Impressive start for South Side

Coming off a 13-win season and an appearance in the Nassau Class A girls’ volleyball semifinals, South Side entered 2024 with its share of question marks but has provided coach Steve Mariano with plenty of answers so far.

“This year was a different challenge because we had a number of positions to fill,” Mariano said. “Some kids even had their roles change. But it’s such an incredibly fun group. It’s like a family. They love playing volleyball and support each other.”

The Cyclones’ cohesiveness, chemistry and depth are the biggest reasons whey they stormed out of the gate with four straight wins, including a five-set marathon victory over Class A contender Wantagh in the Sept. 9 opener, a sweep of defending county champ Mineola three days later, and a hard-fought sweep of Class AAA power Massapequa Sept. 19.

“Every match has been a total team effort,” Mariano said. “Wantagh has a lot of height and talent and it felt like a playoff match even though it was the opener. Beating Massapequa was a confidence builder.”

South Side returned three starters, including All-County senior middle Abby Magness. She has 31 kills through four matches and leads the team in blocks. “I’ve know Abby since she was in elementary school and believe she’s one of the best middles on Long Island,” Mariano said. “She’s such a force out there. She has height and power and does everything well.”  

Senior Cate Cammalleri had 13 kills in the 27-25, 25-17, 25-15 win at Massapequa, giving her 48 on the year. A right-side hitter with great leaping ability, Mariano said, she comes off a productive junior campaign and also brings strong blocking skills.

Junior outside hitter Keira Mullaney has been filling the stat sheet and plays in all six rotations, the coach noted. She stood out against Masaspequa with 10 kills, 9 digs and 8 service aces. “She’s been one of our better passers in serve receive and hitting at a high percentage,” Mariano said.

Senior Keely McCormack starts on the outside as well and is one of the team’s most improved players along with junior setter Amy Berenbroick, according to Mariano. Berenbroick, who averaged 20.5 assists through the first four matches, seized the opportunity at a position that was South Side’s biggest question mark during the offseason.

“Amy has great hands and her mental game is stronger,” Mariano said. “She’s getting better and better every match.”

Last year’s JV setter, Lena Miller, is thriving following a move to the middle and ranks among South Side’s top servers so far. “She’s doing a great job learning the position and becoming more patient and solid each match,” Mariano said.

At libero, junior Maeve Britt is “super aggressive,” the coach said, and leads the way in digs with 42.

The Cyclones have put long-term goals on hold, but Mariano feels the results will take care of themselves as long as the team “continues to have fun and works together.”

Additional tests come this week with Syosset and Lynbrook on tap.