Last Tuesday the volleyball squad knocked off the perennially powerful Shelter Island for the first time in 12 years with a 3-0 sweep. Here is a recap of the match from Cindy Belt of the Shelter Island Reporter.
Third time’s the charm? Three strikes and you’re out? Whatever the expression, Shelter Island varsity volleyball is doing the math.
During the September 20 match at Stony Brook, Melissa Frasco, the fearless libero of whom I say “would run through a brick wall for the team” nearly did. Racing after an errant pass, she rolled her left ankle and ended up collapsed against a wall. As she optimistically said, “Well, at least it was my other ankle.”
Melissa had to sit out most of the preseason with a sprained right ankle.
We visited the Stony Brook School on Tuesday, September 20. The Bears have been inconsistent in the past few years, but with a former coach returning after an extended medical leave, they once again are a team on the rise. The Islanders stayed with the Bears until mid-game, when tough serving and our serve receive couldn’t adjust and we lost the set 25-15.
The second set started well for the Islanders. Sarah Lewis mixed up the offense with smart dumps on sets, and scored four service aces. Domily Gil added a kill. Nichole Hand had an unusual dig off one of their hitter’s spikes — it bounced off her foot, and heads up play by her teammates let the play continue. However, up 23-14, our errors let the Bears back in. Confidence plummeted, and tough serves rocked us, allowing the home team to make a startling comeback to win 25-23.
The third set started badly with Stony Brook streaking to a 10-0 start. Nicolette Frasco got a kill to right the ship and a Lewis ace helped the effort. At 14-20, Melissa Frasco made the all-out effort that sprained her ankle. The team buckled down, and crept back to pull to 22-24, but a miscommunication error allowed the Bears to sweep the match.
stonybrookbears.org 