Thursday, October 1, 2026
A state championship can raise expectations. For South Side’s girls’ volleyball team, it also means every opponent is bringing its best.
After going 17-1 and winning the program’s first state championship since 1993 last season, the Cyclones entered 2026 with four All-State starters gone and a new-look lineup finding its identity.
South Side opened the season with a three-set sweep of Valley Stream South on Sept. 10 but dropped five-set matches to Lynbrook on Sept. 14 and first-place North Shore two days later.
Against North Shore, the Cyclones dropped the first two sets before rallying to win the next two. They then fell 15-10 in the deciding set.
“You’ve got to expect that when you win states, you’re going to be targeted,” coach Steve Mariano said. “Even though I graduated four All-State players, it still doesn’t matter, you still won the state championship, so everyone’s going to come after you.”
Replacing those players has required adjustments throughout the lineup.
“When you lose four All-State starters, it’s going to be quite a bit of an adjustment,” Mariano said. “But it’s a new team, a new look. [We’re] definitely trying to develop our own identity at the moment.”
Senior Lena Miller has again emerged as the Cyclones’ primary offensive option. She had nine kills in the opener against Valley Stream South and 15 more in the loss to North Shore.
In the season-opening victory, junior Tess Rakeman had four kills, 10 assists, five digs and four aces. Freshman Devin Mullaney, the younger sister of Keira Mullaney, one of those graduated All-State players, added nine assists and nine digs, while junior Sydney Marshall contributed five aces.
Junior Audrey Reilly had two kills, eight digs and four blocks, and senior Caitlin Ferrari finished with four kills and five blocks.
Mariano has switched from a 5-1 system last season to a 6-2 this year, allowing Rakeman to hit for three rotations before freshman setter Mullaney enters the match.
“She’s a really good setter, especially for being a ninth grader,” Mariano said of Devin. “Her sets are good. She connects pretty well with the girls, which is nice.”
The Cyclones’ biggest early concern has been limiting their own mistakes. Mariano said the team missed 31 serves in its first two matches while committing 23 hitting errors.
“It’s cutting down your own unforced errors,” he said. “Being a little smarter.”
Despite the losses, Mariano said the Cyclones have shown enough against strong opponents to remain encouraged. South Side finished first in pool play during a tournament in Smithtown last weekend before losing in the playoffs to Port Jefferson.
“We’re not getting killed by good teams,” he said. “We’re going five [sets]. We’re showing really good fight.”
The Cyclones have 11 juniors, three freshmen and four seniors, giving Mariano a young group with plenty of time to find its footing.
“I keep telling the girls, you can’t compare yourselves to last year,” Mariano said. “Different groups. You’ve got to come up with your own identity. I know it’s hard, but you just can’t.”
