By JOSEPH KELLARD
³They were a cohesive group and so much fun to coach,² said coach Jamie DellaRocca, whose Oceanside High School girls¹ varsity tennis team went 16-0 and was crowned conference champions. ³Everyone was made to be a part of the team, whether senior or sophomore. They made dinners and did parties together. They were a fantastic group of girls and really jelled as a team.²
Having coached the Oceanside Middle School eighth grade girls¹ soccer team to a 6-0 season, Damian Trum highlighted his players¹ social skills. ³They were not only great athletically, they were also great socially,² he said.
³It wasn¹t the most talented team that I¹ve coached,² said OMS eighth grade girls¹ volleyball coach Marianna Winchester, whose players served up an 11-0 season, ³but their chemistry, their teamwork and commitment made them one of the most coachable teams I¹ve ever had.²
For the second season in four years ‹ first as an assistant coach with the OHS varsity team ‹ DellaRocca has tasted the sweetness of an undefeated season. This year, on their path to perfection during the regular season, her players defeated teams from Baldwin and Carle Place, downed North Shore in the semifinals and prevailed over Locust Valley in the championship match.
Leading the way were senior second singles Natalia Forman, who posted an undefeated season herself, triumphing in her 14 regular-season matches and twice in the playoffs, and first singles starter junior Stephanie Corriel. ³Natalia and all the seniors showed great leadership,² DellaRocca said, ³and Stephanie displayed great poise throughout our matches.²
In describing her perfect team, DellaRocca said they ³really enjoy playing the game,² evidenced by their competing against one another on OHS¹s tennis courts even on their off days. Above all, she said, her team played with honesty and integrity, ³which I stress more than anything, because at this level the game is played without officials. They all played with that desire to win and fair play. That was their top priority.²
Unlike DellaRocca, Trum had never been part of an undefeated season during his nine years of coaching in the district. His soccer team went undefeated (8-0) in seventh grade (under coach Lyle Hirsch) and posted six victories this year without a loss or tie. ³These girls really got along with each other, really worked well with each other, which really made my job very pleasant,² Trum said. ³There wasn¹t any cattiness there this year.²
Winchester coached her second perfect team in five years, and that this groups of players was one of the most coachable teams she¹s ever had is saying something. Winchester started the girls¹ volleyball program at OMS in 1969, coached the team throughout its first decade, and after taking a 10-year leave to raise her son, has coached it steadily since 1989. This year¹s team went undefeated in seventh grade, too, earning 22 consecutive wins during their middle school volleyball careers.
³With this team I was able to mix and match personalities and skill levels,² Winchester explained, ³and they picked up so quickly, and each game they stepped up a level in their play.²
Her eighth-graders defeated West Hempstead, Baldwin, Valley Stream and Lynbrook all by close scores, and played their most formidable foe, Long Beach, in the final match of the year. But Oceanside prevailed in a nail-biter, a 21-19 tiebreaker, to preserve the perfect season.
³There was no one star on this team,² Winchester said, ³but my girls were superior servers.²
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
