Mahopac Volleyball Team Opens Season with High Hopes

MAHOPAC—After graduating 12 seniors in the last two years, the Mahopac High School volleyball team will have a very young roster in 2010.

The Indians went 11-9 last season and made it to the quarterfinals, where they were defeated by Suffern.

When asked what type of team he thinks he will have this season, coach James Melville said he knows it will be a very young one, adding that there are only two girls returning who played a lot last season.

"I do not have a lot of experience on the court," Melville commented. However, he believes that his team could do okay this season.

Two of the key losses for Mahopac from last year's team are All-Section outside hitter Nicole Angelo and middle hitter Becca Donahoe, who combined for a large amount of the team's scoring last year.

The Indians have also lost libero Lauren Barry and center Carly Ciargullo. "We have a lot of holes to plug," Melville pointed out.

The two returning starters for the Indians are seniors Brittany Craig and Valentina Kalaj. Craig is an outside hitter while Kalaj is a middle hitter.

Since the team is very young, Craig and Kalaj will not only be counted on to play well, but they will also take on the important role of providing leadership for the younger players who don't have much varsity experience.

The team's other returning players are sophomore Bri Torres and senior right side player Jackie Eserrio. Christine O'Gara, a senior outside hitter, is also returning.

Key newcomers to the team include junior center Christina Castro, junior outside hitter Casey Sidjian and sophomore middle hitter Elena Castriota.

Although the offense might not be too strong, Melville believes that the Indians could do well if they play solid defensively. "I think if we can play defense we can be competitive," he said.

Mahopac plays in League IB, which includes Carmel, Somers, John Jay Cross River, Yorktown and Brewster.

This is the team's first year in the league, so Melville and his team do not know many of the teams well.

Melville also coaches club volleyball, so he is familiar with some of the opposing players because of that. He has also coached against some of these teams years ago and has also watched them play in tournaments.

Nonetheless, not knowing the opposing teams too well is not an ideal situation. However, knowing the other teams doesn't always guarantee success. It all comes down to how well the athletes play on the court.

One of the goals that the Indians have for this season is to have a winning record.

"I would like to finish over .500," Melville said. He would also like to see his team make it to the section playoffs again and win a match or two.

The Indians were due to kick off their season earlier this week against John F. Kennedy Catholic High School.