By Steve Siniski
"Everyone¹s getting in and contributing," Lady Jets coach Pat Burnside said of her team, which boasted a 4-0 mark in match play last week. "The girls are maturing and bonding, we¹re playing better defense and working on the offense."
Junior Melanie Rosner specializes in defense at the libero position and earned a nomination to the All Tournament team at St. Anthony¹s on Sept. 17.
In a four-set victory over Oceanside (22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15) three days later, she stayed on top of her game leading the way with a dozen digs.
As Rosner keeps East Meadow possessions alive, setters Kelly Ruckdaschel and Stephanie Ragone shift their focus to attack mode. Responsible for giving the front line good looks at a kill, Ruckdaschel and Ragone are also fully capable of earning points on their own. Ragone earned All-Tournament honors at Cold Spring Harbor on Sept. 10 and added seven assists and five aces in a four-set win over Oyster Bay last Saturday. Sophomore Emily Syers adds support at setter, while the team¹s only freshman, Diana Brody, sees court time at middle hitter.
"Kelly is good for five or six aces a match and Stephanie is good for four or five," Burnside said. "They put a lot of movement and top spin on the ball. They have power, but placement is the most important [aspect]."
Taleen Aghabekian, one of five seniors on the roster, may be slightly out of position at middle hitter, but, averaging six kills per game, shows she can handle the difference in size. "She¹s improved a lot and has a feel for the ball," Burnside said. "She should be an outside hitter but goes up against the bigger opponents [without a problem]."
Kayla Neil (nine kills against Oyster Bay) joins Aghabekian at middle hitter, while Tara Werner, Kim Plummer, Melissa Douglas and Jaime Wilen are in the outside hitter rotation. "[Points] are not coming from one person," Burnside said. "We¹re more balanced offensively and that helps keep other teams off balance. Before we were waiting for mistakes [by other teams], now we¹re taking more of a proactive approach."
The Lady Jets play three of their next four matches on the road, beginning with a Sept. 29 battle at Roslyn (4:30 p.m.). From there they head to Oceanside (Oct. 5, 4:30 p.m.) and Cold Spring Harbor (Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m.) and have a home tilt with Carle Place (Oct. 6, 4:15 p.m.) sandwiched in between.
"This year we¹re more confident and finishing [plays]," Burnside said. "The girls worked hard in the offseason, and [now] we¹re working on plays not just a basic offense. They¹re ready now to be more sophisticated."
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
