Sweet Home’s Trevor Barrett sends a spike through the block attempt by Hamburg’s Drake Kramer (7) and Eric Moscato (22) during the Panthers’ 14-25, 15-25, 15-25 Section VI Class A final Nov. 10 at Hamburg High School. Photo by Nick LoVerde Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Sweet Home had problems with Hamburg all season and the trend continued in the Section VI Class A boys volleyball final. 

The third-seeded Panthers fell to the top-seeded Bulldogs, 14-25, 15-25, 15-25, Nov. 10 at Hamburg High School. 

“Hamburg played a great game,” said Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero. “They hit very well and found seams in the block and served extremely tough. It was also the best I have seen them pass all year. That made a big difference for them.” 

Hamburg had beaten Sweet Home in a non-league match and in the final of the Sweet Home Tournament. At the Orchard Park Tournament, they split pool play games and then defeated the Panthers in the first match out of pool play. 

In the section final, Hamburg did not rout the Panthers in any of the games. 

“They chipped away us and get three or four points and we’d get one,” said Cicero. “They kept forcing us to make mistakes. We had some unforced errors that cost us - balls hit of bounds - so that definitely didn’t help us.” 

Cicero lauded the play of senior Trevor Barrett. Barrett is one of 13 seniors and six starters graduating. Other starters graduating include Stephen Maxwell, Cody Stonish, Corey Desiderio, Justin McNess, and Nick Pangrazi. 

Sweet Home finishes 17-3. They were 23-1 over the past two years in ECIC Division II, including two division titles. 

“They put us back on the map as far as people looking at Sweet Home as one of the stronger teams,” said Cicero. “They put a lot of time in for our success.” 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

South volleyball plays well in quarterfinal loss 
Boys volleyball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 11, 2009

There’s no shame in losing if you played your best. That is what happened to the Williamsville South boys volleyball team in its 14-25, 22-25, 20-25 Section VI Class B quarterfinal loss to Eden last Thursday. 

“Other than the first game where we spotted them a 10-1 lead, we played them pretty well almost point for point,” said Williamsville South coach Thom Knab. “We played well in that match. We had some good blocking from a number of players, including Huron Hill and Mick Bellus, but they have a more consistent passing and digging game and court coverage.”

Senior Daren Powers led the Billies with eight kills. 

South opened postseason play with a 25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 14-25, 25-17, prequarterfinal win over eighth-seed Amherst Nov. 3 at Amherst Middle School. 

Senior middle hitters Nick Schuh and Hill each recorded 14 kills to lead the Billies. 

“There were times that we played well and didn’t,” said Knab. “It was kind of a roller coaster in that match. We would communicate and pass decently and then play a game where we didn’t do that.” 

South finishes 13-10. Seven seniors graduate — Hill, Schuh, Powers, Bellus, Pat Drexinger (setter), Tom Wishman (middle hitter) and Nate Malec (libero). 

“I think this group did a fantastic job for all of their adversity they faced with injuries,” said Knab. “We had guys in different positions at times so they were never able to develop that consistency as a group mostly because of the injury bug.” 

South does return junior Ricky Mendiola (right side hitter, serve-receive), sophomore Leo Lynette (setter), Mike Biscotto (outside hitter), and sophomore JV call-up Jimmy Spellman (libero). 

Amherst Central 

Senior outside hitter Tom Pleto led Amherst against Williamsville South with 11 kills and two aces. 

Senior right side hitter Mike Burke recorded seven kills, 10 assists, two blocks, and three aces. 

Senior setter Brent Pizzuto dished out 18 assists. 

Junior Zack Jones (five kills, three aces and five blocks), sophomore Tom Mellody (three kills, two blocks), senior Joe Ray (two kills, two blocks, ace), senior Chris Pleto (two kills, block), and sophomore Evan Thielman (two aces) also contributed for Amherst. 

Amherst finished 5-7 in ECIC Division II and 5-11 overall. 

“We battled through so many matches, but often came up short,” said Amherst coach Pete Wlosinski. “We spread the offense well with a 6-2 offense by having three hitters throughout the game. It’s not easy to do at the high school level but through strong teamwork, the Tigers had the ability to adapt to changes and challenges that were before them. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to play in our main gym, due to renovations still being done, but competition is all about being ready for the unexpected and adapting. I know I pushed them hard and we succeeded on so many levels as a team.” 

Amherst graduates five seniors – Pizzuto, Ray, Tom and Chris Pleto, and Steve Bardo. 

“I am sad to say goodbye to our five seniors, but wish them all the best,” said Wlosinski. “I want to thank all the parents, family, friends and fans that came out to support us, no matter where we were having a match. Some members of varsity and JV will be members of the Sweet Home Panthers club team to improve and learn more about the game of volleyball over winter.” 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Panthers reach sectional final for first time since 1993
Boys volleyball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 11, 2009

The Sweet Home boys volleyball team is one win away from its first sectional championship in 16 years. 

The third-seeded Panthers (17-2) played at top-seed Hamburg (25-5) for the Section VI Class A championship Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. The regional championships are Saturday at Whitesboro High School (Section III). 

Sweet Home last won a sectional title in 1993. They also won the Class A regional title that year. 

“I’m very excited for these kids,” said Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero. “They’ve put in a great effort to get this far. We’ve had some tough competition along the way. We haven’t reached our goals yet but we try to take one game and one match at a time, play disciplined volleyball, and hopefully, we’ll reach our goals.” 

The third-seeded Panthers (17-2) downed seventh seed Kenmore West, 25-17, 16-25, 25-22, 25-18, in a Section VI Class A semifinal Saturday at Orchard Park. 

The turning point of the match came in the third game. Trailing, 10-2, Cicero substituted in Chris Koestler off the bench to give the team a boost and it worked. Sweet Home tied it at 10-10 and went on to win the game. 

“Chris brings a lot of energy to the court,” said Cicero. “He got two key kills when he entered the game. It fired up the crowd, the bench, and the players on the court. It made a huge difference and really got us going.” 

Steven Maxwell led the Panthers with 13 kills and Cody Stonish and Trevor Barrett each added 11 kills. Stonish played with a broken nose that he suffered two days earlier in the first game of the Panthers’ 25-11, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19 quarterfinal win over sixth-seed Niagara-Wheatfield. The injury happened after taking an inadvertent elbow from Barrett, who was coming down after hitting a spike. 

Sweet Home probably should have beaten Niagara Wheatfield in three games but they squandered a 22-16 lead in the second game. 

“We sat back and let them get into the game,” said Cicero. 

Barrett recorded 15 kills. 

Cicero also lauded the play of his supporting cast, whether it’s a kill or serving tough. For example, Justin McNess came off the bench against Niagara Wheatfield when Stonish went out with a broken nose and played well. 

Sweet Home opened sectional play with a 25-10, 25-13, 27-25 prequarterfinal home win over 14th-seed Williamsville North Nov. 3. 

Maxwell recorded eight kills and Corey Desiderio handed out 28 assists for the Panthers. 

“We played very disciplined,” said Cicero. “We attacked them from all over the court. All pistons were firing that day.” 

“Their size really kept us off-balanced,” said North coach Mike Minnuto. “They are extremely tall in the front row. They have a tendency to flip a court pretty quick.” 

Minnuto lauded the play of 6-foot-4 middle blockers Nick Penberthy and Farhan Hussain. Both led the team in kills and blocks throughout the season. 

North finishes 7-14. Staying consistent was North’s season-long problem. 

“It was frustrating not seeing the kids play to their potential,” said Minnuto. “A lot of coaches have told us after games we have a lot more talent than what we’re playing at. The big thing is getting the kids to actually believe that can play at a high level. At times, they did but unfortunately, we never kept a consistent basis for more than a game or two.” 

“In the offseason and going into next season, it’s a battle we’re going to have to overcome,” said Minnuto. “We ’re making some strides. Nick Penberthy made the Eden National 17 team. He’s our first player to make an Eden team since Max Lipsitz did three to four years ago. Hopefully with a lot of kids coming back next year and some kids playing in the winter, we’re going to be able to somewhat compete in our division if we stay consistent.” 

North graduates six seniors – Matt Siva (setter), Aaron Ridell (back row) and Dominic Marinaccio (outside), Tom Winkler (front row), Matt Killion (back row) and Chris Willer (back row). 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Sacred Heart rallies, earns MMA title
Amherst Bee
November 11, 2009

Trailing two games to none against St. Mary’s of Lancaster, the Sacred Heart girls volleyball team had nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

So instead of packing it in, the Sharks won the final three games of the MMA final, 25-18, 25-21, 25-22, to win the team’s first MMA title in seven years last Friday at Holy Angels. 

Sacred Heart lost the first two games, 15-25, 13-25. 

“This was a great win after being down two games to none against the defending champs,” said Sharks assistant coach Ron Stepien. “Everyone contributed to the win.” 

Sacred Heart advances to the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association Championships Saturday and Sunday at St. Anthony’s High School on Long Island. This is the fourth year in a row that the Sharks have advanced to the state championships. 

The St. Mary’s win was even greater considering that the Lady Lancers had won the league title the past four years and gone undefeated in league play the last two years. Sacred Heart lost to St. Mary’s in last year’s final in three games. 

Stepien credits Emily Litwin, Michelle Nowacki and Caitlyn Colucci for great passes, especially Litwin, as big keys in the comeback win. 

“She showed why she is the best libero in the league,” said Stepien. “Her passing allowed Sam Boron to run our offense and keep their blockers unbalanced.” 

Sacred Heart did not take the lead in the fourth game until after an 18-18 tie. 

In the fifth game, the Sharks fell behind, 5-0, and called an early timeout. 

“We just reminded the girls that they had worked so hard to make a match of this that it would be a shame to play like this,” said Stepien. “We slowly chipped away at their lead and only trailed 13-11 when we switched sides. The score was tied at 16, 18 and 20 with each team exchanging side outs.” Stepien said Emily Litwin then ran into the bench to make a great save on the ball. Sacred Heart lost the point as they watched their emotional leader on the floor as the score was 21-20 St. Mary’s. 

“Emily had to sit out the next point as Jessica Prater came up with a big kill to tie the game at 21,” said Stepien. “Emily came back on the floor as we took control of the game.” 

Michelle Nowacki made the final kill for the match-winning point. 

Nowacki had eight kills. 

Sarah Pawlak had 13 kills and four blocks to lead the offense. Jessica Prater added eight kills and two blocks. Sam Boron dished out 32 assists. 

The championship allowed Sharks head coach Chris Jank to add another MMA title to the family name. Joe Jank won the title as head coach in 2002. Allison Boehm, an assistant coach on this year’s team, was on the 2002 roster. 

Sacred Heart beat Immaculata, 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 25-14, 27-25, in a semifinal last Wednesday at Holy Angels. 

“This was a match between two evenly match teams,” said Stepien. “If we played ten times, each team would win five times. We were just fortunate to win this match. After being down two games to one, we played by far one of the better games in the fourth game, leading from beginning to end.” 

Stepien said his team led, 9-7, early in the fifth game but Immaculata went on a run to take a 13-11 lead as both teams switched sides of the net. 

“We stormed back to take a 20-18 lead in the game,” said Stepien. “After an Immaculata timeout, they took a 23-20 lead and then after a side out, we scored to be only down, 23-20. We misplayed the ball for a 24-22 Immaculata lead but Sarah Pawlak came up with a huge kill to cut it to 24-23. Emily Litwin then served the ball that accidentally hit an Immaculata player to make the score 24-24 (the ball was going out of bounds and could have been the match point).” 

Stepien said Sarah Horvath of Immaculata came up with a big kill to make the score 25-24 Immaculata. On the next play, Colucci tipped the ball over the net to get a side out and tie the score at 25. Another big hit from Colucci allowed Sacred Heart to take the lead for good in a back and forth affair. 

Prater came up with a big block on the final point to allow Sacred Heart the win. 

Boron had 42 assists and two blocks. Nowacki recorded 13 kills, Colucci registered nine kills and Prater added eight kills and four blocks. 

The Sharks defeated Holy Angels, 25-12, 25-6, 25-15, in a quarterfinal Monday, Nov. 2 at Holy Angels. Boron had 30 assists and 11 service points, Pawlak had eight kills and three blocks and Nowacki had seven kills and 10 service points.

Ken East upsets Sweet Home 
Girls volleyball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 4, 2009

Seasons for East, South end in prequarterfinals
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
November 4, 2009

Sixth-seed Hamburg ended the season of 11th-seed Williamsville East with a 25-17, 25-12, 25-14 victory in a Section VI Class A girls volleyball prequarterfinal Oct. 26. 

Lady Flames coach Scott Wright said in the first game, his team gave up two runs of seven and six points. 

“Other than that, we beat them, 17-14,” said Wright. “We played with them or outplayed for most of the match but we gave up these runs of five, six, seven points and all of a sudden, a tight well-played match became their advantage. Every game was that way where we gave up a run.” 

Wright lauded the play of junior middle blocker Mackenzie Klun. Klun led the team throughout the season in kills and blocks. 

“She must have averaged 10 blocks and 15 kills in our last two matches,” said Wright. 

Wright also said senior libero Kristen Alcazaren played well defensively in the back row. 

“In the playoff game, the referee went out of her way to tell those two girls (Alcazaren and Klun) they had a real nice match,” said Wright. 

Alcazren and sophomore Storey Nowaczk led the team throughout the season in digs. 

Senior outside hitter Julianna Hernandez and senior setter Samantha Garson also played well, said Wright. 

East finished 1-11 in ECIC Division II play and 1-14 overall. 

“We really hung in there against anybody except the top three teams (Sweet Home, Lake Shore, Starpoint),” said Wright. 

Wright is looking for the returning juniors as well as freshman setter Allie Rung, who Wright said did well in a starting job after being brought up halfway through the season, and up and coming players from a successful JV team that finished with a winning record. 

Williamsville South 

West Seneca East beat Williamsville South, 25-11, 17-25, 26-24, 25-17, in a Section VI Class A prequarterfinal Oct. 26. 

Lady Billies’ coach Tom Sproull said his team led by three towards the end of the third game but could not finish. 

The Billies finished 2-10 in ECIC Division II with wins over Williamsville East and Iroquois. The good news is those victories came in the second half of the season. South did not win a league match last year. 

“The second half of the season we definitely got better,” said Sproull. “I wanted to do better than 2-10 but it’s a start at least. I’m hoping we get a few kids playing club ball and doing some extra stuff.” 

Four seniors graduate — liberos Ann Marie Calandra and Kristin Lynette and outside hitters Becca Kent and Sara Cohen. Lynette was out for the entire season due to injury except South’s last two matches. 

Junior outside hitter Laura Zaprowski and middle blocker Krista Rasey played well at the North Tonawanda Tournament Oct. 17. 

Zaprowski also led the team in kills in South’s win against Iroquois. For the season, Zaprowski and Kent led the team in kills. Rasey led the team in blocks followed by sophomore middle blocker Claire Haumesser, and sophomore setter Tori Mendiola led the team in assists. 

Juniors Brittany Novak and Krista Novak were rotated in when possible at outside and middle, respectively. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Sweet Home volleyball teams excelling
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 28, 2009

The Sweet Home girls and boys volleyball teams head into the Section VI playoffs as division champions. 

The Sweet Home girls finished 10-2 and shared the ECIC Division II with Lake Shore and Starpoint. The Sweet Home boys wrapped up the ECIC II title with a 25-20, 27-25, 25-19, home win over Williamsville South Oct. 19. Sweet Home shared the league title with Lake Shore last year. 

“That was one of our goals, to make sure we did not have to share the title,” said Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero. 

The Sweet Home girls tied for the ECIC II crown because Sweet Home, Lake Shore and Starpoint each won a match against each other. 

Sweet Home lost a frustrating five-set home match to Starpoint Oct. 8, 25-20, 21-25, 23-25, 25-11, 25-21, for the three-way tie. Sweet Home led, 4-3, in the fifth game and had the ball when a fire in the back of the building delayed the game 45 to 50 minutes. 

“When we got back in the gym, the ref did not call a replay on the play,” said Sweet Home coach Breean Trapasso. “The girl was hitting the ball, the alarm went off and my girls stopped playing. The ref said it had nothing to do with the play and gave Starpoint the point to tie the game at 4-4 and the ball.” 

Sweet Home trailed by as many as 10 and closed the deficit to three. Senior middle blocker Courtney Smith served six points in a row in the attempted comeback. Senior setter Shannon Memminger had a couple aces. 

“It was a nice attempt [to come back] after the slow start,” said Trapasso. 

Sweet Home closed out the regular season with home wins over Williamsville East, 25-13, 25-11, 25-12, and West Seneca West, 25-21, 20-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-14, Oct. 20 and 21, respectively. They also recently lost to Niagara-Wheatfield, 25-30, in the silver bracket of the North Tonawanda Tournament. 

Sweet Home did have some luck winning the top seed for the Section VI Class A Tournament on a coin flip. Sweet Home (12-3) will host eighth-seed Kenmore East in a quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The last time Sweet Home won a sectional title was in 2006. 

“I told the girls, don’t be fooled by the No. 1 seed,” said Trapasso. “It’s not going to be an easy road anywhere. If we play the way we know we can play, stay consistent and minimize our errors, we’re going to be OK.” 

Smith, sophomore middle blocker Bridget Burch, and eighth-grade outside hitter Jenna Reeser lead the team in kills. Burch and Smith lead the team in blocks. Memminger and senior libero Courtney Cobb leads the team in assists and digs, respectively. 

Junior outside hitter Chelsea Williams has also contributed, said Trapasso. 

A win over Williamsville East Tuesday would wrap up a 12-0 league season and give the Sweet Home boys home court advantage for the Section VI Tournament but the result of the match was unavailable before The Bee went to press. 

“The keys to our success are hard work and dedication,” said Cicero. “They’re committing to the style of defense that we play and are playing their positions well.” 

Senior Trevor Barrett leads the Panthers in kills. 

“Barrett, along with Cody Stonish, Steven Maxwell and Corey Desiderio are our top four guys as far as running the offense,” said Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero. “Billy Hyland has been a great addition and a solid starter all year.” 

Sweet Home went 3-3 in pool play at the Orchard Park Tournament Oct. 17, including a 23-25 playoff loss with Hamburg that knocked the Panthers out of playoff contention. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Sacred Heart loses close one to Frontier
Amherst Bee
October 28, 2009

Sacred Heart (11-5, 9-3) fared well against the top-ranked Western New York large school girls volleyball team. 

The Sharks, ranked fourth among Western New York small schools, lost to Frontier, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 22-25, 23-25, last Thursday at Frontier. 

Sacred Heart assistant coach Ron Stepien said his team could not hold onto late leads in the third and fifth games, including a 19-13 advantage in the fifth game. 

“The score was then tied at 20, 21 and 22 with each team getting side outs,” said Stepien. “We served the ball into the net and then Frontier was able to close out the game with some good placed hits.” 

Early in the match, Stepien said the team controlled the net and had some key blocks by Sarah Pawlak and Jessica Prater. 

“Then their setter did a nice job of running their offense and making it more difficult for us to guess where they were setting,” said Stepien. “Plus they have some smart players. They have two outsides and a middle who are all seniors. That experience helps. This was a good match. We will learn from it and it will only make us better for our playoffs.” 

Michelle Nowacki led the Sharks’ offense with 15 kills. Pawlak added 10 kills and two blocks, Prater recorded 13 kills and six blocks, Katie Sykes recorded nine kills and Sam Boron had 51 assists. 

The Sharks finished last week with a 25-6, 25-19, 25-11, win over Tapestry Charter School last Friday at St. Mary’s of the Deaf. 

Bridget Andrews ran the offense for all three games and had 25 assists. Kristin Farrell added three kills and Meghan Musialowski added nine service points. 

Sacred Heart defeated Niagara Catholic, 25-15, 25-9, 25-10, Oct. 19 at home. Boron had 19 assists and 13 service points, Prater registered eight kills and one block and Sara Calistro added three kills and four service points. The win clinched at least third place for the Sharks in the Monsignor Martin Association. 

The Sharks closed out the regular season against Nardin Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. The MMA quarterfinals are Nov. 2 followed by semifinals Nov. 4 and finals on Nov. 6.

North girls volleyball fares well at tournaments
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 21, 2009

Williamsville North is becoming a threat at girls volleyball tournaments. 

The Lady Spartans took third at the Frontier Tournament Oct. 10, losing to Lockport, 23-25, 22-25, in a gold bracket semifinal and made it to a gold bracket quarterfinal of the North Tonawanda Tournament this past Saturday before falling to Lake Shore, 27-30. 

North played the NT Tournament without three starters, including sophomore and senior outside hitters Nikki Attea and Chelsea Stoeckl, who were both sick. 

“They saw all of their work in practice paying off as they were playing and doing the right things,” said North coach Keith Hopkins. “One parent remarked to me, I can’t believe how well your team performed with the number of kids you had missing.” 

North went 3-3 in pool play, beating Lewiston-Porter, 25-14, 25-15, splitting with West Seneca East, 25-18, and 24-26, and losing to Starpoint, 20-25, 21-25. North trailed Lew-Port, 10-3, in the first game. 

Hopkins lauded the passing and hitting of freshman left side/defense Haley Short, the digging of eighth-grade libero Lizzy Viola, and setting of sophomore Erica Lyskawa. 

Sophomore Kristen Kubala added a couple stuffed blocks, middle blockers Torie Manzella and Alexis Walser, sophomore and senior, had big hits at times, senior Hilary Wahler served great points, and sophomore Erika Sercu dug well at one-spot (right side) defense and back row serving, said Hopkins. Eighth-grader Lexi Kurbiel, a JV call-up, served well in tight situations, he added. 

North won its pool at the Frontier Tournament, including two wins over North Tonawanda, the fourth-ranked Western New York large school, Roy-Hart and a split with Falconer. The Lady Spartans then downed Sacred Heart, ranked fourth in Western New York small schools, 25-21, 25-23, in a quarterfinal before meeting Lockport. 

Freshman setter Emily Hopkins earned all-tournament team honors. 

“She hit the ball really well,” said coach Hopkins. “She ended with 12 aces throughout the day. She helped us get some easy points with her serve and did well at the net blocking. She shut down NT’s big hitter Delaney Laper. She did a nice job setting and distributing the ball. Sometimes our passes weren’t great and she made something out of it and got the ball to our hitters.” 

Attea led North in kills throughout the tournament with 62. 

“She really stepped up in the North Tonawanda game with 17 kills in that match,” said coach Hopkins. “She also made some smart decisions as far as tipping — when to tip, when to swing —understand - ing what to do with the ball. She was very effective.” 

North won at home over Jamestown, 25-23, 29-27, 25-18, Oct. 8 and lost recent league road matches to Frontier, 14-25, 22-25, 16-25, last Wednesday, and Orchard Park, 14-25, 15-25, 26-24, 13-25, last Friday. 

North (5-9, 5-8) hosted West Seneca West Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. Walser, Wahler and Stoeckl were honored as part of senior night. 

The Lady Spartans also host Williamsville East at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Niagara-Wheatfield at 6 p.m. Thursday. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Sharks’ volleyball places second at NT tourney
Amherst Bee
October 21, 2009

The Sacred Heart girls volleyball team fared well at the North Tonawanda Tournament last Saturday. 

The Sharks lostl to Frontier, 13-25, 25-27, in the gold bracket final. 

“It was a big team effort on the entire day to finish in the finals,” said Sharks assistant coach Ron Stepien. “Although we were not able to defeat Frontier, we made sure that they earned the second game. Frontier is such a well-balanced team. They do not have any one player that you can concentrate on to stop. That is why they are the top-ranked team in Western New York. This will help us as we prepare for our league playoffs.” 

Throughout the tournament, Stepien said a lot of players came up with one big play after another, whether it was a big kill, key pass or block. 

“Emily Litwin, Michelle Nowacki, Bridget Andrews and Caitlyn Colucci time and time again came up with some key passes while Jessica Prater, Jessica Sainz, Sarah Pawlak or Michelle Nowacki came up with some key kills when needed,” said Stepien. “Sam Boron did a nice job running our offense. I was very happy with their effort for the day.” 

Pawlak recorded six kills, Prater had five kills and Nowacki added four kills for the Sharks against Frontier. 

Sacred Heart beat Falconer, 30-22, in a quarterfinal match and Kenmore West, 30-21, in a semifinal. 

Sacred Heart trailed Kenmore West, 13-7, but Stepien said the team’s intensity and energy level turned up after a big block by Prater. 

“Jessica Sainz came up with some big kills to turn the game around and see us win,” he added. 

Sainz finished with six kills. Litwin, an all-tournament team selection, added eight service points with three aces. 

Nowacki contributed six kills and Pawlak tacked on five kills against Falconer. 

The Sharks went 5-1 to finish first in their pool and allowed them to get the second seed in the gold bracket. 

Sacred Heart beat Lockport, 25-15, 25-14, split games with Hamburg, 25-10, and 24-26, and downed Williamsville South, 25-7, 25-10. 

Pawlak and Sainz each recorded six kills and Litwin had 10 service points against Lockport. 

Nowacki had four kills and seven service points and Pawlak tacked on seven kills versus Hamburg. 

Sara Calistro recorded eight service points and Prater added five kills and one block against South. 

Sacred Heart had only one league match last week, winning at Holy Angels, 25-8, 25-19, 25-16, Oct. 13. Pawlak had 12 kills Sainz recorded eight kills and seven service points, Boron handed out 23 assists and Litwin tacked on 11 service points. 

Sacred Heart played Niagara Catholic Monday. They play a varsity only match at 6 p.m. Thursday at Frontier and against Tapestry at 6 p.m. Friday at St. Mary’s of the Deaf. Their non-league game with Cheektowaga was cancelled because Cheektowaga needed to reschedule a league game. The Sharks’ regular season ends at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 at home against Nardin. The match will be the Sharks’ senior day.

Amherst boys volleyball splits matches
Amherst Bee
October 21, 2009

The Amherst Central boys volleyball team split recent road matches. 

The Tigers lost to Maryvale, 25-22, 9-25, 15-25, 24-26, Oct. 6 and beat Williamsville East, 26-24, 25-18, 25-15. 

Tom Pleto led the Tigers’ offense against Williamsville East with eight kills and three aces and seven kills and three aces versus Maryvale. 

Other contributors against East were: Tom Mellody (five kills), Mike Burke (three kills, four aces), Zack Jones (three kills), Joe Ray (two kills, ace) and Brent Pizzuto (16 assists). 

Leaders against Maryvale were Burke (five kills), Jones (five kills), Ray (two kills) and Pizzuto (12 assists, ace).

South boys volleyball finally wins own tourney
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 14, 2009

Williamsville South has hosted a volleyball tournament for 17 years but never won it until this year. 

The Billies downed Cheektowaga Saturday to claim the championship. 

“I’m really excited for the kids, mostly because everything we’ve been through, I really would not have predicted that this was the year to do it,” said South coach Thom Knab. 

That’s because South started the season outside hitter Nick Schuh and setter Daren Powers, who were both out with injuries. Schuh was cleared to play two weeks ago and earned all-tournament honors at the South tournament. Powers just got cleared to play and will return to the lineup after he has enough practices. 

In addition, middle blocker Huron Hill missed a week of action with a sprained ankle. 

Then when the South tournament started, Hill and the team’s other starting middle blocker, senior Nick Bellus, were taking their SATs. 

“When they got back, we started hitting on all cylinders,” said Knab. 

The Billies certainly did as they rallied to beat Cheektowaga, 13-25, 29-27, 25-19, in the final. 

“The second game was close all of the way through,” said Knab. “It went back and forth. We did the same thing against Cicero [18-25, 25-19, 25-17] in the semifinal, which kind of seems to be our M.O. lately. We dig ourselves a hole but fortunately, are able to climb out of it.” 

South senior setter Pat Drexinger was named tournament MVP. 

“Pat was solid all the way around,” said Knab. “He was in the back doing great setting for us and when he was in the front row, he was doing a great job hitting. He was also digging, covering the court and blocking real well. He was an all-around, consistent good player on Saturday.” 

South had a 3-2 record coming out of pool play, beating Starpoint, 25-16, and Timon-St. Jude, 25-20, and Cicero-North Syracuse, 25-22 and losing to Cheektowaga, 25-27, and Williamsville North, 23-25, giving them the fourth seed for quarterfinals. South then downed Starpoint, 25-18, 25-14, in a quarterfinal followed by Cicero in a semifinal and Cheektowaga in a final. 

Knab also lauded the play of Schuh, junior outside hitter and serve-receive specialist Ricky Mendiola and Hill for his hitting and emotional play. 

“That was valuable as we finished out the tournament,” said Knab. 

South is 2-4 in ECIC Division II and 8-4 overall. Drexinger leads the team in assists and kills. Hill leads in blocks. 

South hosted Williamsville East Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play at 5 p.m. Thursday at Lake Shore. 

“If we stay healthy, we’ll compete better against teams we lost to in our league the first time around,” said Knab. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Mistakes cost North at tournament, throughout season
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 14, 2009

Tons of mistakes handed Williamsville North a bad fate at this past Saturday’s Williamsville South Boys Volleyball Tournament. 

The Spartans took fourth out of six teams, losing to Section III’s Cicero-North Syracuse, 25-30, in the bronze final. 

“I thought talent wise, we were the best team there,” said North coach Mike Minnuto. “We can’t stop making mistakes that beat ourselves.” 

A perfect example came in the second game of the Spartans’ three-game semifinal loss to Cheektowaga. North lost the match, 25-23, 23-25, 23-25. 

“Out of the 25 points the other team scored, we gave them 22 from carries, net calls, missed serves, double hits, not even points they had to earn,” said Minnuto. 

North’s 6-foot-4 junior middle blockers Nick Penberthy and Farhan Hussain were named to the all-tournament team. 

“They’ve been our two best hitters all year long,” said Minnuto. “They deserved to make the all-tournament team. Every team we played, their coach said ‘we could not stop your middles. You should have gone to them more often.’ Yet we refused to go to them every time.” 

North went 3-2 in pool play, beating eventual tournament champion Williamsville South, 25-23, Starpoint, 25-15, and Timon-St. Jude, 25-19, and losing to Cheektowaga, 20-25, and Cicero North Syracuse, 17-25. They beat Timon St. Jude 25-19, 25-18, in a quarterfinal before losing to Cheektowaga. 

Making mistakes has been a common theme throughout the season for the Spartans. 

“We recently watched the third game of a recent match against Clarence where we gave them 18 of 25 points,” said Minnuto. 

“It’s incredible frustrating to see a team who you know has a lot of talent make the same mistakes over and over again,” said Minnuto. “A lot of the kids are getting frustrated because they see themselves self-destructing. I think a lot of times what happens is there is one mistake we can’t shake off and start over. Once one happens, it leads into a carry which leads into a missed serve which leads into a five to six point swing.” 

North also competed in the Sweet Home Tournament, losing to Clarence, 16-25, 24-26, in a quarterfinal. 

They are 0-8 in ECIC Division I matches and 3-8 overall, posting non-league wins over Lockport, East Aurora, and Williamsville East. 

Minnuto also lauded the hitting throughout the season of senior outside hitter Dominic Marinaccio. He was not at the South tournament and has been battling the flu all season. 

Minnuto said the team needs to work on unforced mistakes for the last three weeks of the regular season. 

“The effort is there,” said Minnuto. “They want to correct their mistakes. Our goal is to eliminate the first mistake and if you do make a mistake, start clean. We have as much talent as five or six teams in our division. We can play with those teams if we eliminate those mental mistakes. We’d like to be playing our best volleyball come late October.” 

North played at Hamburg Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Starpoint at 5 p.m. Wednesday. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Amherst boys earn league victories
Amherst Bee
October 7, 2009

The Amherst boys volleyball team won two ECIC Division II matches last week, downing Williamsville South, 25-13, 25-22, 29-31, 25-22, Sept. 29 and West Seneca East, 25-16, 25-14, 25-17, last Thursday. Both matches were held at Daemen College. 

Tom Pleto led the Tigers attack in both matches, with 19 kills and nine aces against South and nine kills and three aces versus West Seneca East. 

Brent Pizzuto added 30 assists and five aces against South and 19 assists against West Seneca East. 

Other contributors against South included Mike Burke (seven kills, two aces) and Joe Ray (five kills). Other contributors versus West Seneca East were Burke (five kills, three aces), Chris Pleto (four kills), Ray (four kills, two aces), and Tom Mellody (three kills). 

Amherst played at Maryvale Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. The Tigers play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Williamsville East.

Lady Spartans’ volleyball keep improving
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
October 7, 2009

Heading into the 2009 season, a team goal for the Williamsville North girls volleyball team was to match last year’s total of four wins. 

With a 4-5 ECIC Division I record halfway through the season, the Lady Spartans have already matched last year’s total and won more league games then they have in the past two years. The success has prompted a new goal. 

“Now our goal is to finish .500 in the division, which would be 7-7,” said coach Keith Hopkins. “That means we’ll have to knock someone off that beat us and still defeat the teams we have already beaten.” 

North’s success is remarkable because they are usually starting only one senior with three sophomores, two freshmen and an eighth-grader. 

“We ’re happy with the way we’re playing,” said Hopkins. “They’re learning how to practice and it’s showing up on the floor. I think the kids are a little surprised with how well we’re doing.” 

An example of their improvement on the court came in their matchup last Wednesday at Lancaster. North lost in five games but it was the first time North took one game, let alone two, against the Lady Redskins in recent memory, said Hopkins. North lost the first regular season meeting against Lancaster in three games. 

“They kept competing and have gotten better since the first time we played them,” said Hopkins. “They understand what they need to do to win and how hard they have to work in practice to make it happen.” 

In the second match against Lancaster, Hopkins lauded the play of eighth-grade libero Lizzy Viola, junior defensive specialist Stephanie Sercu and middle blockers, sophomore Tori Manzella and senior Alexis Walser. 

“Tori and Alexis were blocking and getting some swings which really made it easier for our outside hitters to get looks instead of getting doubled up on,” said Hopkins. 

North’s wins haven’t come easy. They’ve needed five games to beat Clarence, 25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, Hamburg, 16-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-16, 25-18, and, Jamestown, 20-25, 25-20, 16-25, 25-18, 25-19. They also needed four games to beat Clarence the second time, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21, last Friday. 

Sophomore left side hitter Nikki Attea leads the team in kills. Hopkins’ daughter, freshman Emily Hopkins, leads the team in assists and serves. 

Coach Hopkins also lauded the play of freshman left side hitter Haley Short. 

North is 0-1 in non-league matches, falling to defending Section VI Class A champion, Starpoint, 24-26, 21-25, 24-25, Sept. 4. 

North also competed at the Clarence JV/varsity tournament Sept. 12. The North varsity finished 5-2 with the JV going 4-3 for a combined record of 9-5, which tied them for second but took third because they lost on tiebreakers to Clarence. 

North played at Hamburg Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Jamestown at 5 p.m. Thursday. They will compete in the Frontier Tournament Saturday. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Sharks win bronze division at Eden tournament 
Amherst Bee
September 30, 2009

The Sacred Heart girls volleyball team started strong at last Saturday’s Eden Tournament but finished claiming bronze. 

The Sharks defeated East Aurora, 25-14, 25-21, in the bronze division championship. Tied at 7-7 in the first game, Sacred Heart built a lead and cruised to victory. In the second game, the Sharks climbed out of a 15-12 deficit to win. 

Junior Jessica Prater had three blocks and three kills. 

Sacred Heart defeated Falconer, 30-22, in a bronze flight semifinal. The Sharks built a 15-6 lead on the serving of junior Bridget Andrews, who had eight points in a row to break open a 6-6 game. 

In pool play, the Sharks opened with a 25-13, 14-25 split with Frontier. 

“It looked like we had changed uniforms because what they did poorly in the first game we did in the second game, while what we did well in the first game they did well in the second,” said Sharks assistant coach Ron Stepien. 

Sacred Heart then lost to Section V schools Canandaigua, 11-25, 13-25, and Pittsford-Sutherland, 15-25, 22-25. Sacred Heart trailed, 20-9, in the second game against Pittsford-Sutherland before making a game out of it. Pittsford-Sutherland went on to lose in the gold bracket semifinal. Canandaigua lost in the championship match to Eden. 

Stepien said the tournament was a good learning experience. 

“We were down two outside hitters for the day and had a few girls still fighting off a cold,” said Stepien. “Bridget Andrews and Sara Calistro both stepped up during the day along with Kristin Farrell. Winning our last three games was a nice way to finish the day (building off our comeback against Pittsford-Sutherland).” 

Sacred Heart went 1-2 in matches during the week. They won last Wednesday at Nichols, 25-8, 25-18, 25-10, and lost at St. Mary’s of Lancaster, 26-24, 15-25, 22-25, 17-25, Sept. 21 and last Thursday at Kenmore West, 23-25, 25-21. 

Sophomore Sam Boron had 19 assists, 16 service points and in the third game, five aces. Andrews had seven service points and in the second game, four aces. 

Sacred Heart led St. Mary’s, 23-17, in the first game and had to hold on to win. The Sharks led the third game, 8-3, but St. Mary’s turned up their intensity and Sacred Heart made a few serving and communication errors. 

“To take a game away from St. Mary’s in their own gym is an accomplishment but we need to be able to cut down on our unforced errors and keep up our intensity to be able to be more successful against them,” said Stepien. 

Sacred Heart lost in three games to St. Mary’s Sept. 12. 

Junior Sarah Pawlak recorded 12 kills and two blocks, junior Jessica Sainz chipped in seven kills and senior Michelle Nowacki added eight kills. 

Against Kenmore West, Sainz served eight consecutive points in the second game to bring Sacred Heart back from an 18-11 deficit. Sainz finished with 11 service points. Pawlak added nine kills and two blocks. 

Sacred Heart hosted Mount St. Mary Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at O’Hara and at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 at Immaculata.

Amherst hitting stride; East lacking consistency
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 30, 2009

The Amherst Central girls volleyball team (3-3, 3-4) is on a three-game win streak. 

The Lady Tigers beat Pioneer, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 25-22; Springville, 25-17, 26-28, 25-9, 25-13, Sept. 21 and Depew, 25-8, 25-14, 25-16, last Thursday. 

Outside hitter Grace Mariani leads the Lady Tigers in kills. Mariani injured her left knee at the West Seneca Invitational Saturday at the Buffalo Niagara Court Center and will be out for an estimated three weeks. 

Other leaders include Kristy Luce (digs), Denne Tidwell (blocks), and Bianca Porto and Rachel Schepart (assists). Coach Matt Parisi lauded the defensive play of Nasya Watson. 

Amherst defeated Hutch-Tech, 25-20, 25-17, in the silver bracket of the West Seneca Invitational. 

To continue having success, coach Matt Parisi said the team has to improve ball control. 

Amherst hosts Maryvale at 6 p.m. Wednesdy, plays at 5 p.m. Thursday at Cheektowaga, and hosts Williamsville East at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5. 

All home matches are at Daemen College until renovations at Amherst’s main gym are completed. 

Williamsville East 

The Lady Flames are 1-6 with their only win coming over Williamsville South Sept. 14. 

“We haven’t been great at the end of the games,” said East coach Scott Wright. “Plenty of times we were close to being tied 20-20 in a 25-point game and the other teams win all of the close games. If we start turning around our late-game performances, we’ll be all right.” 

A recent example came in a five-game loss to Iroquois Sept. 16. 

“We won game four handily to tie it up at 2-2 and then we allowed them to get out to a 10-2 lead,” said Wright. “We just haven’t mastered the big situation where we play like we play to get into those situations.” 

Wright can’t fault his team’s effort. 

“The kids want to win in the worst way,” said Wright. “It gets to a point that we’re almost individually doing too much. Until we get too this is my job and everyone knows their job and executes them, we’re a team that can’t finish off a big game.” 

East competed in the Clarence Tournament Sept. 12 and the West Seneca Invitational last Saturday. East lost to Amherst in the semifinal in the silver medal bracket. The score of the match was not available. 

East hosts Lake Shore at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and plays at 5 p.m. Friday at Starpoint. They play at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 at Amherst. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Lady Panthers in battle for top spot in ECIC II
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 30, 2009

There’s a three-way tie at the top of ECIC Division II girls volleyball and Sweet Home is right in the middle of it. 

The Lady Panthers (4-1, 4-2) share one loss with Starpoint and Lake Shore for the top spot. Sweet Home lost to Lake Shore, 17-25, 21-25, 21-25 Sept. 10 at home and then won at Starpoint, 25-22, 25-20, 25-19, Sept. 16. 

The Starpoint win was huge for Sweet Home’s confidence. Last year, Starpoint beat Sweet Home four times —twice in ECIC II matches, North Tonawanda Tournament final and Section VI Class A final. 

“Going there and beating them in their home gym was awesome,” said Sweet Home coach Breean Trapasso. “The kids were so excited.” 

Trapasso said her team attacked Starpoint’s weaknesses and served tough. 

“Our passing was good which allowed [starting setter] Shannon [Memminger] to run our offense a lot through our middle hitters — Bridget Burch and Chelsea Smith,” said Trapasso. 

As well as Sweet Home played against Starpoint, they did not against Lake Shore. 

“Our unforced errors hurt us in the match,” said Trapasso. “We somehow found a way to end plays by hitting the ball out or into the net. They were making so many mistakes and Lake Shore made it worse by keeping the ball alive and they were tipping on us a lot. We were getting killed on the short ball.” 

The rematch is 5 p.m. Friday at Lake Shore. 

In tournament play, Sweet Home took eighth at the Burnt Hills Tournament Sept. 12 and seventh at the Sweet Home Tournament Sept. 19. 

In pool play at the Sweet Home Tournament, they won both games against West Seneca West, split games with Clarence and lost both games to Sacred Heart, placing them seventh out of eight teams in the gold bracket. They fell to eventual tournament champion, Frontier, 30-19, in a quarterfinal match. 

Sweet Home also competed at the Eden Tournament last Saturday. 

Trapasso said Memminger and Smith have been stepping up and pulling the team together. Trapasso said eighth-grader Jenna Reeser leads the team in kills. 

Sweet Home hosted Williamsville South Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Iroquois at 5 p.m. Wednesday. 

“We ’re still lacking the consistency I would like,” said Trapasso. “We ’re getting closer but still not 100 percent clicked.” 

Trapasso said she will be down three starters for the next two weeks. No additional information was provided. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Sweet Home boys volleyball falls in tourney final
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 30, 2009

Sweet Home hasn’t won its own boys volleyball tournament since 1992 and appeared in a final since 1994. 

The Panthers were a match away from winning their own tournament this year, losing to Hamburg, 18-25, 10-25, in the championship match this past Saturday. 

“We haven’t been in a final in about 15 years so for us to get there and do so against some good teams was a great job by the kids,” said Sweet Home coach Rich Cicero. 

Cicero said his team competed hard in the first game of the final but the second game was the best Hamburg has played against his team this season. 

“They blocked really well and played great defense,” said Cicero. “We couldn’t put one to the floor. We got a little frustrated by that.” 

It was the third time Sweet Home has lost to Hamburg this season. Hamburg beat Sweet Home, 25-20, 25-18, in a gold division quarterfinal at the 23rd Clarence Boys Volleyball Invitational Sept. 5 at Clarence High School and 25-9, 25-17, 23-25, 35-33, in a non-league match last Thursday at Hamburg. Cicero said his team was leading Hamburg, 24-20, in the fourth game. 

Sweet Home went 6-0 in pool play at their own tournament, defeating East Aurora, 25-14, 25-8, Williamsville North, 25-10, 25-17, and West Seneca West, 25-12, 25-20, and then downed East Aurora, 25-10, 25-18, in a quarterfinal and Clarence, 25-22, 25-15, in a semifinal. 

Senior right side hitter Trevor Barrett and senior middle blocker Steven Maxwell were each named to the all-tournament team. 

“Both had great tournaments,” said Cicero. “Steven Maxwell was attacking the ball from everywhere. He was hitting in the back row as well as moving the other middle blockers around well. Trevor Barrett put up a huge block. He’s probably my best blocker against someone else one-on-one. He can also hit the ball from everywhere.” 

Sweet Home, ranked fifth in Western New York, is 5-0 and in first place in ECIC Division II. None of their league games have gone to four games. 

“We ’re doing well,” said Cicero. “We ’re playing the best volleyball we’ve played in a number of years. We have a good offense. We need to keep working on our blocking, not that we’ve struggled with it, but it’s definitely something we can improve on.” 

Barrett leads the team in blocks. Senior left side hitter Cody Stonish leads the team in kills. 

A surprise for the Panthers has been the play of junior middle hitter Billy Hyland. 

“He’s been doing a great job,” said Cicero. “He’s played club for me for a couple years then played club last year at Eden so he played at nationals and regionals. He’s a spark plug for the team.” 

Cicero also lauded the play of senior setter Corey Desiderio, who leads the team in assists. 

“He’s a big reason why we’re doing so well,” said Cicero. “We run a 5-1 offense. He’s not a big, huge kid but he’s very athletic, intelligent, and makes good choices on where the ball should go. He’s got a good vertical and puts up a solid block. He’s a quiet leader.” 

Cicero has also liked the play of senior left side hitter Justin Mc- Ness. 

“He’s been doing smart things with the ball,” said Cicero. “He does well with the tools he has.” 

Sweet Home also won the bronze bracket of the Eden Pan-am Tournament Sept. 12, defeating Lake Shore, 30-16. 

Cicero attributes the team’s success to the hard work the players have put in the offseason and in practice. 

East plays Williamsville East at 5 p.m. Thursday and plays at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Iroquois. 

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com

Sharks volleyball runs out of gas at Sweet Home tourney
Amherst Bee
September 23, 2009

Including their best match of the year, the Sacred Heart girls volleyball team was a semifinalist at last Saturday's Sweet Home Tournament at Sweet Home. 

The Sharks defeated City Honors, 30-26, in the quarterfinals and lost to Lancaster, 20-25, 21-25, in the semifinals. 

Sharks assistant coach Ron Stepien said the City Honors match was the best the team has played all season. 

"This was a big game," said Stepien. "To defeat a strong opponent such as City Honors this early in the season, who has won the City League for the last ten years and has always been ranked in the top five in Western New York, is a great accomplishment." 

Stepien said Sacred Heart came out with intensity. 

He said neither team led by more than three points until the final score. Sacred Heart trailed, 22-19, and came back to win with inspired play, said Stepien. 

Sarah Pawlak recorded seven kills and two blocks, Michelle Nowacki connected on six kills and Sam Boron dished out 14 assists. 

By the time Sacred Heart faced Lancaster, Stepien said the team had used so much energy in defeating City Honors that to come out and play with the same intensity was difficult. 

"We missed eight serves in the first game and sometimes had a communication breakdown that led to the loss," said Stepien. "Lancaster is a good team and deserves to win. We just could not match their intensity for the entire match." 

Sacred Heart finished 4-2 in pool play. They lost to Clarence, 21-25, 21-25, and then defeated Sweet Home, 25-19, 25-19, and West Seneca West, 25-22, 25-13. 

Against Clarence, Jessica Prater registered five kills and Jessica Sainz chipped in four kills. Pawlak's six kills and Kristen Farrell's three kills led the Sharks versus Sweet Home. Boron's 18 assists and one block and Emily Litwin's eight service points paced the Sharks versus West Seneca West. 

Litwin was named to the all-tournament team for her outstanding play at libero, said Stepien. 

The Sharks split Monsignor Martin Association league matches, falling to St. Mary's of Lancaster, 11-25, 13-25, 23-25, Sept. 12 at home and winning at Mount Mercy last Thursday, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22. 

Stepien said St. Mary's showed why they are one of the top teams in the league as they easily won the first two games. 

"It took us until the third game until we picked up our intensity and played," said Stepien. "This was disappointing since we knew we had to match their intensity from the start of the match." 

Pawlak and Sainz each had five kills and one block, Nowacki recorded five kills, and Boron handed out 20 assists. 

Stepien said every player on the roster saw playing time against Mount Mercy. Boron recorded 20 assists and two kills, Prater added six kills and two blocks, Pawlak added six kills and Caitlyn Colucci tacked on four kills. 

Sacred Heart (4-1, 3-1) hosts Nichols at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, at 5 p.m. Thursday at Kenmore West, and then plays in the Eden Tournament Saturday.

Sharks volleyball learns lesson from Eden tourney
Amherst Bee
September 16, 2009

The Sacred Heart girls volleyball team took away some lessons from the St. Mary's of Lancaster Tournament on Saturday. 

"We came out of the tournament learning that we need to show emotion and intensity every time we step on the court," said Sharks assistant coach Ron Stepien. 

That was evident in the Sharks' 20-25, 13-25 defeat to Eden in the quarterfinals of the gold bracket. 

"We were tied 15-15 with Eden in the first game and then had one bad rotation, which was the difference in the game," said Stepien. "To play Eden (ranked No. 1 in the area and one of the top teams in the state for the past few years) like that hopefully will help the girls realize that we need to do that each time they step on the court. Eden runs a quick and fast offense and we were just not able to play at that level for a whole match." 

Sam Boron recorded nine assists and two kills and Jessica Sainz had six service points and an ace. Stepien said Emily Litwin was outstanding in her libero position, digging up many balls that should have hit the floor. Litwin was named to the all-tournament team. 

Stepien said the team did not play with much emotion in pool play matches, finishing 2-4 against Frontier, North Tonawanda and Mount Mercy. 

"We are only going to get better by playing good teams like this," said Stepien. "We are still a young team after losing six seniors last year but we are learning more about ourselves each and every day." 

Boron registered 15 assists and Caitlyn Colucci and Jessica Prater both had three kills in an 11-25, 21-25 loss to Frontier. 

Sacred Heart lost both games to North Tonawanda, 20-25, and 24-26 after having a 23-20 lead in the second game. Boron led with nine assists and Michelle Nowacki and Sainz both had three kills. 

Sacred Heart concluded pool play with a 25-15 and 25-18 win over Mount Mercy. The Sharks trailed, 15-11, in the second game. Boron dished out 17 assists and both Sarah Pawlak and Sainz each had four kills. 

The Sharks opened league play with a 24-26, 25-18, 25-16, 26-24 road win last Thursday over Nardin. 

Boron handed out 23 assists and added three kills, Nowacki pounded 12 service points, three aces and 10 kills and Pawlak had 11 service points and seven kills. 

The Sharks also defeated Holy Angels, 25-12, 25-13, 25-27, 25-14, in their home opener last Friday. Boron recorded 22 service points, seven aces and 33 assists and Nowacki chipped in 12 kills. 

"In both matches, all players were able to see playing time," said Stepien. 

Sacred Heart (3-0, 2-0) played St. Mary's of Lancaster on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Mount Mercy and compete in the Sweet Home Tournament starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Boys volleyball outlook
Mary Jo Monnin, Buffalo News
September 15, 2009

Team talk

Cheektowaga pulled off the upset of the season in 2008, ending the eight-year reign of Eden in the Section VI Class B final. The Warriors return just one starter, setter Ryan Carr, but will get a boost from Kenmore East transfer Sean Walters, a senior OH.

"We're rebuilding a little, but we've got a nice core of juniors and we hope we can get everything to come together," coach Jon Marcussen said.

Hamburg grabbed the No. 1 ranking in the WNY Coaches poll after winning the Clarence Tournament. Senior Adam Dings is a gifted setter who keeps his emotions in check and shows plenty of instinct for the game. RS Alex McColgin, the MVP at Clarence, is a dynamic hitter who draws a lot of attention.

Orchard Park is coming off a 34-0 season in which it won the Section VI Class A title for the second year in a row. The Quakers are led by 6-foot-6 OH Kevin Brouillard, OH Jake Beindel and Troy Nowak, all senior tri-captains. The Quakers are off to a 6-1 start with their only loss coming to Hamburg in the finals of the Clarence Tournament.

Eden is not overpowering, but it is coachable and executes. The Raiders have only one senior, OH Matt Meyer, one of the Raiders' most consistent players and someone who has been hitting at a high percentage.

"I keep waiting for him to make mistakes like he used to, and he's not," coach Robert Pierce said. "That's nice to see a player find the groove and get the feel. The game seems very easy for him now."

Setter Evan Laedke is a real jumper and Justin Waldorf is starting to establish himself on the outside.

More than one coach described Clarence as a "dangerous" team capable of knocking off anyone. The Red Devils return junior David Hill, a three-year starter. He led the team in five statistical categories last year, and is on pace to break almost every single season and career school record.

"He plays year round [Eden VBC], and he's a perfect example of the type of talent fostered by our area's outstanding clubs and camps," coach Kevin Starr said.

Outside hitter Nick Mahoney and Hill are a very potent combination for the Red Devils. When one is in the front row, the other is a threat to bang the ball out of the back row.

Holland returns seniors Craig Kwilos, Tom Makin (both co- captains) and DJ Vetter, named all-tournament at the Gary Tocke Tournament.

Last year's Class A finalist Frontier will be led by Dylan Seufert and Tyler Loveless while sophomores Drew Durni, Tom Scheck and Matt Taylor will add height and offense.

Among Maryvale's returning starters are OH Bryce Shepard, MB Brian Harrington and opposite hitter Jeff Harvey.

Lake Shore, ECIC II co-champs last year, returns four starters: three-year setter Nick McDonagh, three-year starter OH Erik Marx, OH Kyle Benzing and MH Brett Farrell. The Eagles return to the B classification after a 13-year hiatus.

Sweet Home is big and athletic, led by 6-6 middle Steve Maxwell, a left-hander who hits from the right side, and Cody Stonish, a basketball convert.

Grand Island is favored to repeat as Niagara Frontier League champions. The Vikings return junior setter Tyler Hinaman, an NFL All-Star last year, and 6-5 OH Jonas Stalyga. GI opens defense of its title today hosting Lew-Port at 4:30 p.m.

St. Joe's looks to rattle Canisius. The Marauders took Canisius to 28-26 in the Eden Tournament. The Marauders return three-year starter Matt Dyrek, who led the team in kills last year with 275. L/ OH Jason Clark and OH Aaron Mycek are two-year starters.

Niagara-Wheatfield got off to a quick start winning the Gary Tocke Tournament. Shawn Haseley was named tourney MVP. Kyle Henry is a three-year starter.

Lancaster lacks a go-to hitter for that needed side out, but does return a nice core of seniors: Brandon Nemeti (setter), Taylor Travis (OH), Jon Gall (RS), Brendan Dougherty (MH) and Ryan Zeiger (MH).

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Around the gyms

Fans and coaches who have been clamoring for an official state championship will have to wait one more year. That's when Section VIII will move volleyball to the fall, giving the state the six sections it needs to have a state championship.

Cleveland Hill, one of the birthplaces of boys volleyball under legendary coach/AD Charlie O'Brien, has dropped its program.

Starpoint has added volleyball and will also have JV and modified teams. The Spartans will play a nonleague schedule this year before joining the ECIC in 2010.

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Tocke out at Kenmore East

They are bumping a lot more than volleyballs at Kenmore East.

Gary Tocke, who founded the program in 1968, has been bumped from his head coaching position by Kyle Horvatis, his modified coach, who is a teacher in the district.

"All of our coaching positions are posted annually and, like many districts, active teachers have the first opportunity to apply," said Brett Banker, athletic director of the Kenmore schools. "Coach Horvatis had coached modified for us for several years and felt like he was ready."

While Horvatis was ready to step in, Tocke, 65, was not ready to step out. He had coached with a passion throughout his 41 seasons, compiling exactly 500 wins. He knew the possibility of being bumped existed since he retired from his teaching position in 2000.

"That's the way they do things," Tocke said. "Dick Harvey got bumped as the basketball coach and Marv Matteson got bumped in baseball. I got bumped a few years ago from the track job. Things happen."

Ken-Ton renamed its early season tourney the Gary Tocke Tournament, which was won by Niagara-Wheatfield.

New coaches for 2009: Eric Honsberger (Maryvale), Keith Koch (St. Mary's), Pete Wlosinski (Amherst), Kurt Spitler (Starpoint), John Balisteri (Depew), Kyle Horvatis (Kenmore East).

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Defending champs

Class A: Orchard Park. Class B: Cheektowaga. Monsignor Martin Association: Canisius. ECIC I: Orchard Park. ECIC II: Sweet Home and Lake Shore. ECIC III: Eden and Cheektowaga. Niagara Frontier League: Grand Island. Poll champion: Orchard Park.

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Returning All-Stars

ECIC I: Kevin Brouillard (OP), Troy Nowak (OP), David Hill (Clarence), Alex McColgin (Hamburg). ECIC II: Steve Maxwell (Sweet Home), Cody Stonish (Sweet Home), Trevor Barrett (Sweet Home), Erik Marx (Lake Shore), Nicholas McDonagh (Lake Shore). ECIC III: Matt Meyer (Eden), Ryan McCarthy (Eden), Tom Makin (Holland), Bryce Shepard (Maryvale). NFL: Tyler Hinaman (GI), Evan Bullard (Kenmore West). MMA: John Jepson (Canisius), Luke Klee (Canisius).

For more information and discussion on boys volleyball, go to the Prep Talk blog at buffalonews.com/blogs

e-mail: mmonnin@buffnews.com

South boys volleyball moves on without key starters
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

Even before the season started, the Williamsville South boys volleyball team was down two of their veteran starters. 

Serve-receive/outside hitter Nick Schuh and setter Daren Powers will both miss the entire season because of injuries. Powers was an ECIC Division II second team all-star last year. 

Billies coach Thom Knab said it changes the makeup of the team a little bit as he has to find players to fill their void. 

"I had two good setters who can hit and with Daren out, we're trying to figure out who is the next setter to take his spot, even if it's not a hitter, in the front row," said Knab. "As far as Nick, he was such a good passer, so we're still trying to figure out whose going to fill in there to serve-receive and also hit on the outside." 

The team's healthy returning setter is senior Pat Drexinger. 

"Pat is comfortable and confident in his setting and is a leader on the court," said Knab. 

Drexinger is co-captains with 6-foot-1 middle blocker Huron Hill. Hill is a returning ECIC II second-team all-star who led the team last year in blocks (266) and aces (15). Hill and Drexinger are three-year starters. 

"They bring the experience to help direct less experienced players on the court," said Knab. 

Also returning is senior middle blockers Tom Wishman and Nick Bellus, senior liberos Vitalyi Battistoni and Nate Malec, and 6-3 junior serve-receive/outside hitter Ricky Mendiola. Knab said Battistoni is probably the team's top libero. 

Up from JV to help the lineup is junior lefty outside hitter Mike Biscotto, who may also serve-receive, and sophomore setter Leo Lynett. 

Knab said the strength of the team will be defense. 

"I think we have some good blockers," said Knab. "We got the guys covering the courts pretty well." 

Knab said the team's success will depend on how strong the starting six can play together. 

A team goal is to advance further in the postseason. South lost to Maryvale in the Class B quarterfinals last year. The Billies finished 12-9, a seven-win improvement from 2007. 

South opened its season at the 23rd Clarence Boys Volleyball Invitational last Saturday at Clarence High School. They went 2-4 in pool play and lost to Lake Shore, 30-23, in a silver division semifinal. 

South played Tuesday at West Seneca East but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

North enters second year of rebuilding phase
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

The development of the Williamsville North boys volleyball team continues. 

Coach Mike Minnuto looks at the 2009 season as the second year of a three-year phase to develop the team into true volleyball players. Seven of them — seniors Matt Siva and Chad Loughran and juniors Ben Stoler, Nick Penberthy, Jon Brannen, Jamie Sperazzo, and Matt Fenigstein - took part in club volleyball through Sweet Home. 

"I had a lot of kids play club volleyball in the winter and I think it's going to be beneficial in the future," said Minnuto. 

Minnuto said Siva and Stoler at setter will determine the team's success. 

"I really think we have a load of hitters that can get above the net and swing," said Minnuto. "I think our team will go as far as our setters will let us go. If Matt and Ben both perform this year, our outlook is pretty good." 

Hitting from the outside will be seniors Dominic Marinaccio, 6-foot-3 Loughran, and junior Brian Corretore, who transferred over from the soccer team. 

There is a lot of height at middle blocker with Penberthy and junior Farhan Hussein, both 6-4 juniors. 

Swinging from the right side will be 6-2 senior lefty Tom Winkler. Minnuto said Winkler is the team's most potent hitter. 

Juniors Billy Szelazkiewicz and Matt Fenigstein should take up the load in the back row at libero. Seniors Chris Willer and Aaron Ridall and Brannen will also make up the back row. 

Sperazzo, junior Mike Peterson, and Matt Killion can fill in at front row. 

Minnuto is looking for leadership out of Siva, Marianaccio and Winkler. 

North finished 1-15 last year. Minnuto said the team is already better than where they were at this point last year. 

"The kids are working well together," said Minnuto. "Nobody wants to go through what we went through last year. We should be much more competitive this year and for the future."

Tigers developing under new coach
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

Offseason work helps Panthers' ECIC II title defense chances
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

The Sweet Home boys volleyball team proved last year that if you put in the work in the offseason it will pay off in the regular season. 

The Panthers, 2-18 in 2007 - including no wins in ECIC Division I - did a complete 360 in 2008, going 14-4 and winning the ECIC II title for the first time since 1983. Most of the roster either attended volleyball camps or played club volleyball in the offseason to improve their skills. 

This past offseason, Sweet Home players honed their skills. Coach Rich Cicero said nine of the 16 players on the roster either played club volleyball or attended volleyball camps. He said everyone that did this improved in some area dramatically. 

Two of the four senior captains — lefty Trevor Barrett and Steven Maxwell — along with middle hitter Billy Hyland — played Eden Club Volleyball, regarded as one of the area's top club volleyball programs. 

Barrett and Maxwell, along with Stonish, are returning ECIC II first-team all-stars. The 6-foot-7 Barrett is back on the right side. Maxwell, 6-foot-6, returns at middle blocker. He had 56 serving aces in 2008. Stonish, 6-foot-4, had a team-best 63 kill percentage and 89 stuffed blocks (blocks to the floor for a point) as a middle blocker but Cicero has swung him to the outside. 

Stonish is also a team captain, as is 5-11 senior setter Corey Desiderio. 

"My four captains bring a lot of leadership," said Cicero. "They're pushing everyone in practice." 

Six-foot-5 senior Justin McNess will play at outside hitter. Hyland or senior Nick Pangrazi, both 6-1, will play at middle blocker. 

Senior Mike Stroka will play at libero but could work himself into the back row attack. 

Cicero said the team has a strong offense. 

"There will be a lot of guys who should be on the leader board for kills," said Cicero. "We 're not a one-man show. We have strong players that can do something with the ball and get kills." 

Despite the success of last year, Cicero said the team is not resting on their laurels. 

"When you're No. 1, people are going to bring it so you have to be on top of your game every time," said Cicero. "Physically, we're ready for it. Mentally, I think they'll be prepared. They've been looking forward to the season." 

Sweet Home opened its season with a 23-25, 29-27, 18-25, 25-27 non-league loss last Thursday at Clarence. They then went 3-3 in pool play and lost to Hamburg, 25-20, 25-18, in a gold division quarterfinal at the 23rd Clarence Boys Volleyball Invitational last Saturday at Clarence High School.

League title, Catholic states still among Sharks' goals
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

Sacred Heart's goals last year were to advance to the Monsignor Martin Association league championship game (lost to St. Mary's of Lancaster in final) and advance to the state meet (lost to St. Mary's in semifinal). 

Despite the loss of six seniors, Sacred Heart assistant coach Ron Stepien said the goals for this year's squad have not changed. 

"Our goal is to make the championship game of the Monsignor Martin Association and then to go to states — we've gone to states the last three years," said Stepien. "We feel that we can obtain those goals if the girls continue to work hard in practice and make sure they do not take any points off during a match." 

Stepien said the team will look to leadership from senior outside hitter Michelle Nowacki and junior libero Emily Litwin. Both are three-year starters and play club volleyball through Niagara Frontier. 

"Both will give their all on every single play and their leadership on and off the court is going to be important for us," said Stepien. "Michelle is an overall good player who does everything that is asked of her. The same with Emily. She'll refuse to let the ball drop on the floor and she encourages her teammates to do the same thing." 

Other starters include 5-foot-11 junior middle blocker Sarah Pawlak, junior Jessica Sainz, who will mostly play in the front row on the left hand side, junior outside hitter Caitlyn Colucci, and sophomore Samantha Boron. 

The backup setter is junior Bridget Andrews. 

Junior Jessica Prater moved up from JV and will play at middle blocker with Pawlak. 

"We 're looking for Jessica and Sarah to lead the team in blocks," said Stepien. 

Stepien calls senior Katie Sykes the wild card on the team because she could end up playing in the middle or on the outside. 

Rounding out the team are sophomores Megan Musialowski (defensive specialist in the back row) and Sara Calistro (outside hitter) and junior Kristen Farrell (outside hitter or left side), who all move up from a JV team that has won the league championship three of the last four years. 

Defense and keeping the ball in play are team strengths. 

"To compete in our league, we need to be a really good defensive team and people on the team who will lead the defense are Emily Litwin, Michelle Nowacki and Caitlyn Colucci," said Stepien. 

Stepien said the team does not have a go-to player on offense which is another strength because whoever leads the offense will vary from match to match. 

Sacred Heart finished last season 16-6 after starting 1-3. Four of the losses came against St. Mary's. 

The Sharks opened the season with a 25-18, 25-9, 25-20 win last Friday at Olean. 

"Everyone played and we had a balanced attack (all six of our starters recorded at least two kills)," said Stepien. 

Boron had seven assists and two kills, Sainz recorded four kills, Pawlak added four blocks and two kills and Nowacki added three kills. 

The Sharks play Thursday at Nardin and host Holy Angels on Friday before competing in the St. Mary's of Lancaster Tournament on Saturday. 

Chris Jank is the Sharks' head coach. Allison Boehm is another assistant coach.

New South coach takes over familiar situation
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

When Tom Sproull took over as the Williamsville North girls volleyball coach in 2006, the team did not win a match and all of the players told him they wanted to win a match. Flash forward to this fall and the same situation is occurring as he takes over the coaching reigns at Williamsville South. 

"Now the kids at South are saying the same thing," said Sproull, a South graduate. "We don't want to go 0 for whatever." 

Sproull is almost starting from scratch at South. He said only one starter returns and to make this season even more challenging, senior libero and tri-captain Kristin Lynett, recently suffered a broken pinkie finger that has knocked her out for the season. 

The Lady Billies' other two captains are seniors Becca Kent and Sara Cohen. Kent hits on the outside or sets; Cohen is an outside hitter. Cohen started as a middle blocker last year. 

"They want higher expectations, which I like," said Sproull. 

Also in the lineup is senior libero Ann Marie Calandra, junior outside hitter Laura Zaprowski — who Sproull said is the team's best passer now with Lynett out — sophomore and junior middle blockers, Claire Haumesser and Sara Orf, respectively. 

Sophomore Victoria Mendiola sets and if she's not setting, plays on the outside. 

Sproull said he is looking for the team to be scrappy. 

"We 'll not just give points away. We'll need to dive for every ball and at least let the other team earn the point," he said. 

Overall, Sproull has told his players he does not want to talk about wins or losses. 

"I just want them to focus on doing our best," said Sproull. "That includes practice and matches. If we're doing our best, we'll be in some games and that could lead to some wins." 

South opened the season in the Lockport Tournament this past Saturday. They hosted West Seneca East Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. 

New Amherst coach stresses defense, passing
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

Lady Flames in rebuild mode
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

The good news for the Williamsville East girls volleyball team is that they finished the 2008 season strong, going 7-2 over their last nine matches to finish 8-10. The bad news is they aren't many pieces left to continue what they started. 

East graduated five starters from last year's team — setter Jacquie Vujcec, outside hitter Taylor Klun, middle hitters Brittany Rung and Ellia McIntosh, and right side hitter Jenna Larkin. 

That means there are several starting spots open this fall. 

"We're in rebuild mode," said East Scott Wright. "We 're going to need a lot of people to step in and take over the roles." 

Leading the returning players for East is junior middle blocker Mackenize Klun. Klun has played on varsity since the end of her freshman year. 

The Lady Flames will also lean on returning seniors, Samantha Garson and Kristen Alcazaren (setters) and Julianna Hernandez (outside hitter) and juniors Taylor Wisnouskas (middle hitter) and Kelsey Buran (outside hitter). 

Junior Julia Pizzuto or sophomore Storey Nowaczk will play at defensive specialist. 

Wright said for the team to be successful, all six players on the court need to play together. He also thinks he has a lot of depth in the back and front row. 

East opened with a three-game loss last Thursday to Grand Island. 

They played at Lake Shore Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

Sweet Home girls volleyball putting pieces together
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter Amherst Bee
September 9, 2009

Breann Trapasso describes her Sweet Home girls volleyball team like puzzle pieces. 

"If we can put all of the pieces together, we're going to be pretty tough," said Trapasso. "The key is getting all of the pieces to fit the right way. We have a lot of different positions that are wide open. The girls just need to take them." 

On paper, the Lady Panthers look solid, and that's with the loss of one of the program's all-time greats, Kelsey Maving, a six-year varsity member and All-Western New York defensive specialist who is playing Division I volleyball at the University of Connecticut. 

The good news is that they are a lot of good defensive players on the roster, including seniors Larissa Svensson and Courtney Cobb and junior Charlene Cinelli, who can fill in. Svensson, the starting libero, was one of the team's leaders in digs last year. 

"Defense wins championships in my mind," said Trapasso. "If we can keep up the defense that we have - we have a lot of talent - if we can take that and convert it to offensive production, we're going to win games." 

Svensson is one of four returning starters from last year's 15-5 Section VI Class A finalist roster. The other three are senior setter Shannon Memminger, senior 5-foot-11 middle blocker Courtney Smith and 6-foot-2 sophomore middle blocker Bridget Burch. 

If there's a key piece to the puzzle, it's Memminger. A Coaches All-WNY second team pick last fall, she led Sweet Home in aces and assists. 

"She holds it all together," said Trapasso. "She's the quarterback of the team." 

A four-year starter in high school, Memminger is also a national club player through Niagara Frontier. 

"She's a national club player so she has the experience of playing much tougher competition and I think she brings that with her to the court," said Trapasso. "She has the most experience and that is crucial on a volleyball court. She gives a lot of advice and feedback to the players." 

Memminger is tri-captains with Smith and Kelly Balsom. Smith is a three-year starter as a middle blocker. 

Senior Ashley Cavalier returns after a two-year hiatus at right side hitter opposite Memminger as a second setter. 

The outside hitter positions are wide open. Seniors Larri Phelps and Balsom, junior Chelsea Williams, and eighth-grader Jenna Reeser are vying for the jobs. 

Senior middle blocker Megan Costa and sophomore setter/right side hitter Brittany Smith round out the team. 

Besides defense, Trapasso said her team needs to excel at serve-receive and passing. 

"The focus right now is making sure we can be consistent with our passing so we can run an offense that will be tough to defend," she said. 

"If we can fill the void of Kelsey and start passing the way she used to, then we can use Bridget Burch, Courtney Smith and a couple up and coming attackers. If we can get into a rhythm, we can be a strong offensive team." 

Trapasso also said the team also has versatile players who can be used all over the court. 

Sweet Home, 10-2 in ECIC Division II, played at Iroquois on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

Top 5 Things to Do to Get Recruited to Play College Volleyball
How to Top A Coach's Volleyball Recruiting List
By Beverly Oden, About.com Guide

1. Get Good Grades

First and foremost, volleyball recuiting starts with good students. To get recruited to play in college and possibly earn a scholarship, you have to make the grade. Make sure you are taking your school work seriously because college coaches are not interested in slackers on the court or in the class room. Getting good grades shows that you have self-discipline, you are teachable, you are responsible and you strive for success. All of these things can translate to your play on the court. Make sure you are doing the very best you can in school. Take honors or AP courses whenever possible for extra points on your GPA. Take test prep courses and get good scores on your college entrance exams.

2. Play Club Volleyball

If you want to play in college, it is becoming more and more necessary to improve your skills by playing all year-round. Find a reputable club team in your area to join. Make sure they have a good coach and good college contacts. Playing club can be expensive though, so if your family can't afford the dues you can speak to the coaches to see if they offer any payment plans or alternatives in such cases. If the traditional clubs won't help you out, you may be able to find a club that has reduced rates or is completely free to join such as The Starlings.

3. Qualify for Junior Olympics

Make sure that your club team travels to Qualifiers for the Junior Olympics. Qualifiers take place every month in different parts of the country. Tons of college coaches attend JO's to watch those they've been tracking and to find new talent. If your team is unable to qualify for JO's, go to the Volleyball Festival in Reno or another tournament in your area where you know college coaches will be.

4. Play in the Summer

At each JO Qualifier there is a try out for USA Volleyball high performance teams. College coaches get a list of players who try out and many get on the radar this way. Those who make it will attend a two-week camp during the summer. USAV hand picks some of the players to compete all summer for youth national team or the junior national team which travels overseas for great competition against other countries.

You can also seek out summer camps at your top choices of Universities. This is an easy way to meet the coaches and let them see first hand what you can do. While there have a good attitude, ask questions and do what the coaches , ask even if it is not the way you would do it on your club or high school team.

5. Keep Options Open

Do not set your sights just on the top programs. Make sure to email the head coach and first assistant at 25 Universities outside the Top 25 in the rankings. Let them know who you are where you play and that you are interested in their volleyball program. Be sure to check out Divisions I, II and III and include out-of-state schools to cover your bases.

Article

USA Volleyball to Host Men's Worlds Qualifier in Irvine
USA Volleyball July 23, 2009
B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
BJ.Evans@usav.org

ANAHEIM, Calif. (July 23, 2009) – USA Volleyball has announced that it will host the 2010 Men’s World Championship Qualification Tournament for NORCECA Pool F on Aug. 15-17 at the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine in Irvine, Calif.

Men’s volleyball teams from the United States, Panama, Guatemala and Dominican Republic will compete in the event. The 2010 World Championship will be held Sept. 24-Oct. 10, 2010, in Italy.

The World Championship qualifying process began around the world last December. From NORCECA, Puerto Rico has already qualified.

“Obviously it is very important for our team to qualify for the 2010 World Championship,” said U.S. Men’s Head Coach Alan Knipe (Huntington Beach, Calif.). “It will be great to compete in front of a truly home crowd in Southern California as we work to qualify.”

Tickets for the event will be $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12. Groups of 15 or more can get tickets for $8 each and an all-session pass is $25. Tickets are on sale now at the Bren Center box office at (949) 824-5000 or at TicketMaster.com.

Information about the Bren Center is available at www.bren.uci.edu.

More information about World Championship qualifying is available on the FIVB web site.