Massapequa Girls Volleyball Open Up Season With Clean Sweep

The Massapequa Girls Volleyball team began their pursuit of a 12^th consecutive Nassau County championship on Friday night at home with a convincing victory. The Chiefs (1-0) defeated Hicksville (0-1) in straight sets, 25-17, 25-12 and 25-19.

Massapequa wasted no time getting started in the first set, holding onto the lead for the entire frame. The Chiefs only got stronger moving onto the second set, led by dominating net play from nearly every player who set foot on the floor. 

In the third, Hicksville gave a strong effort, taking an early 7-5 lead over Massapequa. After a long rally, the Chiefs finally took the lead back and would not give it up again. Morgan Roessler pushed the advantage to 15-10 with a big spike at the net.

With the score at 18-10, Hicksville went on a 9-4 run to pull the score within three points at 22-19. However, the dominating net play came through once again as the Chiefs closed out to pick up the season-opening win.

Kelly Purcell collected seven kills, seven blocks and five digs. Heather Sweeney, Lauren Van Buren and Jazzie Griffin all collected four kills in the win.

Heroes: The senior Purcell let the way for Massapequa with her seven kills and seven blocks, as well as the five digs. Starting libero Erin Bies contributed with solid play in the first two sets with seven digs and solid communication. 

“It was our first game of the season and there is definitely room for improvement and were all looking to get ourselves and the team better,” said Bies. “We need to work better as a team, get our talking up, our communication, our teamwork, and see where it goes from there.”

Turning Point: The Chiefs turned the game in their favor right from the start, setting the winning tone in front of their home crowd. 

Quotable: “Like every other team out there, we have a lot to work on. We’re making a lot of subs, moving people around to see which players gel with who and at what time,” said Massapequa head coach Carol Ann Habeeb-Kiel. “Again, we got a lot to work on and we’re looking forward to it.”

Bottom Line: Opening up league play with a win, Massapequa started their 2011 season off on the right foot. In the next week, the Chiefs will be challenged in their next few meetings with games against Syosset, Port Washington, Farmingdale and East Meadow in just an eight-day span. 

Key Stat: Kristen Marchitto led the team on offense with 25 assists on the day.

Who’s Next: Massapequa @ Syosset, 9/13, 5:00 p.m.