It took a few weeks of practice and a game or two, but Brewster’s varsity volleyball team is getting into the swing of the season.
So far, the squad has a 3-2 record, and between the players’ chemistry and a quartet of top returnees, it’s not hard to see why.
One of those returning athletes is senior co-captain and middle hitter Lauren Quattrocchi.
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“She plays all-around,” coach Teri Schumacher said. “She is a true athlete. She gives 100 percent in everything that she does. She is a real leader on the court.”
Another leader for the Bears is senior co-captain and setter Melissa Frankenberry.
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“Melissa is the heart of the team,” Schumacher said. “She is the one that gets everyone motivated. She gets everyone's spirits up … Just her presence on the court, you know that she is there.”
Junior middle/outside hitter Alissa Primavera is the power hitter on the team. Schumacher said that after the girls attended camp this summer — which they — Primavera definitely improved her game.
“You want a spike, hand it to Alissa ,” Schumacher told Patch.
The workhouse on the team is junior outside hitter Nikole Larm. Coach said that Larm is “constantly all over the floor.” She said the same for senior outside hitters Rebecca Burns and Virginia Rose Kaschura.
“As outside hitters, they really worked on their jump this year and they both know how to place their hits now,” Schumacher said.
Junior setter Kristen Huttunen is one of the newer players, as she was just brought up for the sectionals last fall.
“So far Kristen has established herself as a setter,” Schumacher said. “She is doing great job and her serving has been very good.”
Just as the individual skills on the team are solid, overall, the Bears have been strong because of their ability to mesh as one unit. Schumacher said that it took the first game, a 3-1 loss at Poughkeepsie, to get the jitters out.
“Now they really are starting to have confidence in each other, Schumacher said. “They know that the backcourt will get to the ball. They have confidence in the setter, so they are moving away from the setter … If a ball hits the floor, there is always a girl on the floor trying for it. She may not get to it, but she is trying.”
Quattrocchi said that one of the keys to the team’s success is the camaraderie.
“We are always together, on or off the court.”
