East Rockaway enjoys success

After winning just one match in 2015, and being swept on seven occasions, the East Rockaway volleyball program appeared to be at its lowest point. 

However, thanks to a group of girls hell-bent on turning things around, and a highly energetic coach, the Lady Rocks are 9-7 in Conference BC-1, and are favored to win the Nassau Class C championship.

In a recent sweep of Carle Place, the team the Lady Rocks will play for Class C supremacy on Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m. at SUNY Old Westbury, junior Melissa Loyer was a force. The outside hitter registered seven kills and six aces to lead the way. Senior Diana Locoteta had 10 digs and senior Skylar Masterson added seven kills for East Rockaway. 

Despite going into the postseason with back-to-back setbacks; a heartbreaking five-set loss to Wheatley and a sweep at the hands of Island Trees, East Rockaway coach Ksenia Brito is confident.

“At the beginning of the season, we talked about changing the face of East Rockaway volleyball and being a competitive, winning program,” Brito said. “And, we’ve done it. This team is very different from the past. The veteran players embraced the younger girls, and the younger girls stepped up to the challenge. The girls are very competitive and they’re driven to win. I’m very optimistic about our chances in the playoffs.”

Locoteta, who was outstanding with 15 digs, 12 kills and four aces in an early-season win against Island Trees, Loyer, Masterson, and senior Michelle Sheridan have racked up their share of kills, but the turnaround is due to a complete team effort. Senior Jessica Loyer, who had 27 assists in a five-set victory over Locust Valley, and junior Joanna Acampora have done a nice job of putting teammates in position to score.

Senior middle Demi Lonergan is one of the team’s steadiest performers. Lonergan gets her share of kills and blocks, and always seems to come up big in clutch situations. Senior libero Amanda Barbaro has battled injuries that have caused her to miss matches. The Rocks aren’t the same when Barbaro is out of the lineup. Seniors Corinne Haab and Kiera Popp are reliable, versatile performers. 

Depending upon the opponent and situation, Brito is not averse to using her entire roster. Sophomores Brooke DeGiulio, Jamie Keegan, Catherine McClure and Jaclyn Ragusa, and freshman Madison Cipriano have all made contributions. 

“I genuinely feel that any of our 15 girls can be on the court at any time,” Brito said. “Everyone has a role. If we’re going to be successful, we need to communicate better, be more consistent, and truly believe that we’re a good team.

“Over the past few seasons, the atmosphere was a little blasé,” she added. “This team wants to win badly, but sometimes the girls get frantic in big spots and lose their confidence. We’ve blown sizeable leads too many times. We need to get better at not letting a few bad plays change the momentum of the match.”