Fall 2011 Preview: Island Trees Girls Volleyball

A disappointing last season has brought the Island Trees varsity volleyball team back to the net in 2011 with a fresh new coach and high hopes to surpass their prior record of 2-12.

Coaching Staff: Lou Sepulveda is in his first year at Island Trees. He is a veteran assistant from Nassau Community College who helped lead the team to 7th in the nation in 2008-2009 and 4th in the nation in 2010.

Key Players: According to Sepulveda, the Lady Bulldogs are filled with key starters to kick off the 2011 season. Sophomore Shamar Sanchez is expected to shine this year, as the head coach named her the "most gifted athlete on the team and a powerful hitter". Juniors Kathleen Altamura and Meghan Acton are said to display exceptional ball control.

"Meghan is our defensive specialist and Kathleen is taking over as libero for the first time and doing an incredible job," said Sepulveda. 

Also completing the squad is Alannah Basile. Standing at 5 foot 11 inches, Basile adds definite presence at the net as both a hitter and blocker. The sophomore player racked in 21 kills and 5 blocks in the team's first game last week, a five-set win over Locust Valley.

Strengths: Sepulveda said the team is a good mix of grades 9-12, and simply a very talented group of girls. Additionally, the team is working with a brand new coach, one who has quite a successful record at the college level. In just weeks, the girls have been very responsive to their new instruction, and it paid immediate dividends with the win over Locust Valley.

Weaknesses: The class of 2010 graduated four star players including the starting libero, two outside hitters and a right side hitter. Losing such valuable teammates leaves the Lady Bulldogs with even more of a transition, but Sepulveda believes if they improve on their weak offense and really work as a team, this season should show notable improvement.

Expectations: "I am looking for atleast a 10-win season and to take big strides," Sepulveda explained. "The team has some really good talent and it needs to be molded into my system. I expect us to get better and and better as the season goes along and then challenge some teams in the playoffs."

"I stress in practice that making mistakes is learning, and you have to learn and get better after making the mistake," he added. "The team needs confidence after a 2-12 record [last season]. All the girls know is losing and that needs to change. Getting off to a win in our first match was a positive and we will look to expand on that this week."

Up next: The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Valley Stream North to face off in an away game starting at 4:30 p.m.