Lady Bruins healthy and hopeful

Judging Baldwin by its 4-7 mark (4-6 in Conference AA-I) on the volleyball court wouldn’t exactly do the Lady Bruins justice, but it could be just what they want heading into the upcoming Nassau Class AA playoff tournament.

It took some time, but Baldwin is finally starting to hit its stride after a variety of injuries prevented coach April Mosca from practicing with her entire team at the same time until Oct. 13.

“We had so many injuries,” Mosca said. “We had several players out for large chunks [of time]. But people adjusted and played wherever we needed them.”

The Lady Bruins opened the final week of the regular season battling for the third, fourth and fifth seeds with East Meadow and Farmingdale, but if recent play is any indication, it’s the Baldwin that is starting to play its best volleyball at the right time. The Lady Bruins knocked off the Lady Jets (21-25, 25-10, 25-23, 25-20) Oct. 18, with junior Colleen Walsh producing 21 kills, and her sister Bridgette, a freshman, adding 11. Though the follow up to the win was a loss to second-place Hicksville (28-26, 25-27, 18-25, 21-25), according to Mosca, it was the team’s best performance of the season.

“It was the best volleyball I’ve seen the team play,” she said. “I think it will lead us into the week on a high note.”

Colleen Walsh, an All-County libero last season, and junior Alexa Jill Ackerman, a returning All-County Honorable Mention, were two of the biggest steadying influences as the team recovered from the rash of injuries. Walsh moved to outside hitter, while Ackerman has played a variety of positions, including outside hitter and middle blocker. “As long as they are on the court there is a sense of comfort and security on the team,” Mosca said.