Seniors deliver for South Side

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A sweep of defending Nassau Class A champion Wantagh last week moved South Side’s girls’ volleyball team to 7-1 midway through a season the Lady Cyclones hope ends with another title.

Coach Cheryl Scalice believes she has a finals-bound team. Having graduated several players after winning the county title in 2014, and after rebuilding last year, Scalice has another squad led by seniors with championship blood from two years ago.

Among them is Kayla O’Rourke, the team’s libero who spearheaded the team’s defensive effort with 14 digs against Wantagh last Friday. O’Rourke garnered All-Tournament honors with 34 digs and 10 assists in five matches in Mineola on Sept. 17. South Side defeated Mineola 2-0 in the final match. Fellow senior Kiersten Colvin registered 29 kills, seven aces and seven blocks and was crowned MVP of the eight-team tourney.

Seniors Grace Feiner and Grace LaCava navigate the squad as setters and co-captains (along with O’Rourke.) “They’re great at mixing up the offense and keeping the opposing defense off balance,” said Scalice, who has won seven county and five state championships.

Feinter tallied 16 assists against Wantagh and LaCava has maintained a strong attack through the first half of the season, the coach noted. But this year’s leading attacker, passer and hitter is senior Allison Mullooly, whose diverse game has caught her coach’s eye.

“Allison is a primary passer for the team and a solid all-around player,” Scalice said. 

A rising player is junior outside hitter Stephanie Jackson, who transferred from Hempstead’s Sacred Heart Academy last year. She had five aces, 12 kills and 15 digs in South Side’s 3-1 defeat of Carey on Sept. 21. Another promising junior, Caroline Lanzillotta, recorded 12 kills and two blocks in the match.

“She’s a real good athlete and a real aggressive and sharp player,” Scalice said of Lanzillotta. 

The Lady Cyclones’ season opened with a bump in the road, losing a 3-2 nail biter to Floral Park.

“Floral Park did a great job with ball control and we didn’t,” Scalice said. “It was our first match and we were very sloppy.”

South Sides smoother, victorious ride since then, though, could hit a pothole in a rematch with Floral Park. Scalice expects her team to play considerably better against the Knights, who are a game up on the Lady Cyclones in the Conference A-1 standings.

“We’re hoping to be a lot more groomed before we play that second match against them,” she said.

Scalice said that her team has reached “a great building point.” Her players have remained even-keeled as they turn to the season’s second half and eye a return to the postseason for a chance at a deep playoff run after falling in the quarterfinals last year. She is confident her squad has the skills, depth and certain intangibles to advance the season into November.

“They are a really exciting group to work with because they all have great attitudes and personalities,” she said. “They are determined to have a phenomenal season.”