By By Dan Fappiano • 10/24/2021 05:26 p.m. EST
Even though the East Haven girls’ volleyball team won’t reach the postseason this year, Head Coach Craig Brown feels pleased to see the Yellowjackets keep competing as they enter the final week of their season. On the heels of a big win last week, Coach Brown is hoping that the Easties’ young roster will continue developing for the 2021 campaign.
East Haven gained a split of its two matchups last week. The Yellowjackets defeated Foran before losing to Guilford to move to 4-13 on the year.
On Oct. 19, the Yellowjackets played a road match against Foran and came away with a 3-2 victory. East Haven took the match with set scores of 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-25, and 15-10.
Senior captain Kayla Stefania had 32 assists, while fellow senior captain Magdalena Barthel posted 15 kills and 10 digs for East Haven. Junior Alice Stettinger had seven kills and two blocks for the Easties, who also saw junior Adriana Franceschi make some crucial contributions in the win.
Three days later, East Haven was back on the road to face Guilford. The Yellowjackets took a 3-0 defeat to the Grizzlies in the match.
“It’s a tough week. You’re playing two playoff-bound teams. We were able to come out versus Foran and pull it together. We started slow and were able to rebound,” Coach Brown said. “Magdalena and Adriana really shined on the outside, which allowed Alice to get a couple kills in the middle. [That] helped us rebound from a slow start.”
Coach Brown said that East Haven played aggressively in last week’s win over Foran. After falling behind early, the Easties battled back and made the necessary adjustments to get the victory. Brown wants his team to keep bringing an aggressive approach to the court for its last few matches of the season.
“It’s a battle of aggressiveness. We came out flat against Guilford and never really rebounded,” said Brown. “We came out flat against Foran, but we were really willing to make changes, and the girls were aggressive. They were much more confident, ending with a satisfying game.”
Stefania and Barthel are not only the Yellowjackets’ senior captains this season, but they’re also the only two seniors on the roster. East Haven’s final matches are all at home, giving both captains a chance to finish their high school careers in front of their faithful fans. Coach Brown said that Stefania, a setter; and Barthel, an outside hitter; have both been key members of East Haven’s offense this year.
“They’re two of our best players,” Brown said. “Kayla has run the team on offense as our setter. Magdalena has been a presence on offense. She opens up a lot of pathways for our other players.”
East Haven has dealt with numerous injuries throughout the season and only recently got the entire team back to full health. Coach Brown noted junior Nicole SanGiovanni as a player who has stepped up after returning from injury by keeping the opposition off-balance with her play as a defensive specialist and left side hitter.
SanGiovanni is one of 18 players who is slated to come back to the team next year. Coach Brown is hoping that East Haven’s returning athletes learned a lesson about how to battle through adversity during the 2021 season.
“Unfortunately, we aren’t a playoff bound team this year. It’s about learning how to play loose. We have to learn how to play through adversity,” said Brown. “We have to build off of it and create something we can bring into next year.”
East Haven finishes its regular season by playing matches against Hand, North Branford, and Seymour this week. As the Yellowjackets look to pick up a few more wins, Brown said that his players are focusing on what they can do to improve the East Haven girls’ volleyball program for the coming years.
“Even if you’re not making the playoffs, you still want to end on a positive note. We’re hoping we can take a few wins and develop more,” Brown said. “Whether it’s details in our mechanics, our systems, or our overall philosophy, we want to make these adjustments for the girls coming back and build off of it for next year.”
The East Haven girls’ volleyball team’s roster features senior captains Magdalena Barthel and Kayla Stefania; juniors Adriana Franceschi, Jessica Urban, Alice Stettinger and Nicole SanGiovanni; sophomores Ava Avena, Brooke Ciscone, Nevaeh Caffalette, Mia Ponte, Nicole Brown, Cristina Fernandez, and Hayli Nuzzelillo; and freshmen Jayleen Crespo, Gianna Consiglio, Lily Saenz, Angelina Bellacicco, Mia Abely, Alexa Heaphy, and Gianna Buonocore.
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October 25, 2021 at 05:26AM
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