Kennedy back at full strength

The return of Kennedy setter Jamie Demmett and outside hitter Kerri Stalzer brought a welcomed boost to the Lady Cougars offense on the girls’ volleyball court Sept. 22. 

Kennedy knocked off visiting Long Beach in three straight sets as Demmett had 18 assists and Stalzer posted 11 kills.

While Kennedy suffered from injuries earlier in the season, the Long Beach bench was plagued with its own loss of starters. All-county setter Haley Crane was out for the match with a sprained ankle. “That’s obviously devastating,” said Long Beach coach Kerri Rehnback, who brought up sophomore Justine Smith to step into the role of setter.

With the return of its starting lineup, Kennedy jumped out to an early lead in the first set. Long Beach, under the serving of Mary McDonagh rallied to bring the score to 24-19, posting two aces along the way. Despite the late push from Long Beach, Kennedy’s Geena Bruno came up with a big kill to win the set 25-19.

With Demmett and Stalzer leading the way for Kennedy’s offensive game, Long Beach had a hard time finding its momentum. “They beat us at the net,” Rehnback said. “We just couldn’t throw a block on them and couldn’t get into a rhythm.”

Libero Dakota O’Neill helped Long Beach fight its way back into the second set with her topspin and jump serve. Dakota also came up big with defensive digs to keep her team in the match. Her serve “kept them off their offense and played some great defense,” Rehnback noted.  Even with O’Neill’s forceful serve, the Cougars remained on top. Demmett continued to set her teammates up and was able to find holes in Long Beach’s defense for the 25-18 win.

“She really ran our offensive show really well,” Kennedy coach Allen Ma said of Demmett. 

Down two sets, Long Beach was able to take an early 8-3 lead in the third matchup. But Kennedy’s age and experience took over, as captain Heather Hulkower led the Lady Cougars’ defense, notching three blocks and turning the game back in Kennedy’s favor. A block by Hulkower gave the hosts a two-point lead that Long Beach would never be able to take back. Kennedy, which won for the fourth time in five matches, took the third set 25-20.

Ma said he was glad to see the starting lineup working well together, despite earlier injuries. “They played better than they have been in the past few days,” he said. “It was an excellent job, the chemistry was still there.“

The Lady Cougars visit Roslyn on Monday at 4:30 p.m. They return home Oct. 5 to take on South Side at the same time.