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10/02/2016 12:00 AMThe North Haven volleyball team is getting better every day in its first season with new Head Coach Brianna Kleckner and Indians’ progression paid off with a couple of victories last week.
North Haven opened the week by posting a 3-0 shutout of West Haven in a home match on Sept. 26 and followed that up with a 3-1 home victory over Law two days later. The Indians then closed the week by dropping a 3-1 contest in Hamden on Sept. 30. Even with that defeat, North Haven’s winning week gave Kleckner’s club a record of 4-6 at the campaign’s midway point and the coach said she’s pleased with how team has already come a long way in a short span.
“I think our game play abilities have improved tremendously and our ability to focus on us has improved significantly over the past few weeks, as well. So I think those things are helping us continue to take steps in the right direction to be as successful as we can this year,” said Kleckner. “I’m very excited and also for them because, it’s one thing for me to say to them, ‘I think you guys are an outstanding team,’ but it’s another experience when they finally see it themselves and truly believe that they have the potential. I couldn’t ask for more than that.”
Coach Kleckner said that a turning point in the season’s early going came in a loss to Lauralton Hall two weeks ago. Although her team endured a difficult 3-2 defeat that saw the Crusaders win the decisive fifth set 15-13, Kleckner felt something clicked for the Indians as they played with confidence while taking a quality squad down to the wire.
North Haven brought that confidence into last week and kicked things off by netting a 25-17, 27-25, 26-24 victory versus West Haven. Kleckner said her team did a good job of dictating play by mixing things up on offense—sometimes slamming the ball home for kills, while tapping it over the net for a point in other instances. The second and third sets were close, but the Indians won each of them by two points on their way to the victory.
Senior setter Jess McInnis had 21 assists with one ace and one kill for the Indians. Bella DelVecchio, the team’s libero, posted 13 digs with an ace and one kill. Outside hitter Celeste Battipaglia threw down nine kills to go with her five aces and three digs. Kleckner said that Battipaglia “was essential in finding West Haven’s weaknesses and taking advantage of them as a hitter.” The coach also talked about the solid job that Battipaglia and DelVecchio are doing as the club’s captains.
“The captains have done an awesome job leading our team. They pick up the team when we need them to and they bring the team together and motivate their teammates by reminding them what they’re capable of,” Kleckner said. “All the seniors have been on the court together a long time and work well together.”
Kleckner said her team displayed great cohesion, communication, and tenacity in its subsequent victory versus Law. The Indians took the first two sets by scores of 26-24 and 25-19, lost the third set 19-25, and then came back to grab a 25-20 victory in the fourth for the 3-1 triumph. After Law made it a match by winning that third set, Kleckner gathered her athletes in the hallway for a conversation that yielded positive results.
“I said, ‘Listen, now they have false hope that they can beat us.’ I asked them, ‘Do you think they can beat us?’ and they all screamed, ‘No!’” Kleckner said. “I said, ‘Now we have to show them how we play volleyball in our house,’ and they did and they refused to lose.”
North Haven got a nice boost from the motivational meeting and won the fourth set to collect one of the team’s biggest victories in recent memory. McInnis had 31 assists with an ace versus Law and “played her heart out,” according to Coach Kleckner. DelVecchio recorded 21 digs and Battipaglia had 12 kills with three aces.
“It was amazing. My assistant [Kristen Bataille] and I are in a routine where we have a huge hug [following a victory] and everyone was jumping off the bench and just screamed,” said Coach Kleckner. “It feels amazing. We have an excellent team and group of student-athletes and they’re accepting the fact that they shouldn’t lose.”
• The North Haven volleyball team’s varsity roster features senior outside hitter Laurissa Amaker, junior middle/right side hitter Alexis Arcangelo, junior middle/outside hitter Courtney Babbidge, senior captain outside hitter Celeste Battipaglia, sophomore setter Carly Brown, senior middle hitter Giana Crebase, sophomore outside hitter Peyton Davis, senior captain libero Bella DelVecchio, junior defensive specialist Caroline Gabrielle, sophomore setter Valerie Gimler, senior setter Jess McInnis, senior middle hitter Katie Messina, sophomore setter Olivia Peterson, senior right side hitter Anna Stowe, and senior right side hitter Carly VanDeusen.
• The Indians closed last week by dropping a 3-1 contest in Hamden with scores of 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 27-25. DelVecchio had 17 digs, Battipaglia tallied 11 kills with nine digs, and junior Courtney Babbidge had six kills and two blocks for North Haven.