Greyhounds bond through season on the road
NAUGATUCK — There is much to be said about having the home-court advantage.
However, this year’s Naugatuck volleyball team is proving otherwise. The Greyhounds have ventured out on the road for every game this season due to the ongoing renovation project at Naugatuck High School and have surprised their NVL foes by putting up a 12-5 record.
Naugatuck head coach Kevin Wesche attributed the team’s success to senior leadership.
“Our senior leadership has helped to develop the younger kids and they have been a key to our success,” Wesche said. “The kids are playing with a whole lot of confidence and it has showed even in the games we lost. Twice last week we took Torrington to 28-26 games — there is no giving up and they believe in themselves and they have each others’ back.”
Logging a lot of miles on a bus to games has allowed the girls to bond, Wesche said.
“I really think being on the bus together with the freshman and JV team has really strengthened the bond between the girls and has actually worked to our advantage. To have these kids come back and put up the same kind of record after losing so much talent from last year I’m very proud of what they have been able to accomplish so far.”
Senior tri-captain Kara Klimaszewski said life on the road will benefit the ‘Hounds in the postseason.
“It’s a little bit of a downer being on the road every game and not having that fan base that we are used to,” Klimaszewski said. “But I’m proud of the way we have come out and fought in every game for every point and that effort has showed in our record. Heading down the stretch this experience will have us more than ready for the postseason.”
Last week Naugatuck hung two more games in the win column and qualified for both the NVL tournament and the CIAC state tournament. A 3-1 win over Holy Cross Oct. 7 showed the true grit of this team’s character.
Naugatuck went ahead 2-0 winning the first two matches 25-23 and 25-19. The Crusaders battled back to escape with the third match 26-24, before the ‘Hounds closed the deal on a hard-fought 25-23 win in the fourth match.
Megan Warnke had nine service points and eight digs as Lauren Burns added six service points and nine digs. Klimaszewski steered the offense with 27 assists and 13 service points, with Erica Andreoli bringing home the victory on the strength of 13 service points and 14 digs.
It was the dominance of the Naugy front row that cleared the way with Teree Perkins knocking down nine kills. Olivia Rotatori (eight kills), Nicole Healy (seven kills) and Alexa Blazas (five kills) made their presence felt at the net. The all-around game of Alexandra Mezzo (six service points and 12 kills) along with Jenna Massicotte (four service points and four digs) helped Naugy to put win number nine in the books.
The key to the Greyhounds’ success has been the team’s depth. So many integral parts of this team have stepped up and given Naugatuck a competitive advantage. Even in the losses Naugatuck has left it all on the court.
That never-give-up attitude was evident in an Oct. 8 3-0 loss to Torrington (11-3). The Greyhounds battled as the Red Raiders took the first three matches by scores of 26-28, 21-25 and 26-28. Rotatori stepped up with a big performance at the net knocking down 10 kills and Mezzo added seven kills. Andreoli led the offensive attack with nine service points and Klimaszewski added six service points.
“We have a lot of young strong hitters this year,” senior tri-captain Andreoli said. “The reason why we have been so competitive, especially against the top teams in the league, is because we have such a deep bench. There are a lot of leaders on this team not only the captains and we are always trying to help the younger players along and it has been their contribution as to why we are so successful.”
Naugatuck made quick work of St. Paul Oct. 10 in a 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-7) win with the depth of that bench showing what it can do. Andreoli led the way with 18 service points and five aces with Klimaszewski adding seven service points and 11 assists.
Massicotte had a strong game scoring seven service points with Blazas, Rotatori, Kathryn Healy and Kelly Murphy adding three kills each in the front row. Mezzo had six service points and two aces.
Senior tri-captain Burns has seen the growth of the front row players this season and credited all the away games for bringing the team closer together.
“Most of our experience coming into the season was in the back,” Burns said. “Our front row is mostly young, but they have been really stepping it up this season and are a big part of why we are so successful. I think being on the road every game and bonding together on the long bus rides has really brought this team together unlike we would have playing at home.”
The Greyhounds continued their winning ways on the road with a 3-2 victory over Kennedy Oct. 14 and a 3-0 victory over Crosby Oct. 16. Naugy has two big showdowns coming up — Woodland Oct. 20 and Wolcott Oct. 22 — before finishing out the schedule against Terryville Oct. 23.
