By TONY BELLISSIMO
Outside hitters Angelina Zaharias (15) and Kellie Monroe combined for 24 kills and setter Jennifer Koelbel handed out 28 assists to lead the Lady Rams to a much-needed 25-10, 25-8, 25-20 victory. Defensive standout Stefani Koelbel added 13 digs as the team upped its record to 4-3. “Hopefully this win gets us going in the right direction again,” coach Jamie O’Connor said.
West Hempstead lost only two starters from a team that lost a hard-fought Class A final to underdog Garden City and came into 2008 ranked first in the county. “Our expectations are still high,” O’Connor said. “We have a lot of experience and talent and we’re capable of being right there in the end.”
The convincing performance against Lynbrook could be just what the doctor ordered for the Lady Rams, who had six days to lament over a heartbreaking five-game loss to Wantagh and needed to get back in the win column. “We always have exciting matches against Wantagh,” O’Connor said. “It was tough to wait so long to get back on the court, but I thought we played well against Lynbrook.”
O’Connor is running a 5-1 system with Jennifer Koelbel, a senior, at the controls of the offense and Anjolie Clark, a sophomore, chipping in considerably. Koelbel, who earned All-County honors in her first varsity season, opened 2008 in impressive fashion with 47 assists to lead a four-game win over Lynbrook. Clark’s career high of 28 assists came two matches later in a sweep of Hewlett. “Jen’s a smart player with good vision,” O’Connor said.
The hitting of Monroe, a senior and an All-County choice in 2007, and Zaharias, a junior who was honorable mention All-County, has been consistent along with their defense. They’re averaging more than 20 kills and 15 digs per match between them. “They compliment each other perfectly,” O’Connor said of the outside hitters. The starters in the middle are seniors Dayana Senat and Jacey Cordeiro. Zaharias, Cordeiro, senior Rachel McSpedon, junior Kaitlyn Gaynor and sophomore Gina Virgilio are Island Park residents.
In the back row, Stefani Koelbel, a senior, covers a lot of court and isn’t afraid to sacrifice her body to keep a rally alive. The All-County selection last fall is averaging 20 digs per match, with her season high of 32 coming in the opener. “Stefani’s always all over the floor,” O’Connor said.
Though each of the seven teams in Conference ABC-I get a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, the Lady Rams would like to make a statement in the second half as well as try to avenge losses to second-place Seaford (home, Oct. 17) and undefeated Bellmore-JFK (away, Oct. 21). “We have to communicate better and become tougher mentally,” O’Connor said.
West Hempstead will have had 10 days off before returning to action Oct. 6 when Cold Spring Harbor visits at 4:30 p.m. The Lady Rams won the first meeting in convincing fashion.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
