By ANTHONY BOTTAN
The 18-year-old senior at East Rockaway Junior/Senior High School has played varsity volleyball for the Lady Rocks since her freshman year, but this year's season ended differently than any other for the middle hitter. Feil was selected to the All-Long Island Girls' Volleyball team after she led the Lady Rocks to its first state championship appearance in four years.
Being one of only 12 girls selected to the team -- who are voted onto the team by high school volleyball coaches on Long Island -- Feil said this was something she had always wanted since she first joined the team. "It feels awesome," Feil said. "It's a great honor. I wanted this since I was a freshman."
Though East Rockaway lost its last two games to eventual finalists Salamanca and Westlake, Feil was a driving force in the team's success. She led the team in kills (159), blocks (48), and aces (35). She was also an All-State second-team selection. Feil said being culled to the All-Long Island team meant a little more to her than the All-State selection because she's played against many of the girls chosen for the All-Long Island team, and witnessed first-hand the sheer dominance of the other 11 girls. Now, Feil finds herself mentioned in the same breath as part of Long Island's elite volleyball class. "It's cool, but I never thought of myself as elite," she said. "It's really a great feeling."
Her coach, Gus Baco, called Feil his "coach on the court" Feil has three sisters, two of whom played volleyball, so she's been around the game for years, and understands its nuances. Feil modestly said she understands and knows the game better than she can play it, and when she gets older, she'd love to coach it. Though Feil is shorter than most middle hitters --- most are taller than 6-foot, while she is only 5-9 -- she dominated her position. She is looking at attending either Purdue University or University of Delaware, but for a degree in education, not a career in volleyball. "I would play in college if I were 6-2," she said.
Besides being an all-star volleyball player, Feil is the President of the National Honor Society at ERHS, and plans to teach biology once she graduates college. She also sings and acts in the ERHS drama guild, and will be starring in the school's upcoming production of "Oliver."
Since volleyball has played such an integral part in her life, Feil admitted she will miss it once she starts college. Ever since she started playing on a travel team when she was 11, she's had a competitive edge, but now, she'll have more time to be a teenager. Losing in the finals was a disappointing end to the season, she said, but she could not have accomplished what she did this year without the help of her teammates. "It's a little disappointing because you always want that extra push," she said. "But I'm so happy the way it went. It was the best season I ever had in high school."
Comments on this story? ABottan@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
