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Overcast Lady Jets look to get offensive
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East Meadow senior Hillary Hoffman serves against Kennedy.
Andrew Vardakis/Herald
East Meadow’s more than holding its own on the volleyball court despite an overall record that’s hovering just below the break-even mark. The Lady Jets (4-5 overall, 3-5 in Conference I) have dropped two consecutive five-set matches, including a thriller with defending Class A champion Kennedy last Friday (22-25, 24-26, 25-15, 27-25, 29-27).
“Our league is really competitive,” coach Pat Burnside said. “They took the best teams in AA, A and B and made them compete against each other.
“Against Kennedy we were basically equal,” she added. “It was just a matter of who hit the ball inbounds at the end. I thought it was a great defensive game and we played very hard.”
Sophomore libero Becky Syers had a team-high 30 digs against Kennedy, while senior defensive specialist Rachel Sidney added 19. After playing out of sync during the first two sets, East Meadow rebounded with a 10-point win in the third and held on for a slim two-point win in the fourth. Baldwin outlasted the Lady Jets in five sets (24-26, 16-25, 25-9, 25-15, 17-25) on Oct. 7, taking the same path to victory. After winning the middle two sets, East Meadow fell by eight in the fifth.
As the Lady Jets gear up for the stretch run, they’re looking to improve their finishing ability. “We have to be a little more precise on offense and score a little more,” Burnside said.
To that end freshman Jennifer Gundrum, already an asset at the net on defense thanks to her ability to send back opposing kill attempts, could become an even stronger force. Senior middle hitter Nicole Pepe, East Meadow’s top offensive player and a returning All-Conference honoree, forms a dangerous combination with senior setter Hillary Hoffman, a returning All-County Honorable Mention nominee, and junior setters Christine Backer and Emily Hoffman.
At the net, juniors Nicole Laneri and Deana Groth provide big swings and finishes and get support from senior Stacie Krug. Junior Sarah Elliott is also part of the mix at middle hitter, while senior Katie Klobus rounds out the rotation at libero.
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