offense around, which helped us dramatically."

Coach Hopkins said libero Haley Short made some great defensive plays, middle hitter Tori Manzella hit key kills at critical times, middle Haley Adams provided key blocks, middle Abigail Cimato served key points, and Erika Sercu and Lauren Schreiner had some great defensive plays.

"It was a total team effort," he said.

North is in first place in ECIC Division I with a 6-0 record and 7-0 overall. They are ranked second among Western New York large schools.

Recent league victories have come over Clarence, 25-11, 25-18, 25-18, on Monday, Sept. 19, and West Seneca West, 25-7, 25-16, 25-15, on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

They also beat Lockport, 25-13, 25-20, 25-22, in a non-league match on Sept. 21. Lockport is ranked first in the Niagara Frontier League.

Coach Hopkins said his team was ahead, 19-4, in the first game of the Lockport match.

"It was the best we had played all season," coach Hopkins said. "They had beaten us the year before at sectionals. We came out ready to play."

Schreiner served nine straight points to start the match. Attea led North with 19 kills. Kristen Kubala had three aces.

North played on Monday at Frontier, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. North beat Frontier, the reigning ECIC I champion, earlier in the season. The Lady Spartans also host Sweet Home at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Lancaster at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Lancaster has league losses to North and Frontier.

"If we take care of business, we can put ourselves in position to win the division for the first time ever," coach Hopkins said.

Amherst boys improve to 4-1 in ECIC III
Amherst Bee
October 5, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team survived a five-game home match with Cheektowaga last Wednesday to improve to 4-1 in ECIC Division III and 5-4 overall. The Tigers won, 25-22, 27-25, 23-25, 19-25, 25-23.

Coming into the match, both teams were tied for second place in the division.

Amherst coach Peter Wlosinski said the team needed perseverance to win the match.

"We began warm-ups without some of our starters," he said. "Our emotions from that set the tone in our players from the beginning. Then when a few calls don't go your way, it builds up frustration inside. We had to adjust our game and communicate. Each game was a hard fought game and game five came down to who wanted it more."

Jailyn Twitty had seven digs and three crucial blocks in game five for the Tigers. For the game point, Wlosinski said Tom Mellody made a dig and Colton Probst set the ball to Twitty, who made a kill.

"It's nice to win on a point we earned and a victory to appreciate," Wlosinski said.

Evan Thielman (12 kills, four aces), Alex Turecki (10 kills, four digs), Mellody (eight kills, seven digs) and Gabe Radoccia-Feuerstein (26 assists, four aces) also contributed to the Amherst offense.

The Tigers opened the week with an 18-25, 21-25, 25-18, 18-25 loss at St. Joe's on Monday, Sept. 26.

Wlosinski said the match was highly competitive and that he couldn't be happier with what the team is learning from their losses.

"Three of our losses are to top 10 teams, but we are quite capable of winning because each time we found a way to win at least one game," Wlosinski said. "We need to find a way to play an entire match. In each game, we relaxed with an early lead and St Joe's got a run. If we want to play at a higher level, we need to stop allowing the opponent so many runs in a match from our errors."

Mellody (11 kills, four digs), Thielman (nine kills), Turecki (eight kills, three blocks) and Jesse Summa-Dowd (25 assists) also contributed for the Tigers.

Amherst played at Eden on Tuesday but the match was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

They travel to Holland for a 5 p.m. start on Thursday.

Sacred Heart wins gold bracket at Frontier tourney
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 28, 2011

Sacred Heart's girls volleyball team downed West Seneca East, 28-26, 25-21, for the gold bracket final at Saturday's Frontier Tournament.

"It was a good tournament for us," Sharks varsity coach Mike Jans said. "We came together and really found ourselves as a complete team."

Sam Boron led the Sharks with six kills, and Natalie Reesor added four aces versus West Seneca East.

The Sharks beat Nardin, 25-19, 25-23, in the gold bracket semifinals.

Boron and Shelby O'Neil each recorded five kills, and Reesor added four aces versus Nardin.

Sacred Heart went 2-4 in pool play, losing to Lancaster, 11-25, 14-25, and Hamburg, 9-25, 12-25, and beating Lake Shore, 25-17, 25-14.

O'Neil had five kills and Emily Ludwig blocked three shots versus Lancaster, and Kelly Farrell and M.C. Duggan had three kills each versus Hamburg. Boron led Sacred Heart against Lake Shore with five kills and nine assists. Farrell added four aces.

Jans lauded the play throughout the tournament of Boron and O'Neil.

"Sam had a great tournament," Jans said. "She led us in kills and assists for the team. Shelby O'Neil had a great blocking day. It was good to see my left side come to life. I had some great passing in the second half of the day."

Sacred Heart also competed in the Sweet Home and St. Mary's of Lancaster tournaments.

The Sharks went 1-5 in pool play at the Sweet Home Tournament, losing to Orchard Park, 19-25, 22-25, and Frontier, 10-25, 16-25, and splitting with Kenmore West, 25-14, 16-25. They then advanced to the silver bracket, beating City Honors, 30-14, and losing to Newfane, 18-25, 23-25.

Carlee Conway had six assists versus OP, Kelly Farrell had four kills versus Frontier, Caroline Auricchio recorded five kills against Kenmore West and Boron added five aces versus Newfane.

Sacred Heart went 0-6 in pool play at the St. Mary's of Lancaster Tournament, losing to Williamsville North, 21-25, 20-25; Frontier, 16-25, 16-25; and Section V's Penfield, 10-25, 12-25. They then lost to West Seneca East, 16-25, 25-23, 15-25.

Rosemary Stry had five kills versus North, Farrell added four kills against Frontier, and Boron had eight kills and Conway added eight assists versus West Seneca East.

The Sharks are in fourth place in the Monsignor Martin Association with a 4-2 record. Sacred Heart has beaten Holy Angels, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 25-12, 25-20; Mount Mercy, 25-9, 25-16, 25-13; O'Hara, 25-10, 17-25, 25-13, 25-17; and Nichols, 25-21, 25-19, 25-19. Their losses have come against St. Mary's of Lancaster, 7-25, 14-25, 16-25, and Nardin, 11-25, 20-25, 20-25.

Conway recorded 15 assists, O'Neil had six kills and Georgi Stoj added five aces against Mount Mercy; Ludwig blocked six shots and Reesor had six aces against O'Hara; and Boron had seven kills and three aces and Conway handed out seven assists versus Nichols.

Stry had four kills against St. Mary's, and O'Neil and Stoj recorded six and five kills, respectively, against Nardin.

Throughout the season, Jans lauded the back-court leadership and play of Reesor.

Sacred Heart hosted Immaculata on Tuesday, but the result of the match was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play at Mount St. Mary's on Friday following the JV match at 4:30 p.m.

Panthers seek consistency
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 28, 2011

With a 1-5 record, Sweet Home boys volleyball coach Rich Cicero knows his team is capable of playing better. They just haven't yet.

"We're capable of doing more," Cicero said. "We have a lot of unforced errors. We have to get back to work and play hard. I think that is part of the problem."

As of press time, Sweet Home is 0-3 in ECIC Division I.

Their losses have come to Lancaster, Frontier and Clarence. They are 1-5 overall, with their lone win over Kenmore West in their first match of the season.

Cicero said he is bringing up 6-foot-6 middle hitter Taylor Sutherland from the JV to help the team out.

Sweet Home went 1-5 in pool play at its own tournament on Saturday. They lost to Starpoint, 25-27, 17-25, and Hamburg, 16-25, 11-25, and split with Williamsville North, 25-21, 20-25.

They then fell to Lancaster, 13-25, 11-25, in the quarterfinals.

Cicero said he moved Chris Stonish at right side hitter and he did a decent job.

Sweet Home faced Orchard Park on Monday, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

Sweet Home hosts West Seneca West on Friday following the JV match at 5 p.m.

East boys volleyball off to surprising 5-1 start
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 28, 2011

Another year of experience has greatly improved the Williamsville East boys volleyball team. The Flames are off to a 5-1 start, including a 2-1 mark in ECIC Division II.

Last year, the Flames won one league match and finished with three wins overall.

Coach Michael Braunscheidel is surprised with his team's early start but attributes it to senior leadership and players being in his system for the past two years.

"The kids were all young last year," Braunscheidel said. "We still need to work on consistency overall but I'm pleased with how the team has started."

East's wins have come over Sweet Home, East Aurora, West Seneca East, Williamsville North and Iroquois. Their only loss came against Lake Shore.

Max Schwartz, a foreign exchange student from Germany, leads the Flames in kills with 35 followed by senior Connor Keenan with 25 and junior James Purkiss with 24.

Senior Tom Styn leads the team in assists with 63. Senior Tom Kline has a team-best 98 serve percentage. Senior Matt Petrie has a team-best 77 digs.

Braunscheidel said the team MVP so far has been senior Ryan Zaloom, who is succeeding wherever he puts him on the court.

"He's playing out of position sometimes," he said. "He's usually an outside hitter but I have him playing weak side hitter and he is relishing the role. He's also doing great in the back row as well."

The team has also overcome the loss of senior starting middle hitter Tom Wisniewski to a high ankle sprain in the North Tonawanda Tournament on Sept. 10.

Braunscheidel said freshman JV call-up Dylan Cicero stepped in nicely at this past weekend's Sweet Home Tournament. The team has also worked in junior Nick Reding in the back row as well as weak side hitter to help with blocking and junior Nate Doucette at middle hitter. 

East went 3-3 in pool play at the North Tonawanda Tournament and did not qualify further. They took fourth in the eight-team Sweet Home Tournament on Saturday, losing to eventual champion Hamburg, 15-25, 24-26, in the semifinals. The Flames went 2-4 in pool play and beat Starpoint, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, in the quarterfinals.

Styn was named to the all-tournament team.

"He stayed within the offense and used all hitters and options on the court," Braunscheidel said.

East played Starpoint on Monday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play at Hamburg on Wednesday following the JV match at 6 p.m. and are in the Williamsville South Tournament at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Amherst earns ECIC Division III victories
Amherst Bee
September 28, 2011

Amherst defeated Maryvale and Depew to improve to 3-1 in ECIC Division III boys volleyball.

The Tigers won at Maryvale, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24, 25-14, on Tuesday, Sept. 20, and swept Depew, 25-19, 25-17, 25-15, last Thursday at home.

After splitting the first two games with Maryvale, coach Paul Wlosinski stressed to his players how pivotal the third game is.

"We had the lead the whole game and pulled through with a hard-fought win," Wlosinski said. "Our guys put forth energy and excitement that fed off of the opponents' crowd. We looked like we were having fun on the court, which was awesome."

Evan Thielman (11 kills, two aces), Tom Mellody (10 kills), Alex Turecki (eight kills) and Jesse Summa-Dowd (24 assists) paced the Tigers.

"I'm very proud of our team," Wlosinski said. "We brought a tough serve (six aces) and an active defense (10 digs). I always tell the team how important it is to be on your toes on defense. The ball isn't going to come right at you. You have to move to make a dig."

Gabe Radoccia-Feuerstein led Amherst against Depew with 22 assists. 

"Gabe isn't the most confident in his ability as setter, but he definitely sure has good ball control, which is essential for a sett er," Wlosinski said.

Turecki added 14 kills and three aces.

Wlosinski said Jailyn Twitty brought some excitement to the team with his 12 kills and nine blocks in his first week of eligibility.

The Tigers also hosted Starpoint in a non-league match last Wednesday with the Spartans prevailing, 25-16, 14-25, 25-22, 21-25, 18-25.

Thielman (17 kills), Mellody (14 kills, three aces) and Summa Dowd (33 assists, five digs) led Amherst.

"During a non-league game, it's nice to be able to try some things and still play at a high level," Wlosinski said. "I'm glad we were able to against Starpoint, even though we didn't have a day to practice. We came out powerful but started over-thinking our positions. Once a new strategy becomes routine, it will hopefully work out."

Amherst (3-3) faced St. Joe's on Monday, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Cheektowaga following the JV match at 4:30 p.m.

"We're growing through every competition," Wlosinski said. "It takes a while to get back into the swing of things, but we are taking great strides. Now that we are over a month into the season, we should start to really perform well."

East girls remain unbeaten
Amherst Bee
September 28, 2011

Williamsville East (5-0, 4-0) remained unbeaten in ECIC II girls volleyball with recent wins over Williamsville South and Starpoint and a non-league victory over Cheektowaga.

East also advanced to the quarterfinals of the Frontier Tournament, losing to Hamburg, 22-30.

East went 4-2 in pool play, beating Immaculata, 25-16, 25-18, and City Honors, 25-12, 25-10, and losing to Section V's Mercy, 23-25, 19-25. They beat Lancaster, 30-28, in prequarterfinals before facing Hamburg.

"Overall, we're improving as a team," East coach Scott Wright said.

Erica Moser was named to the all-tournament team.

Wright lauded the play of Moser, setters Allyson Rung and Emily Berrafato, and outside setter Dominque DiPietro.

East played on Monday at Iroquois and Hamburg on Tuesday, but the results were unavailable before The Bee went to press.

Lady Panthers place third at own invitational
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 21, 2011

The Sweet Home girls volleyball team finished third place at their own invitational on Saturday. It's the highest finish in the six-year tenure of Lady Panthers coach Breean Trapasso.

"The tournament play really helped us mold our team to where we need to be," Trapasso said.

Sweet Home went 6-0 in pool play, beating City Honors, Niagara-Wheatfield and Clarence, and earned the top seed and a bye into the semifinals because they had the best point differential.

"We were playing consistent and passing well," Trapasso said. "Jenna Reeser really stepped up and was putting balls down. Rachel Ward was passing very consistently. We were playing tough."

Sweet Home then fell to the Lady Redskins, 25-20, 20-25, 11-15. Lancaster beat Orchard Park in the finals.

"We were on our way to beating them and we had too many errors on our part," Trapasso said.

Reeser, a sophomore, was named to the all-tournament team.

"She led our team in kills for the day and was playing at a top level," Trapasso said.

Trapasso also lauded the play of senior setter Brittany Smith and freshman middle hitter Emma Hubert.

Sweet Home is 2-3 overall and 1-3 in ECIC Division I.

Their lone league win came against Clarence, 20-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23, on Thursday. Reeser had 18 kills and 13 digs. Lydia Penberthy added 13 kills and four digs. Smith dished out 27 assists. Hubert had four blocks. Ward added 17 digs.

Sweet Home's league losses have come against Frontier, Lancaster and Williamsville North. They won a non-league match against East Aurora.

"We're trying to get better every week," Trapasso said. "I told the girls as long as we're learning something and growing every time we step on and off the court, that's all we can ask for. Our theme for the season is it's a marathon, not a sprint."

Sweet Home hosts Williamsville South at 5 p.m. on Wednesday following the JV match. They also travel to the Buffalo Niagara Court Center to meet West Seneca Westfora4p.m.varsitystartonFridayand will compete in the Frontier Tournament on Saturday.

South almost eclipses last year's win total
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 21, 2011 

Despite only returning two players with varsity experience, the Williamsville South girls volleyball team is off to a 5-1 start, including a 3-1 mark in ECIC Division II. South finished 7-11 last year.

"The best about it is, even in practice, they work hard, are focused and almost expect to win," Lady Billies coach Tom Sproull.

The Lady Billies have not made it easy on themselves, rallying from two games down to beat Starpoint, 22-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-20, 26-24, on Sept. 7 and Iroquois, 25-17, 22-25, 24-26, 25-23, 28-26, on Sept. 9.

"The fact that we went five games says a lot about their mental state, that they believe they're going to get the next point," Sproull said. "They're also not hoping the other team doesn't mess up. They're not afraid to hit the ball in a tight situation. They go for it."

Rebecca Postek and Gabriella Mancino each recorded 13 kills, Jessica Miller had eight kills, eight serving aces and two blocks, Claire Haumesser added six kills and three blocks and Diana Frysz added 33 assists versus Starpoint.

Mancino had 14 kills, Jessica Miller added 11 kills and four assists, Postek had 10 kills and seven serving aces, and Frysz recorded 37 assists and five aces versus Iroquois.

South also beat Lake Shore, 25-14, 25-23, 25-20, on Friday for the first time in at least three years. Postek recorded 10 kills and Frysz had 17 assists.

The Lady Billies also picked up non-league victories over Cheektowaga, 25-23, 25-15, 19-25, 25-23, on Sept. 2 and Cleveland Hill, 25-8, 25-15, 25-11, on Sept. 14. Postek had 10 kills, Mancino had nine kills and two blocks and Frysz recorded 20 assists against Cheektowaga. 

Frysz had 37 assists and eight aces against Cleveland Hill.

South's only loss was a 13-25, 17-25, 15-25 loss to Williamsville East on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Haumesser recorded eight kills. Frysz had 37 assists.

Throughout the season, Sproull said Postek, who along with Haumesser, are the only returning players, is the team's best passer and one of the top players needing a point for a kill. He also setter Frysz has been serving better as a setter.

South also advanced to the semifinals of the Cheektowaga Tournament.

South played West Seneca East on Monday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They travel to Sweet Home at 6:30 p.m. today and Hamburg at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Times are approximate following the JV matches.

Amherst boys volleyball splits league matches
Amherst Bee
September 21, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team split its first two ECIC Division III matches of the 2011 season.

The Tigers lost to Eden, 19-25, 16-25, 25-21, 14-25, on Monday, Sept. 12 and beat Holland, 25-16, 24-26, 25-19, 25-22, on Wednesday. Both were home matches.

Coach Peter Wlosinski said the first game of the Eden match brought out a good level of competition that his team is capable of. 

"The game was close all along until we had too many hitting errors and ball handling errors towards the end of the game," Wlosinski said.

In the second game, Amherst missed seven serves, which was out of character for them, Wlosinski said.

"We couldn't fight back from the deficit we caused," he said.

Wlosinski said when the team won the third game they only had two kills but no service errors. They also picked up eight digs.

"It's incredible to beat Eden in a game and it showed our team what we're capable of accomplishing," Wlosinski said. "One of our goals was to beat Eden in a match and it will be even tougher when we face them in their gym. Our players need to show the dedication and hard work it will take to achieve that goal."

Wlosinski said the team's confidence grew in the fourth game as they had eight kills but Eden brought their attack.

Tom Mellody (13 kills, five blocks), Evan Thielman (six kills, three blocks) and Jesse Summa Dowd (16 asissts) led the Tigers.

Wlosinski was pleased with his team's first game against Holland but put in a lackluster performance from then on.

"I hoped the loss in game two would be a wakeup call, but even then, the players played casually," Wlosinski said. "We have much to work on in terms of defense and running an efficient offense when given a free ball."

Mellody (15 kills), Thielman (10 kills), Alex Turecki (eight kills) and Summa-Dowd (28 assists) led the Tigers.

Amherst (2-2, 1-1) plays three days in a row this week. It started at Maryvale on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They also host Starpoint on Wednesday and Depew on Thursday. Both matches will follow the JV matches at 6 p.m.

The Tigers have increased their roster size to eight with the additions of junior Colton Probst and senior Jailyn Twitty.

Wlosinski said Probst will be a defensive specialist and will help the team make the pass when needed and Twitty is a 6-foot-2 opposite hitter who will help establish their right side block for the middle blocker to close to.

"Jailyn can practically jump out of the building and we'll work on his form and positioning because this is his first time he is playing competitive volleyball," Wlosinski said.

High School Boys Volleyball: Crowe's return a key for Eden
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Thursday September 15, 2011

It's been a long road back to volleyball for Dalton Crowe after suffering a devastating torn ACL before the start of the 2010-11 school year. Eden is welcoming back one of its leaders with open arms.

While fellow senior teammates Cody Smith and Kyle Acker may have developed into the team's main offensive weapons for this season in his absence, Crowe brings toughness and intensity to a team that lost five contributing seniors from a Class B title-winner in 2010, a season he missed because of the injury.

A starter on varsity since his freshman season, the hard-hitting lefty was even willing to take on the setter role in his return this fall. Though he has never before been formally trained as a setter, his head coach Robert Pierce said Crowe is willing to take on such challenges thanks to a competitive drive, willingness to learn and love for Eden sports and student life.

"It's a pleasure to have Dalton," Pierce said. "When he went down, it's a testament to his fortitude and patience that he didn't get upset and still showed his support."

It's somewhat miraculous that Crowe has come back at nearly full power after suffering a few setbacks following his initial surgery to repair the ACL. The current quarterback of Eden's offense went through two more surgeries before being cleared to get back to volleyball over the summer.

Pierce said even during the club season this summer, Crowe's leg would drag a bit as he moved aggressively, but as time has gone on, he gets stronger and more confident. "He may have a had a few setbacks but his will to win is second to none," Pierce said. "There are few players like him." 

Pierce is just as happy with the entire four-player senior class on a team of nine, which also includes a dynamic group of underclassman. Bobby Blodget has joined Acker, Smith and Crowe in the senior leadership role and showing the younger players how to handle themselves daily.

"These guys hate to lose, they practice hard and set the tone for the younger guys," said Pierce, whose team this season reached the semifinals at the Clarence Tournament and quarterfinals at the Eden Tournament. "They understand their responsibility and elevated their games to the level of competition, which has translated into our good play in the two tournaments."

Pierce considers Acker, an outside hitter, one of the best players he has had in a while. Acker was described by his coach as fearless with the body control that allows him to pass effectively in addition to finishing with power or a soft touch.

Smith, who missed the Eden Tournament as he made an official visit to Penn State, is developing a killer mentality that will make him a force around Western New York because of his 6-foot-8 size. 

Joining Smith in the middle will be Blodget and junior Ryan Vondell. Despite being only an eighth grader, Declan Pierce has shown the ability and physicality needed to be a contributor at the varsity level. The same can be said for contributing freshman Hayden Herc.

Though this team's practice routines are somewhat limited due to lack of numbers, Pierce has enjoyed watching this group play so far in tournaments and in a five-set opening match win over Clarence.

"Playing 6-on-6 and getting blocking drills done is difficult, so these tournaments are like our practice and give us opportunities we haven't had in practice," Pierce said. "I'm excited about this crew."

High School Boys Volleyball Preview: Frontier armed for another run
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Thursday September 15, 2011

Drew Durni, pictured left on the block, and Nick Smalter are two key players for
Frontier, which brings back five of six starters from a Section VI title-winning team.
(Photo courtesy of Ron Larson)

Frontier's expectations for this season are sky high and for good reason, considering the talent back from a monster 2010 campaign that may have even come a year early.

But maintaining the intensity throughout the course of the year could make the difference between a team that goes out and achieves all it could and one that wilts under high expectations.

Thought of as a team on the rise last season, the Falcons far exceeded expectations, dispatching all of the Western New York foes it faced on their way to a miraculous 30-2 season, which included an ECIC I title, tournament championships at Clarence, Eden and Hamburg and then a Section VI Class A title.

Back from that team are five starters, four of whom earned First or Second Team All-Western New York honors as juniors. First Team selections were opposite Drew Durni and outside Nick Smalter, and from the Second team back are setter Matt Taylor and outside Tom Scheck. Also part of the starting cast from 2010 is freshman libero Jake Gleason.

"These guys are the team to beat," Frontier head coach Bill Faust said of his team. "They've got the target on their back in Western New York."

The Falcons have already been tested by an upset-minded opponent. Orchard Park, which fell short last year to the Falcons the Class A final, already has pushed them to the brink in a third and deciding game in the Eden Pan-Am Tournament semifinal on Sept. 10. Frontier pulled out a 16-14 win to move on to the final.

"O.P. hustled and took us out of our system," said Faust, whose team had opened the season the week prior in repeating as Clarence Tournament champions. "I called on our core of seniors to get us through that."

"I think the guys continue to learn that teams aren't just going to roll over for us," added last year's Western New York Coach of the Year. "We've got to win it. When these guys start to get stale on the court, like an extension of the classroom, I need to make it exciting for them. Our main goal has been maintaining intensity."

Even during a season with such high expectations, there still sits a road block to a state final in McQuaid of Rochester. After losing only once during the 2010 regular season, Frontier was easily handled by McQuaid in the Far West Regional.

Already, this year, McQuaid swept the Falcons in the final of the Eden Tournament to capture the title. It was however a rematch of a tournament final won by Frontier in 2010.

"They're a good team but we had some guys who were out sick today, so on the fly, I can't be disappointed," Faust said after the tournament. "We played them tough, but we know they're still the favorite to be state champions."

Coming into the 2010 season, the core of the group coming back after playing varsity as sophomores were Durni, Scheck and Taylor. Jay Hassey was last year's only senior starter, then the team was rounded out by Smalter, a St. Francis junior transfer, and Gleason, a middle school student at the time.

While Gleason may have been the most pleasant surprise, Smalter was the piece that put Frontier over the top. The 6-foot-5 Smalter quickly jelled with the group, having played with many of them in the club season, and become a dominant hitter. This year, he's already been named Most Valuable Player at the Clarence Tournament.

"He's turned into an offensive force for us and he's very mentally tough," said Faust, who noted that Smalter, along with Durni, Taylor and Scheck are all college prospects. "He adjusted well and fit right in here. Now, I'm hoping to coach him to the next level."

During the offseason, Smalter, along with Durni and Gleason, also competed in national high performance camps and played with the Eden Volleyball Club.

That sixth and final starting spot will be filled by a combination of seniors Kevin Hannon and Muhamed Catovic and sophomore Dylan Durni, Drew's brother. Freshman Matt Monaco will be used to do some serving. Catovic already stepped in and earned all-tournament honors in Clarence.

Faust can't help but look forward to this season. "I want to take this team to a college level," he noted. "We'll play a quick offense and be very tough on serve."


ECIC II features local rivals Hamburg, Lake Shore


A local rivalry is brewing in ECIC II as Hamburg moves down from ECIC I and into a division that was dominated last season by Lake Shore.

Hamburg head coach Brian Carroll said that his team not only hopes to return to the Class B final, where it lost last season to Eden, but win its division as well, in all likelihood putting the Bulldogs on a collision course with Lake Shore.

"The battle for the division title will most likely be between us and Lake Shore," Carroll admitted.

Hamburg will need much of its production to come from seniors Eric Moscato and Eric Simoncelli. Moscato, a three-year starter at middle hitter, was selected to the All-Western New York Second team last year, while Simoncelli, the returning setter, has already started the season playing well at the Clarence and Eden Tournaments, according to Carroll.

Returning to the varsity in larger roles this year are 6-foot-5 middle hitter Matt Birt and right side Brian Kiel, both of whom are seniors. Hamburg will also be looking for contributions from senior Josh Babcock and juniors Connor Krolikowski and Ben Michaels at left side. Carroll noted Krolikowski will provide some much-needed offensive punch. Toni Guzzetta is the starter at libero and Mitch Shafer will aid the defensive effort and help on serves.

The Bulldogs finished in the Gold Flight at the Clarence Tournament and the Silver Flight at the highly competitive Eden Tournament on Sept. 10. At Eden, Carroll noted that his team nearly beat WNY's third-ranked Canisius in a 25-23 second set. He's hoping to make it to the finals of three tournaments, including the school's host tournament on Oct. 22.

Although there will be some moving of positions, a core of four returning starters will be back for a Lake Shore team looking to better an impressive 2010 season, despite the increased competition created with having Hamburg as a division mate.

Using three sophomores in their rotation, the Eagles finished undefeated in ECIC III at 12-0 and nearly knocked off eventual Class B champion Eden in a grueling five-game sectional semifinal match.

"Our expectations stay the same; we could actually improve," said Lake Shore head coach John Coyle. "About three of our starters are part-time volleyball players and only play in the fall, so it might take us some time to get into a rhythm but in the long run we'll be OK."

Ryan Spears and Nick Burbidge, senior returning starters at middle hitter, will be joined in the lineup by experienced juniors Billy Pinter, Connor Govenettio and Ryan Joselin, who is the only of the three not to be switching positions this year as he'll stay at outside hitter. Pinter will move to setter, replacing All-Western New Yorker Nick McDonagh. Govenettio will move from libero to outside hitter.

Senior Austin Van Slycke will move into the rotation as an outside hitter, while junior Dane Cala is up from the junior varsity to play libero. Coyle noted Cala could also be an outside hitter if needed. This year's group, which is athletic but lacks height, will rely on its ball control to tie up many of its larger opponents. Burbidge is the team's biggest player at 6-foot-3, while a few others are around 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-2.

"That's about all of the height we've got right now," Coyle noted. "The kids need to find there place a little right now."


St. Francis continues chase


St. Francis is still busy trying to chase down the Monsignor Martin Association title it surrendered in 2000 to Canisius, which has not relinquished it since.

After playing the last time for a title in 2008, the Red Raiders have also found themselves behind St. Joe's in that chase. However, with four starters returning to its rotation and most of the varsity staying busy playing volleyball in the offseason, St. Francis hopes to take a step back toward a goal that has not been reached for the program during Canisius' 10-year reign. 

"This team is a little more experienced than the one's the past few years," said St. Francis head coach Andy Lanigan, who was a sophomore playing for St. Francis the last time the program won a title. 

"It's also the first time that the guys on their own took it upon themselves to do more camps and individual work before the season even started," he added. "A lot of guys played in the winter then at Buffalo Niagara Court Center in the summer."

The Red Raiders' go-to player from this group is three-year starting outside hitter Brett Cawthorn, a hard-hitting All-Catholic First team selection last year. Lanigan said Cawthorn has interest from Division II and II colleges. Among the other seniors are Chris Busha and Nate Cichocki in the middle and Matt Smith at setter.

Joining the starting lineup will be 6-foot-3 sophomore outside Tom Duszkiewicz, who Lanigan expects to make an immediate impact. Also new to the starting lineup will be junior right side Taylor Walber, one of the bigger blockers in the rotation. 

Lanigan looks to challenge his team this season by making two trips to Rochester, and playing Western New York's top large school Frontier. Actually, in a three-day span, the Red Raiders will take on Frontier on Thursday, Sept. 15 then Class A state champion McQuaid on Saturday, Sept. 17.

"That a tough two games in three days," Lanigan said. "But we have the philosophy here at the we'll play anybody, anywhere, anytime."

High School Girls Volleyball Preview: Hamburg builds into WNY elite
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports Hamburg Sun
Thursday September 15, 2011 

Senior Jessica Wood, pictured here on the block, is a returning starter from Hamburg's
Section VI championship teams that past two seasons. (Photo courtesy of Ron Larson)

John Crangle joked during the offseason in the hallways at Hamburg High School that after just two years as head coach of the Bulldogs' varsity program, he could retire a happy man.

He's got no plans to do so. Why would he? In the past two seasons, Hamburg has gone from a program that has never played for a Section VI title to one that has won two in as many years. He also believes his players have created a model program.

In bringing back five of six starters from last year's Class A champion, four of them having been part of the past two title-winning seasons, the bar will not be lowered for these Bulldogs.

"We have every expectation to continue as an extremely competitive team in Western New York," said Crangle, the former assistant in the Hamburg boys volleyball program after previously serving as the Kenmore West boys volleyball coach. 

"The group of girls on this team has set the standard high as athletes, students and in character," he added. "They are all quality kids setting a wonderful example."

Multi-year returning starters from the senior class include Jessica Wood and Alicia Porack. Wood, an All-Western New York Second team selection last year, is a four-year varsity player and second year captain who is Crangle's most complete player. Porack, a three-year starter, has the potential to be one of the area's elite liberos, he said.

Also returning to the starting rotation are juniors Andrea Buchanan at right side/outside and Gabrielle Eppolito in the middle and freshman Taylor Hite at setter. According to Crangle, Buchanan has worked to improve as a threat not only hitting, but also as a passer, while Hite is even quicker and more confident after starting as an eighth grader.

Senior Elizabeth Dates will once again serve as Hamburg's defensive specialist, while classmate Jessica Schneider, who is in her third season with the varsity, spent the offseason focusing on becoming a more dynamic all-around player. Expected to contribute as well will be freshman newcomer Lauren Moelbert at middle hitter.

The only senior starter lost from last year's 16-4 team was Kiersten Krolikowski, an All-ECIC I First Team selection. This year, Hamburg moves from playing some the largest Western New York schools in ECIC I down to ECIC II to take on the likes of last year's division champion Williamsville East, and other top squads like West Seneca East and Lake Shore.

Dziewa looks to keep Lake Shore competitive

Lake Shore may have a new head coach but Brian Dziewa is hoping that doesn't change the same winning mentality within the program.

Even with only two returning to the starting lineup, Dziewa, who moves up from heading the junior varsity the last three seasons, expects that not much will change in a program that has experienced many successes over the past decade.

"There's definitely a familiarity there with the program and I've tried to make the transition as seamless as I could," said Dziewa, who's inherited a program that has reached the sectional final in four of the past seven seasons.

"The expectations are to continue the success the program has had," he added. "Even though there's some turnover, we still think we'll be in contention."

The Eagles will be reliant on their pair of returning starters and captains in Brooke Walker, a senior middle hitter, and Lauren Gotsch, a junior setter. Also, three experienced players step into lager roles this season, while two talented sophomores come up from the junior varsity.

Two-year varsity players expected to contribute more this year include senior middle hitter Jessica Ludwig and senior weak side Abby Koerner, while junior Katie Martynowicz is expected to play libero or in an outside hitter role. The highly-touted sophomores are outside hitters Molly Parker and Renee Richardson, who will try to fill the shoes of Lindsey Richardson, an All-Western New York Large School Second Team selection.

"It's a scrappy and close team with a bunch of girls that have been playing together for a while now," Dziewa said. "They're all very focused on the team aspect which makes my job easier."

Lake Shore will renew its rivalry at least twice this year with Hamburg as the Bulldogs move to ECIC II. However, the Eagles will move to Class B-1 for this year's postseason.

Tradition to uphold at Frontier

A tradition of winning and playing with purpose has been established within the Frontier program, so just because the Falcons lost all but two starters from last season doesn't mean head coach Deb Schruefer expects any less this year.

Coming off a second Section VI Class AA title in three seasons, Frontier is without seven seniors, five of whom are now playing at the collegiate level, but there is some talent that has been waiting in the wings.

"We talk about the tradition built here and that we're always a team that plays with heart and a defensive mindset," said Schruefer, coming off leading her team to a ECIC I title with an 11-1 mark. "There's a standard here that needs to be lived up to. I want the girls to play up to their capability each day and push to get better."

Among the returning players, sophomore Syd Rojeck steps back into the starting role at setter and senior MacKenzie Knihicki starts again in the middle of the front row. Also in this year's senior class of seven are Hannah Sawicki and Jennifer Cacchettini, who will serve as captains along with Rojek. Seniors Megan Toole, Alex Concialdi and Kayla Biondollilo should also contribute.

Rounding out the team will be newcomers Rachel Bartosz, Lyndsey Kaznowski, Hannah Booth, Nicole Pietras and Amanda Michels from the junior class and Nicole Rockey, Rachel Stephenson and Kaitlyn Long of the sophomore class. Schreuefer said the team will also be joined by an exchange student from Italy.

The biggest loss to graduation has been All-Western New York First team selection Rachel Stoklosa, who is now playing Division I at Siena College. Although this group is less experienced, the aggressive tournament schedule the Falcons have grown accustom to won't lighten up as they'll travel to five competitions and host their own on Saturday, Sept. 24.

"We don't have as much court experience so each time we're able to touch the ball it will be adding to their experience and court awareness," said Schreufer, whose team started the regular season 1-1. ‘We just need to get the team chemistry going."

N. Collins still aiming high

A group of four seniors will play an important role in North Collins attempting to keep alive a streak of consecutive seasons winning or at least sharing CCAA divisional titles.

The Eagles took some hits due to graduation from a team that last season put up a phenomenal 19-2 mark and advanced all the way to the Class D semifinals. North Collins also gained a share of its division title with dramatic 3-2 win over defending champion Chautauqua Lake in league finale.

The biggest threats back on offense are outside hitter Hannah Renaldo, a two-time league all-star who's been playing varsity since her freshman year, and middle hitter Whitney Renaldo. Joining the two in senior leadership roles will be right side Robyn Mehnert and libero Melissa Elliot. Among the seven seniors that graduated from last year is Amber Letina, an All-WNY Small School Second Team selection.

Joining the starting rotation this year will be junior Christine Blidy at setter. The team will also feature eighth grader Jasmine Filkov, along with junior Ashley Trainor and sophomores Nicole Torrey and Beth Kibler.

"Expectations are high considering how well we've done the past two years," said North Collins head coach David Burgstahler, who noted that his team's toughest competition this season may be against Panama. "But the seniors will need to show a lot of leadership and the underclassmen will need to step it up if we're to continue our winning ways."

North Collins fell to 2-1 on the season losing at Forestville in non-league action on Sept. 12, despite Hannah Renaldo's 10 kills and Blidy's 14 assists. The Eagles won their first two league games, beating Ripley 3-1 and Brocton 3-0. Most notably, Hannah Renaldo finished with 27 kills and Blidy, 23 assists, against Ripley, while Whitney Renaldo led the Eagles with nine kills against Brocton.

Youth being served at IA

Immaculata is a younger team than in recent seasons, but the program will be challenged just the same with an aggressive schedule that should garner its players experience right away, according to Robert Wood, the Bears' volleyball coordinator.

While three sophomores and two freshmen will all see the court this season, the Bears will look to the experience of three-year varsity setter Natalie Rieman, one of only two seniors on the team, and juniors Rachel Moll and Bailey Gawley, a pair of 6-foot middles that return after solid sophomore campaigns.

Among a young contingent expected to contribute are sophomores Samantha Grasso at outside hitter and Jordan DeMartino, whose versatility allows her to play outside or libero, and freshman Sarah Bain at setter and Molly Hennessy, a heavy hitting swinger with a huge upside, according to Wood.

He also said second-year head coach Kyle Shanley and his assistant, Matt Gutmann, have an aggressive tournament schedule with five competitions planned. The Bears will also have to face off against some stiff competition in the Monsignor Martin, including Western Mew York powers St. Mary's and Sacred Heart.

"Though we may have some athletes that are not as experienced, they all come in with athletic ability and a court presence not normally see at such an early age," Wood noted.

East girls volleyball wins Cheektowaga tourney
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 14, 2011

Williamsville East's first trip to the Cheektowaga Girls Volleyball Tournament ended with a championship.

The Lady Flames beat host school Cheektowaga, 25-18, 25-14, in the 10-team tournament on Saturday.

East went 7-1 in pool play, beating Tapestry Charter, Kenmore East and Westfield; splitting with Williamsville South; and then beat Iroquois, 30-14, in the semifinals.

"We played really well against Iroquois and not as well against Cheektowaga," East coach Scott Wright said. "Cheektowaga was scrappy, but they did not have an answer for Erica Moser. She probably had 20 kills against them."

Moser had 53 kills throughout the tournament. She was named to the all-tournament team, as was libero Storey Nowaczyk.

Wright also lauded the play of setter Allie Rung.

The Lady Flames opened the week with ECIC Division II home victories over Lake Shore, 25-12, 25-10, 25-11, on Wednesday and rallied to beat West Seneca East, 20-25, 25-27, 25-22, 25-21, 26-24 on Friday. 

Moser recorded 26 kills, Nowaczyk had 25 digs, and Rung and Natalie Berrafato had 21 and 20 assists, respectively, against West Seneca East.

"You always want to know what your team is made of, so to get down two games to nothing at home in games that we were both leading and to come back and win three was nice to see," Wright said. 

Moser had 15 kills and Rung added 12 assists versus Lake Shore.

The Lady Flames hosted Williamsville South on Tuesday, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They travel to Cheektowaga at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday following the JV game. 

email: pnagy@beenews.com

North adds Frontier to resume
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 14, 2011

Williamsville North girls volleyball coach Keith Hopkins looked back in the archives to find out the last time the Lady Spartans had beaten Frontier. He couldn't. North defeated Frontier, 25-12, 25-15, 23-25, 25-22.

"The Frontier coach has been there for 34 years, and she said she's never lost to Williamsville North," Hopkins said.

Hopkins doesn't know if his team could have played any better in the first two and a half games. North led 17-11 in the third game and lost. The Lady Spartans were ahead 19-10 in the fourth game but this time held on.

Nikki Attea led the Lady Spartans with 24 kills and six aces. Haley Adams posted nine kills and six blocks, and Lauren Schreiner added eight kills. Hopkins said Haley Short and Erika Sercu played well at defense and serve-receive.

North also held on to beat Orchard Park last Wednesday at home. North opened a 19-12 advantage in the first game and won, 25-23, and took the second game, 25-16. The Lady Spartans opened a 19-11 lead in the third game, fell behind 24-23, but got a big hit from Haley Adams and a stuff block from Tori Manzella to win 26-24.

Attea led North with 21 kills and seven aces. Emily Hopkins added 24 assists and three aces.

North closed out the week by taking third at the St. Mary's Tournament on Saturday. They went 5-1 in pool play, beating Frontier and Sacred Heart in two games and splitting with Section V's Penfield; followed with a 15-10 victory over Grand Island in the quarterfinals; and lost to Eden, 15-25, 23-25, in the semifinals. Eden is the defending Class A state champion. Hopkins said the difference in the match was Eden's serving.

North played at Sweet Home on Tuesday, but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They also host Orchard Park on Thursday and travel to Lancaster on Friday. Both matches will start at approximately 6:30 p.m. after the JV matches.

"We're cautiously optimistic," coach Hopkins said. "We could easily undo everything we did with a bad week this week." 

email: pnagy@beenews.com

Amherst volleyball competes at tournament
Amherst Bee
September 14, 2011

The Amherst boys volleyball team did not win a game at the Eden Pan-Am Tournament on Saturday but Tigers coach Peter Wlosinski was pleased with his players' efforts.

Amherst lost to Canisius, 17-25 and 15-25; Hamburg, 17-25, 21-25, and Bethlehem, 15-25, 14-25 in pool play and to St. Joe's, 26-30, in the bronze semifinals.

"Even though the score sheet from the tournament doesn't appear to be successful, the tournament was a great experience to be a part of," Wlosinski said. "I saw our players have fun and put the effort on the court. I was pleased to see our players never give up and our serving stood out as reliable and tough. They set team goals to shut down the opponents' runs and grew as a team because of that. I hope that this carries over next week when we begin our divisional play against the defending champion Eden."

Tom Mellody led the Tigers' offense with four kills against Canisius, seven versus Hamburg and three versus Bethlehem and St. Joe's. Jesse Summa-Dowd added nine assists versus Canisius, 10 against Hamburg and seven versus Bethlehem.

Amherst split non-league matches earlier in the week, losing home matches to Canisius, 12-25, 7-25, 15-25, on Wednesday, Sept. 7 and beating Kenmore East, 25-16, 25-18, 25-15.

Mellody (12 kills, three aces), Evan Thielman (six kills, two aces), Alex Turecki (six kills, two aces) and Summa-Dowd (21 assists) paced the Tigers.

"We controlled the match and played consistently," Wlosinski said. "We did have many hitting errors that need improvement, but this match was a good confidence builder."

Mellody had five kills and Summa Dowd contributed eight assists versus Canisius.

"Our first home match was disappointing," Wlosinski said. "We struggled to serve receive and because this was the first contact on the ball, our setting and hitting suffered."

Billies gelling early in season
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter
The Amherst Bee 
9/7/11

The Williamsville South boys volleyball team struggled early last season gelling but finished strong, winning five of its last six league matches to finish 7-5 in ECIC Division II and 11-11 overall.

Billies coach Thom Knab is already seeing the pieces coming together. "I'm seeing the communication happening more consistently," Knab said. "We're passing well, our serving has been consistent and the defense is picking up. I'm thinking and hoping that we are ahead of where we were last year. I've got to get them to realize the level they need to play at as early as possible."

The Billies return senior tri-captains Leo Lynett (setter), Brian Kraus (6-foot-1 middle hitter) and Jimmy Spellman (right side hitter). 
Knab said Lynett has good control and instincts and likes Kraus' vertical, hitting and defensive skills. Spellman started at libero last year but Knab moved him to right side because of how well he was jumping, hitting and blocking in preseason.
Another returning starter is sophomore outside hitter/ serve-receive specialist Anthony Podgorzak. A returning Second Team ECIC Division II All-Star, Podgorzak was second on the Billies last year with 220 attack attempts and third with 80 kills. He also recorded eight aces.

"He has good all-around skills," Knab said. "As he's gotten older, he has better leaping ability. He's been impressive so far in scrimmages."

Players moving into starting positions are senior Dylan Cottrell at outside hitter/serve-receive specialist and senior Mike Mutignani or junior Sam Scime at middle hitter.

Also on the team is backup setter/libero Joe Zanelotti, the first eighth-grader on varsity in South's history, and sophomore outside hitter/serve-receive specialist Steven Zaprowski. Zanelotti plays outside of South for Eden Volleyball Club.

South lost to Grand Island in four games in the Section VI Class A quarterfinals. They host Williamsville North in their opener at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Their Oct. 21 home match with Clarence has been dubbed "Dig Pink" as a way to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The players will wear pink socks or shoelaces and use a pink volleyball for the match.

Amherst volleyball faces roster numbers problem
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

A low turnout has led to a stressful time for Amherst boys volleyball coach Peter Wlosinski.

Wlosinski only has seven players on the roster and one of them is injured. He has been telling his players to try to recruit other players. You need six players to compete in a volleyball match.

The Tigers return three starters, 6-foot-3 middle hitter Tom Mellody, 6-foot senior outside hitter Evan Thielman and 5-10 senior setter Jesse Summa-Dowd. Mellody and Thielman are team captains.

"When you have a lead setter and two lead hitters, you're going to be in good shape," Wlosinski said of the three.

Mellody is a returning First Team ECIC Division III All-star who was also last year's Team MVP. He led the Tigers with 145 kills and is the team's only three-year varsity player.

Wlosinski likes Mellody's leadership and jump serve.

"If the play gets rough, we can turn to him for a point," Wlosinski said. "His fundamentals and form is top notch."

Thielman is a returning Second Team ECIC III All-star.

"He's our go-to guy," Wlosinski said. "When we need a point, we can set him the ball." 

Wlosinski said Summa-Dowd makes good decisions on where to set up the offense.

"If a play gets out of whack, he can put the ball where it needs to be," Wlosinski said.

The other three players — juniors Alex Turecki (6-6 middle hitter), Gabe Raddocia Feuerstein (5-10 backup setter/opposite side hitter) and Mike Fowler (5-10 outside hitter) — are up from the JV.

Turecki played year-round for Eden Volleyball Club.

"His knowledge and understanding of the game has improved like you wouldn't believe," Wlosinski said. "He's someone that we can also turn to for a back row attack."

Wlosinski said Raddocia-Feuerstein brings a defensive style when they need someone to make a dig and Fowler has a nice float serve.

Junior Colton Probst is on the team but will miss the entire season with a broken hand.

Amherst tied for second last year in ECIC III with an 8-4 record and went 10-9 overall. Despite the low numbers, Wlosinski still thinks the team will be successful in the division.

"The guys who have returned have the ability," Wlosinski said. "It's a matter of staying healthy. I'm stressing a lot of stretching and nutrition."

Amherst lost to Frontier in the quarterfinals of the Clarence Invitational Tournament on Saturday.

Panthers volleyball returns almost entire lineup
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

Last year, practically the entire Sweet Home boys volleyball roster minus a couple players were new to the varsity experience. That shouldn't be the case this year.

Panthers coach Rich Cicero returns every starter except one.

"It's nice that a lot of these guys have been there before," Cicero said. "They don't get as nervous and it kind of rubs off on the other kids on the team."

The Panthers are led by returning senior captains Jon Chatelle (left side hitter) and Brian Rosiek (setter).

"They're both good communicators," Cicero said. "They lead by example, are always hustling and expect a lot from other players which I like to see."

The 5-foot-10 Chatelle is a returning Second Team ECIC Division II All-star.

"He's very athletic and when he's hitting, he can get to balls that some of the other guys just can't because he's not as tall, but he's quicker," Cicero said. "He put in a lot of time in the weight room and is getting stronger. He's a work horse with a great vertical and can put the ball down."

The other returning starters are seniors Chris Stonish (outside hitter), Bobby Puchalski (setter), Ryan Allen (6-3 middle hitter), Mark Mackowski (6-4 middle hitter) and Chris Stiver (libero).

Senior Steve Mazurkiewicz is battling for a starting spot at left side hitter. He missed last season with a knee injury.

Senior Jeff Spengler will contribute at middle hitter.

Sweet Home finished 8-4 in ECIC Division II and 8-7 overall. Because of student enrollment, the Panthers move up to ECIC I and will face volleyball powerhouses like Frontier and Orchard Park. They'll still be a Class A team for sectionals.

"It's going to make us better because we're going up against really strong teams every game," Cicero said. "It's something we're going to have to be ready for and can only help us when we get to sectionals."

For the team to have success, Cicero said they have to put in the extra time.

"We're not going to do it by practicing two hours a day," Cicero said. "We don't have a lot of height so we're going to have to use speed and play defense. Otherwise, it's going to be a long season."

Sweet Home opened its season with a 25-7, 25-14, 25-22 non-league home win with Kenmore West last Thursday. They also competed in the Clarence Invitational Tournament on Saturday but did not advance out of pool play.

East undergoes culture change
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

The culture is changing for the Williamsville East boys volleyball team.

Last year, the Flames won their first league match in a year and a half and finished with three wins overall. The team has all kinds of goals this fall.

"We've talked about short-term goals, maintaining a high level in October and performing at sectionals, but a major goal is they would like to be the first East boys volleyball team to put our names on a division title banner," Flames coach Mike Braunscheidel said.

The first step towards a winning culture is changing the attitude of the program.

"I tell the kids that when you walk into the gym, you have to have the mindset that you expect to win, that you want to be the person with the ball with the game on the line," Braunscheidel said. "When we get teams down, we have to finish them. It's not OK to make mistakes."

With a senior-heavy lineup, Braunscheidel thinks the goals they have set are attainable.

The Flames return every starter except one. Back are senior setter Tom Styn (team-high 486 assists), junior middle hitter Tom Wisniewski, senior Ryan Zaloom and junior Trevor Morcelle at outside hitter and senior libero Matt Petrie (team-high 176 digs).

Also back is senior middle hitter 6-2 Tom Kline (team-high 90 kills).

Styn is the team captain with Petrie, Zaloom and Kline as co-captains.

Braunscheidel said first-year player, senior Connor Keenan, has been a great addition at middle hitter as has senior Max Schwarz, an exchange student from Germany, at outside hitter.

Players making the jump from are junior outside hitter Nick Reding, junior middle hitter Nate Doucette and junior outside/ weak side hitter James Purkiss.

Roster numbers are also up across the program. Braunscheidel said 31 players tried out between JV and varsity opposed to 20 last year.

Successful JV team moves into starting roles at North 
Boys volleyball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

This year's Williamsville North boys volleyball roster certainly will look different than last year.

Only one player returns, senior Ryan Winkler. The rest of the roster is comprised of last year's JV team that finished 16-2.

North coach Mike Minnuto knows it will take some time for the team to adjust to the varsity level, but he likes the talent that he has.

"Usually we have 14 to 16 players but I like the quality of the 11 players that we have," Minnuto said. "I think there is a lot of potential."

Winkler is a 6-foot-2 starting outside hitter. Minnuto said Winkler has been making the best contact with the ball during the preseason.

"He looks like he has the potential to have a great year," Minnuto said.

The other outside hitter position will be handled by either junior Justin Fillmore or Marc Peterson. Whoever does not start at outside hitter will play at middle hitter, Minnuto said.

The team's other starting middle hitter is 6-foot-3 Tyler Penberthy, who has played the last two years for Eden Volleyball Club.

"He plays like an experienced player because of his work at the club level," Minnuto said.

The team's starting setter is junior Mike Szalazkiewiez. He was pulled up to varsity midway through last season.

"I'm looking for a lot of leadership from Mike," Minnuto said. "He's done a lot of work over the last couple of years. He's a great hitter too. I think he is capable of outstanding things this year."

Minnuto is also looking at juniors Cameron MacDonald or Connor Gust on the right side, although they can play anywhere on the court.

Sophomore Will Stryker and junior Zack Morrison will be back row passers.

New to volleyball is junior right side hitter Scott Kieley and 6-3 freshman middle hitter Owen Green.

Senior outside hitter Joe Hill is out with a wrist injury.

Minnuto likes how his players can play multiple positions.

"We're really interchangeable," Minnuto said. "We have a lot of kids who can hit from anywhere on the floor. I think teams are going to have to watch everyone on the floor as opposed to focusing on one or two guys. It's a different style of volleyball but something we can use to our advantage."

Minnuto said the team's goal is to be competitive in every game.

"It's unrealistic to say we're going undefeated," Minnuto said. "We want to be in every game, get better as the season progresses and be playing our best volleyball in late October."

North, 10-10 last year and winners of the Williamsville South Tournament, opens at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at South.

Two-time champion Sacred Heart debuts new coach, players
Girls volleyball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

This year's Sacred Heart girls volleyball team has a lot to live up to.

Last year's squad upset St. Mary's of Lancaster for the Monsignor Martin Association championship for the second straight season and advanced to their first Catholic State final since 1988, losing to St. Anthony's (Rockville Center).

With the graduation of six senior starters, lots of spots are up for grabs, but the lack of varsity experience does not deter the team's chances for a successful season.

"I'm optimistic about the season," New Sharks head coach Mike Jans said. "They have impressed me so far with how well they have worked together. They know the past two years we're the defending champions and that's an ideal that the rest of the team wants to live up to. We've been a successful program for the last few years and we want to stay as one of the premiere programs in our league."

One constant remains in the lineup and that's senior setter Sam Boron, who has started since she was a freshman. Boron is a returning First Team All-Western New York Large Schools and First Team MMA North Division All-star.

Jans, who served as an assistant with Sacred Heart last year, said Boron does an amazing job running the offense and knows where the hitters will be and how they like the ball set.

Jans said Boron could excel at any position.

"She's also one of the best passers on the team so I can throw her back on serve-receive or have her hit and she would excel at that too," he said.

Boron is also an asset to the younger players on the roster.

"She knows the game in a lot of different facets and is helping the younger players get adapted to more of a varsity level game as far as where they need to be and how they need to support the rest of the team," Jans said.

Boron is team captains with junior libero Natalie Reesor. Reesor is one of three other players who were on the team last year but saw limited time because last year's roster was heavy on seniors. The other two players are 5-foot-11 junior left side/middle hitter Kelly Farrell and 6-0 junior middle hitter Emily Ludwig.

Players making the jump from JV who should contribute are junior Shelby O'Neil, who will start at left side hitter, and sophomore Carleen Conway, who will back up Boron at setter.

ECIC II champion East to build on last year's success
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

The past two seasons for the Williamsville East girls volleyball team have been like night and day. Two years ago, the Lady Flames won four matches. 

Last year, they went 15-2, won the school's first division title in girls volleyball and appeared in the Section VI Class A final. A lot of East's success came from a strong senior class that included All-Western New York Honorable Mention and All-ECIC Second Team selection Mackenzie Klun. 

East coach Scott Wright said while you cannot disrespect the effort of last year's seniors, he's happy with the players he has coming back. The Lady Flames returns three starters – juniors Erica Moser (outside hitter) and Allyson Rung (setter) and senior Storey Nowaczyk (defensive specialist). 

Moser led East last year with 340 kills, had over 100 digs and was third on the squad with 38 blocks. She's a returning Second-Team All-WNY, First Team All-WNY Large School and All-ECIC First Team pick who is also a member of the Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club's 17-1 national team. "She does everything for us," Wright said. "She's our primary passer, our best attack weapon and serve-receiver. I want her to be the team leader on the court." Moser said she improved her blocking and passing since last season by played at right side hitter for her club team. 

Rung and Nowaczyk are returning First Team ECIC II All-Stars. Rung was brought up to varsity halfway through her freshman year and recorded over 500 assists as a sophomore. Wright is looking for Rung to take on a more expanded role and become more of an attacking threat. 

The team will also use a second setter, freshman Natalie Berrafato. Nowaczyk posted over 100 digs last season. Wright said she is ultra-athletic and aggressive and runs down a lot of balls. 

The rest of the starters will be primarily filled by returning players who are taking on a bigger role with the team. They include senior middle hitters Melissa Davis and Savannah Smith and seniors Tara Schiumo and Dominique DiPietro, who are both battling for the second starting outside hitter position. 

The rest of the team includes freshman Bridget Sleep (backup defensive specialist) and juniors Sam Weaver (backup outside hitter and middle hitter), Alexis Polokoff (backup defensive specialist) and Jessica Lewer (setter). Despite different personnel, Wright said the talent is there to be as good as or better than last year's team. It's just a question of finding the right combinations on the court to win matches. "We have to figure out where everybody is going to be," Wright said. "We're changing to a two-setter system so we have to get used to people rotating and getting in the correct positions."

"We don't have all of the seniors that we had last year but I think we have more talent overall," Moser added. "We just have to gel."

Talented Lady Billies return two starters
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

The culture is changing for the Williamsville South girls volleyball team.

The Lady Billies, winners of two matches in 2009, finished 7-11 last year, including a 4-8 ECIC Division II record.

Despite only returning two players with varsity experience, South coach Tom Sproull thinks last year's overall record can be obtained or eclipsed.

"We're going to have some bumps on the way but I think we will be at least as good as we were last year, if not better," Sproull said. "It's a group that fights for every point and wants to continue to get better."

The only two returning players are the team captains, senior middle hitter Claire Haumesser and junior left outside hitter Rebecca Postek.

Haumesser recorded 58 kills and a team-high 29 blocks and is a three-year starter. Postek led the team with 50 aces and was second on the team with 92 kills.

Sproull said Postek will be one of the team's go-to hitters alongside freshman right side hitter Jessica Miller, a regional player for Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club.

The other starting jobs will be handled by juniors Diana Frysz (setter), Meaghan Miller (libero) and Veronica Pinero (left outside hitter) and sophomore Gabriella Mancino (left outside hitter).

Sproull said Mancino will hit in the front row and Pinero will hit in the back row. When Mancino rotates to the back row, she'll be replaced by Pinero and when Pinero moves to the front row, she'll be replaced by Mancino.

Sproull said Meaghan Miller has really improved as a libero since playing with the team in a summer league.

Junior Marley Talvitie and sophomore Angela Collins are competing for the other starting middle spot.

Junior middle hitter Nicole Socie rounds out the 10-player roster.

South opened the season with a 25-23, 25-15, 19-25, 25-23 non-league victory at Cheektowaga on Friday.

Club volleyball helps rejuvenate Lady Panthers
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

Inconsistency and a lack of confidence on the court were big reasons why the Sweet Home girls volleyball team finished 6-6 in ECIC Division II and 8-10 overall last year.

Lady Panthers coach Breean Trapasso is hoping that all changes this year as five of her starters took part in club volleyball during the offseason.

"It's making them more confident on the court," Trapasso said. "The club play is so obvious."

No player on the team has more club volleyball experience than 5-foot-8 sophomore outside hitter Jenna Reeser. She represented the Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club's 14's team that repeated as winners at the Sports Performance Youth Classic in Chicago and took fifth at the 32nd annual USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships in Atlanta, Ga.

Reeser has started for Sweet Home since the eighth grade and is a returning First Team ECIC Division II All-star. She led the team last year in total kills. Reeser will play all-around for the first time at Sweet Home, meaning instead of just hitting in the front row, she'll serve-receive and play defense in the back row.

"I see her making a major impact," Trapasso said. "I've never coached a kid who loves volleyball this much in a long time. She has so much strength behind her swing and can hit from the outside, runs stuff in the middle and swings from the back row strong."

Other returning starters are seniors Brittany Smith and Bridget Burch and juniors Jessica Padley and Lydia Penberthy. All except Burch played club volleyball.

Smith, a returning Second Team ECIC II All-star, is a three-year starter at setter.

"She runs our offense very well," Trapas- so said. "She knows where her hitters are but is not afraid to use all of her options. She hustles and plays good defense too."

The 6-foot-3 Burch is a four-year starter middle hitter who led Sweet Home last year in blocks.

"She is a force in the middle because of her height," Trapasso said. "I think she's ready to step up in her final year and be a force at the net."

Padley, a right side hitter, is a versatile player who will be a quiet force, Trapasso said.

"I don't think anyone is going to realize that she is there until she takes a swing," Trapasso said. "She can put the ball down when she needs to and steps in when Brittany Smith plays defense and uses her hands as our off setter."

Penberthy, an outside hitter, has improved her game in the offseason through Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club, Trapasso said.

"I think she is going to be a great asset for our team," she said.

Another club player is 5-11 freshman middle hitter Emma Hubert, who is up from JV. Another middle hitter from JV is 6-0 sophomore Jen Schwab.

Senior Rachel Ward is the team's starting libero. She was a part-time starter last year.

"I foresee her making a huge impact defensively for us," Trapasso said. "She'll lead our team in digs."

Senior Ashley Gangi will also contribute at right side and middle back defense.

It won't be easy for Sweet Home to have success in league play. The Lady Panthers move from ECIC II to ECIC I. They will still compete in Class A for sectionals.

"I think we're going to be challenged," Trapasso said. "As long as we're playing hard and getting experience to move into A for sectionals, I'm OK with it. We're going to take it one match at a time."

Amherst returns experience
Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

The Amherst girls volleyball team will lean on its returning players to have success this fall.

Coach Jamie Seminara returns three players with three years of varsity experience — seniors Jamie Madill, Denee Tidwell and Carly Martin.

Seminara said Madil is the starting setter and is a smart player on the court, Tidwell plays back row and has improved her passing and Martin is a strong middle hitter. Also returning is senior outside hitter Amanda Peters, who Seminara considers the most improved player on the team.

Seminara said the team captains will rotate from game to game depending on who steps up in practices and games but considers Tidwell and Madil as the team's strongest leaders.

Seminara sees passing and playing scrappy, such as chasing down a ball, as team strengths.

Seminara said team goals are to improve on last year's record and post at least one win against each ECIC Division III team. 

To achieve success, Seminara said they need to continue working hard in practice and stay focused on being a strong passing team.

North girls volleyball hitting for high goals 
Lady Spartans returns six starters, three four-year players
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 7, 2011

Williamsville North's transformation into a Western New York girls volleyball powerhouse continues.

The Lady Spartans went from four wins in 2008, to 12 victories in 2009, to a 15-5 record in 2010. Last season included a single-season school record 10 ECIC Division I wins and sweeps of Lancaster and Orchard Park. North also advanced to the Section VI Class AA semifinal, falling to Lockport. And that was with starting a freshman, three sophomores, a junior and a senior.

Another year of experience certainly makes the Lady Spartans one of the favorites in ECIC I and in Section VI Class A. (North moved from Class AA to A for sectionals because of student enrollment). North has never won a division or section title in girls volleyball. Those are goals the players are excited about achieving.

"Last year, we made the farthest any North team has gone and that's not even that far," senior left side hitter Nikki Attea said. "We definitely want to exceed those, win sectionals and keep going on."

"There're no North volleyball banners in this gym," junior setter Emily Hopkins said. "That's the goal of pretty much every girl on the team, to win a division or sectional title."

"We want to go as far as we can and not sell ourselves short," junior libero Haley Short said. "We're looking for a title."

Coach Keith Hopkins said it will be interesting to see how his team handles other teams taking them more seriously.

"It's a credit to the girls," he said. "They've worked hard and improved every year. We've gone from the hunter to the hunted. How are we going to respond to that? You want to be good but that means you have to work hard in the gym to be good." 

"We used to be the team that would get walked over," Attea said. "Now the tables have turned. We've accepted the responsibility that you can't take anybody lightly like teams have done to us before."

North returns six starters led by the 6-foot-3 Attea. Last fall, she led the Lady Spartans in kills and blocks and earned First Team All-Western New York, First Team All-WNY Large Schools and First Team All-ECIC All-star honors.

"She's arguably the most dynamic hitter in Western New York," coach Hopkins said. "You definitely have to know where she is on the court. We wouldn't put her on the left side if she couldn't handle serve-receive and playing defense. She's really worked hard at it. Everyone sees her bombing balls but they don't realize there are other aspects of the game. She's also really taking on the leadership role."

Attea verbally committed to the University of Maryland to play volleyball. She also had offers from the — University at Buffalo, Syracuse University and several Atlantic Coast Conference schools like the University of Virginia, North Carolina State University and Boston College.

"Maryland has it all," Attea said. "Like our high school program, they are a growing program, have a new coaching staff and are bringing in a lot of great recruits. Their goal is to be in the top 25 in the couple of years so I'm really happy that I am going to be a part of that."

Attea is a team captain and four-year starter. Other team captains and four-year starters are Emily Hopkins and Short. 

Emily Hopkins is a returning Second Team All-WNY and Second Team All-ECIC All-star. She was second on the team last year in blocks.

"We generally match her up against the other team's best hitters," coach Hopkins said. "As long as we can get the ball somewhere in the air, she's going to get it up so that we get an opportunity to swing."

Short is a returning First Team ECIC I All-star.

"She passes the ball well and gives us a steady presence," coach Hopkins said.

Also returning are senior defensive specialist Erika Sercu and senior middle hitter Tori Manzella, both three-year starters.

Sercu played a huge role in the team's success last year, coach Hopkins said.

"We had to Emily Hopkins keep her on the floor," he said.

"We had to find a spot to put her in. We expect to continue doing that this year. She has a great serve and hoping she is more vocal on the court."

Manzella is a returning Second Team ECIC I All-star. At 5-6, coach Hopkins calls Manzella a spark plug who jumps well and continues to get better.

Joining Manzella at middle hitter is 6-2 junior Haley Adams, who coach Hopkins lauded for her development over the year.

"Her improvement is a key to our success this year," coach Hopkins said. "She's really improved at blocking and hitting. Teams are going to be surprised at what she can do in the middle this year. She went to a couple camps and got better. I think she's going to be a force."

Senior Erika Lyskawa, another three-year varsity player, will also set if they use two setters on the court.

Freshman newcomer Lauren Schreiner will contribute on the left side.

Players in the mix at right side hitter are senior Kristen Kubala, a three-year varsity player, junior Allison Corretore and sophomore Rebecca Mann.

Other players include junior middle hitter Abigail Cimato and freshman Kailee Terrance, who can be used as a hitter, setter or defensive specialist.

Coach Hopkins thinks his team will serve well and be strong defensively.

"It will be tough for teams to put a ball down on us if we play to our potential," coach Hopkins said.

"Defensively, we're pretty solid," Emily Hopkins said. "Offensively, we have a couple of really nice hitters. I just hope we can continue to push each other as we move forward and ultimately reach our goals, which is a championship."

Anthone, Battaglia, Frieling earn awards at Geneseo
Amherst Bee
May 25, 2011

Jennifer Anthone (Williamsville/Williamsville East), Kelly Battaglia (East Amherst/Williamsville North) and Krista Frieling (East Amherst/Williamsville North) were among Geneseo State College students who earned awards at the school's athletics banquet on May 1.

Anthone won the Dr. Myrtle Merritt Scholar-Athlete Award, given to a female student-athlete who has maintained an excellent grade point average while making a significant contribution to her respective team.

Battaglia won the Jennifer Guyer Divico Memorial Award, given to the member of the women's swim team whose characteristics most closely resemble those of the late Divico, who epitomized the team concept.

Frieling earned the Robin Whitney Lewis Memorial Award, given to a senior member of the women's volleyball team who mirrors the late Whitney's commitment, dedication and enthusiasm for the volleyball.

Anthone has participated in the NCAA Division III swimming nationals on two occasions, earning seven All-America certificates, two first team and five honorable mention in both freestyle and medley relays.

She aided the women's team to four consecutive State University of New York Athletic Conference championships and is an 11-time SUNYAC event champion.

She holds three SUNYAC and five school relay records and is a four-time All-SUNYAC selection.

In the classroom, she carries a 3.45 grade point average in biology and secondary education and is a member of Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society.

She has earned Dean's List three times, is a four-time member of the SUNYAC All-Academic team and three-time member of the Commissioner's List, and was the Drs. Arch and Jane Reid Scholarship recipient.

She is a four-time All-Academic team member as announced by the College Swimming Coaches Association.

Anthone is the daughter of David and Lisa Anthone of Williamsville.

Frieling has been a four-year player at outside hitter on the women's volleyball team.

In 2010, she posted the fourth best offensive season for a hitter in Geneseo history with 435 kills, and her 1,239-kills record stands third all-time.

A two-time first team All-SUNYAC performer, she culminated her athletic career by earning the SUNYAC West Player of the Year award this season.

Off the court, she holds a 3.12 grade point average in mathematics, is a two-time member of the SUNYAC All-Academic team and is a member of the SUNYAC Commissioner's List.

Frieling is the daughter of Cary Frieling of East Amherst and Terri John of Williamsville.

Battaglia was a four-year participant in the SUNYAC Swimming and Diving championships and four-year event finalist at the conference championships.

A 2010-11 team captain, she helped the Blue Wave to a 40-3 dual-meet record, and coach Paul Dotterweich has been most impressed with her continued development throughout four seasons, crediting her outstanding work ethic and willingness to change her training regimen as the source of her improvement.

Her hard work culminated in second team All-SUNYAC recognition after finishing runner-up in the 400-yard individual medley at the 2011 SUNYAC Championships.

She carries a 3.67 grade point average in communicative disorders and sciences and will be a four-time member of the SUNYAC All-Academic team and three-time member of the SUNYAC Commissioner's List.

Battaglia is the daughter of Paul and Kathleen Battaglia of East Amherst.

Eden's Pierce garners national honor as top volleyball coach in 2010
By: Michael J. Petro | Sports
Wednesday February 16, 2011

Stephen Pierce has enjoyed many successes in his more than two
decades of coaching, as he's seen here celebrating a seventh Eden state
title in girls volleyball, but recently he was honored at the national level.

If it wasn't humbling enough to be recognized in his profession by winning an award on a national level, the letter of nomination written for Eden High School girls volleyball head coach Stephen Pierce by one of his players certainly did the trick.

Pierce was bestowed the honor of 2010 Coach of the Year by PrepVolleyball.com after winning a New York record seventh state title, the third in the past four years, a span in which the program has lost only five times. Taking a team with only one regular starter returning from a star-studded squad the year before may have been his best coaching job yet since leading the program beginning in 1997.

But it was also a well-written and impassioned nomination from two-time All Western New York setter Heather Feldman, the lone regular starter back from that 2009 team, that was the icing on the cake to Pierce's accomplishments.

"You look at past winners and they're some real icons in our sport," said Pierce, who shared the nation-wide award with Joann Pyritz of Lyons Township Senior High School in Illinois. "I'm very grateful to Heather and her family for making that effort to nominate me. It was well done and impressive enough to get pulled out of a large initial pile. In our profession, it's not often you receive immediate awards such as this. More often than not, down the road, you'll get recognized."

Not a stone went unturned in Feldman's nomination letter. She told PrepVolleyball.com that no matter what Pierce has to work with on any individual team – young, old, more talented or less talented, her coach has been able to create well-respected, hardworking and winning groups.

"This year, with a young inexperienced team that no one thought would do any damage in the state, Mr. Pierce made us state champions," wrote Feldman, who was also named this season's Gatorade Girls Volleyball Player of the Year in New York, thanks in part to her coach also pushing for her. "Most teams would be nervous in a high pressure situation like states, but Mr. Pierce prepared us so well that you couldn't have felt nervous, just adrenaline...We knew if we played our game, we would win, even if no one else thought so. We believed in ourselves, and more importantly, Mr. Pierce believed in us and nothing else mattered."

What made the 2010 fall season so special was not so much what was accomplished with who was there but more about getting over what was lost. Eden said goodbye to what is considered its best senior class ever in the program's history. 

For the first time in school history, the Raiders had five First Team All-Western New York selections in 2009, four of them were seniors, all of whom have gone on to play Division I or II volleyball. The most highly touted of the bunch, Stacey Smith, is playing at the University of Georgia.

"One thing that I remember doing in 2009 after we won the state title handily is that I went to speak to the girls in the post game and said we're losing one of the best senior classes but I challenged them right there," Pierce said. "I told the underclassmen that the expectations are not going to change. I wanted them to still strive to be the best in the state. The kids looked at me and didn't even blink. They were on the same page and everything started right there."

Eden brought back a team filled with underclassmen as only three seniors remained, including Feldman. The group was somewhat new to having such a large spotlight on them as focal points of an Eden team always with high expectations. Not surprisingly, from offseason club play to throughout the fall season, Pierce helped the group grow to believe it could accomplish the same type of feats of teams' past. And in a way, this team carved its own niche and helped revitalize the program a bit.

"Sometime, believe it or not, the program can get jaded, not only with the kids but in the community," said Pierce, whose nieces on the team – Anna King, a senior, Kendall Pierce, a junior, and Lainy Pierce, a freshman, all became full-time starters this year. "This title was a program marker. It raised us up a notch as a program."

In what was considered the most competitive field in the state, Class B, the Raiders overtook past state champions Hendrick Hudson and John Glenn, who at one time during the season had been ranked as the top team in the state and each had beaten Eden during in-season tournaments. Both competitors had more playing experience than Eden going into the state tournament, yet the Raiders were able to defend their title.

"Mr. Pierce has always said what matters is how you finish. And boy, did we go out with a bang," wrote Feldman, the only player at Eden to be part of four championship teams, having been brought up to the varsity during the postseason as an eighth grader. "A great coach prepares you to play your absolute best when it really matters and that's what we did. We took those losses, used them as motivation, and played our best game of the season in the state finals (in beating Hendrick Hudson)."

Pierce has helped take a public high school situated in a town of less than 10,000 people and turn the girls volleyball program there into the premier state power, a team that travels well regionally and one that on a number of occasions has been ranked nationally.

"Mr. Pierce is an amazing coach who can take just about anyone and make her an amazing volleyball player. He did that for me and I am forever grateful," said Feldman, who will now take her talents to Division I Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. "He's the reason that I love the sport as much as I do. He's the reason why our program is so well respected."

It has gotten to the point where the program drives itself, according to Pierce. How has that been done? It's taken a core of dedicated youth not only playing regularly during the fall but year-round on club teams that travel nationally to play. Pierce is even a part of that, leading one of the regions' top clubs, Niagara Frontier Volleyball, which helps mold most of the top players in Western New York.

"The kids learn from each other. An increasing number of younger kids watch and admire what the older kids have become and they want that, too, for themselves," said Pierce, who first coached at Eden from 1985 to 1987 while he did his graduate work, then returned to his alma mater as a teacher and assistant with the program in 1996. "It has taken a lot of work (to get to this point). I always say that if it's not fun and meaningful for the kids, they wouldn't do it. They feel part of something special and that drives them."

Feldman calls her coach the perfect blend of toughness and fun. She said while he really pushes his players, his methods are constructive in nature and leads to each individual player learning how to better themselves and the team.

"He actively coaches in every match and practice, always pushing us to strive for our best and he let's us know when we're not giving 100 percent," she wrote. "He instills in his teams that will to win that some others don't quite have. The heart and determination is what puts Eden teams into the upper echelon."

As much as Pierce contributes to the program's success, it's actually the impact players like Feldman have had on him that may stick with the coach long after he decides to call it quits. "Over my years of coaching, I've learned a lot more from the kids I've worked with," Pierce said.

Skoric's deadly spike
February 2011
By anjaalexa

Video

Are You Coachable?
A Little Humility Goes A Long Way
Wednesday February 2, 2011
By Beverly Oden

Whether you are just learning the sport or playing at the highest levels, you should always be striving to improve. While you can get better on your own by continuing to play and watch others, the most efficient method of improvement involves coaching.

A coach can provide that outside analysis of your form and your tendencies that can be difficult for you to recognize yourself. In order to benefit from that coach's knowledge you don't just need to have a coach, you need to be coachable. 

Coachability is a trait that comes easier for some than for others. If you want to make a positive contribution to your team, heed the advice of your coaches. Those who are hoping to play volleyball in college should pay special attention to coachability. College coaches and recruiters will be watching you not only to see how well you play the game, but your temperament, your adaptability and how you respond to criticism. 

If you're wondering if you're coachable, take a look at the three pillars of coachability and ask yourself if you are a coach's dream or a coach's nightmare.

You may think you're pretty good at this sport of yours already. You may even be right about that. But regardless of your skill level, you should always be striving to get better. In order to consistently improve, you must take seriously the first pillar of coachabilty - the ability to listen.

If your coach tells you that you are doing something wrong or less efficiently than you should, you need to be able to take that in. Don't take offense or let it get under your skin. It is your coach's job to give you advice, it is your job to take it. 

It could be that you think you know more than your coach does, which sometimes is the case and can complicate things. Even if it is the case, it doesn't mean your coach is wrong about everything. He still has a better vantage point than you and can see things you can't. It doesn't matter if you think he's wrong or that you don't think you're doing what he says you are. Your best bet is to let someone help you so put your ego aside for a moment and consider the information coming your way. 

Listening is not only for practice. You also need to listen during games. Coaches want to see that you can stick to the game plan even if you don't agree. They want to see you run the play that was called and serve the areas they decided upon. If you refuse to do that, you may very well be uncoachable.

Being a good listener also means not talking back. If you have questions about the advice, ask them, but coaches want to be able to give you pointers without getting lip about how you know that already or how you disagree with the assessment. If you have issues with authority you may need to take a deep breath, bite your lip and continue forward, taking the new advice in the spirit it was offered - as an attempt to help you.

One of the toughest things to do is to get out of your comfort zone. Perhaps you've had the same passing form since you can remember and it has worked well for you. But one day your coach comes along and tells you to change it up. How do you respond?

The second pillar of coachability is the willingness to try new things. You have to be able to at least momentarily trust your coach's judgment and implement her tips. There are always going to be new schools of thought on how to best execute the fundamental skills of volleyball. Some will become the prevailing wisdom while others will come and go. But there is no way to know if there is a better way out there if you're unwilling to try things out.

You also have to give the new method a chance. Your body is accustomed to doing things the way it always has. Chances are that when you try it a new way, you'll get worse before you get better. Be willing to try the new method for an extended period of time to see if it is indeed better than what you were doing before. If you determine it is not, you can always go back to your old ways.

You never know what you will be asked to do in the course of a volleyball match. No matter the situation, you need to be able to roll with the punches for the good of your team. The third pillar that a coach is looking for in a dream player is the ability to adapt to change. 

There may be an injury on your team that forces you to move to the Outside Hitter position even though you haven't played there in months. One of your teammates may just be playing poorly and force a change in the lineup that leaves you hitting off of a setter you're unfamiliar with. Your team may just need a fresh look and you may be placed on the bench even though you've been holding your own out there.

Especially if your team is losing, a coach may try several different strategies in practice and in matches. There may not be a reason you can understand for why things have changed or why you've been singled out. Don't concern yourself with these things and while you're at it, don't sulk, don't complain, don't roll your eyes and don't panic. 

During a match, trust that your coach is doing what she feels is best for the team at that moment. Your coach may end up being wrong about the new direction and you can calmly discuss that with them when you have a chance. But in the heat of battle, your focus should be on helping your team win and in most cases that means sticking with the game plan as it evolves. 

Doing your own thing or going against your coach's call can put you at odds with your teammates as well as your coaches and it shows recruiters that you're trouble. Remember that you are being evaluated at all times so always strive to be coachable and you will benefit in the long run.

Long Beach Rises to No. 2
Wednesday February 2, 2011
By Beverly Oden

The biggest moves in the AVCA polls this week took place at the top. Long Beach State moves up three spots to No. 2 after beating previous No. 2 Stanford in three sets. Stanford started off strong in the match, but gave up strings of points including an eight-point run in the third. Long Beach won that set 25-13 to finish the Cardinal off. Stanford drops to No. 4 in the poll.

No. 3 BYU made quick work of No. 7 UCI, beating them twice in three sets. UCI looked outmatched at times as BYU served and blocked at a much higher level. Pepperdine is on a five-match losing streak after two more losses to UCLA and UCSB over the weekend. They fell three spots to No. 11 in the poll. Pacific entered the top 15 for the first time since 2007 after a 3-0 victory over CSUN.

Good Timing for USAV Growth
Wednesday February 2, 2011
By Beverly Oden

Take it as a good sign for the sport that USA Volleyball managed to grow during 2010 despite the state of the economy and the fall of pro beach volleyball.

Somebody over there is doing something right because USAV added over 17,000 new members last year. This year the governing body will be able to expand the budget by $2 million and hire to fill new positions.

With the USAV's entry into the world of beach volleyball events planned for this summer and with the Olympics growing ever closer, this is great news for all involved. Add this tidbit to the FIVB's news of record investment in development and it appears that the state of the volleyball union is strong.

AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll #4: January 31, 2011