By TONY BELLISSIMO
The first-place Lady Cyclones upped their record to a surprising 8-0 with a four-game victory over Plainedge last Thursday. Junior outside hitter Melanie Franco had 27 digs and five kills in a match that signaled the beginning of the season's second half, which resumes on Monday with a trip to North Shore.
"We're different than last year in terms of experience," said coach Cheryl Scalice, who brought back only three players who started a varsity match in 2007 when South Side won the conference title and reached the quarterfinal round of the Class A playoffs. "I think the biggest reason we're doing well again is chemistry. The girls feel like a big family and it's showing on the court."
A balanced offense has made the Lady Cyclones tough to defend. Seniors Jennifer Hughes and Erica Metzger set the tone as setters, and they're also the team's primary attackers. Including three tournaments, Hughes has 91 kills and 44 service aces and Metzger has a team-high 171 assists and 83 kills. "They've stepped up enormously," Scalice said of the captains. "We've had a few matches where we struggled at the beginning and lost the first game, but their composure kept everyone else calm. They know how to lead by example."
South Side has rallied from opening-game defeats to top Floral Park, defending county champion Garden City, East Rockaway and Roslyn, and in the Garden City match on Sept. 17 the deficit was two games. "We've been able to handle pressure," Scalice said.
Hughes and Metzger combined for 22 kills and 25 digs in the 18-25, 17-25, 25-20, 26-25, 25-20 marathon win over Garden City, which visits South Side for a rematch on Oct. 17. Senior outside hitter Jordan Scolaro (14 digs, seven kills) starred in the comeback against Floral Park, Franco (25 digs) helped lead the way past East Rockaway, and senior middle hitter/blocker Ashley Strangio (five kills, four blocks) sparked the rally against Roslyn. "We haven't had an easy match," Scalice said. "We're confident, but we know teams are going to come at us even harder the second time around."
From a defensive standpoint, Franco and Scolaro have nearly 450 serve receives and 350 digs between them, Strangio leads the team in blocks, followed closely by sophomore middle hitter/blocker Megan Lonergan and senior middle hitter/blocker Maria Ravn, and senior Denise Natoli is approaching 100 digs.
Scalice doesn't mind having more than a week off and feels the Lady Cyclones will use it to their advantage. "We'll have some quality practice time," she said. "We're going to work on a particular skill each practice and get better at it."
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
