West Hempstead continues to roll

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First-year West Hempstead girls’ volleyball coach Catt Russini said it was a relief to get win No. 1 out of the way in the opener when the Lady Rams outlasted Valley Stream North in five sets.

Six weeks later, they’ve reached double digits in victories and find themselves in the conversation for the Conference BC-2 title with four matches remaining. West Hempstead improved to 10-2 with a five-set victory over Locust Valley last Friday.

“We’ve got a great group of girls,” said Russini, who has coached volleyball at the club level for six years. “I started with some work on fundamentals and built up their speed and conditioning. They jelled together right away, and their confidence has grown.”

Being a newcomer to the Nassau County high school volleyball scene, Russini said she had no idea what to expect from a competition standpoint. And neither did her players, since the Lady Rams switched conferences from a year ago and were facing all new opponents. “You like to know as much as you can about the teams you’re playing, but in our case it wasn’t until we got on the court.”

On Sept. 5, Russini learned her team wouldn’t go down without a fight after it rallied from two sets down to beat North. West Hempstead also went the distance in its next match and nipped Valley Stream South. Its only five-set match since was a hard-fought loss to North Shore.

“The girls are working hard,” Russini said. “They’re improving, and so are the other teams. We expected things to be more difficult the second time around the schedule.”

Senior outside hitter Jamie McSpedon, the team’s vocal leader and leader in kills, is the go-to girl, Russini said. McSpedon is a captain and club player who gets the job done from anywhere on the court. “She’s smart out there,” Russini said. “She hits hard and hits to open spots, and she’s also a great passer.”

Opposite McSpedon is senior Nicole Fodera, an accurate hitter who also excels defensively in the back row. “She’s consistent and is always hustling,” Russini said.

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