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12/28/2016 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional volleyball squad had an outstanding year that saw the Warriors post a record of 16-8 this past fall. After losing valuable players at almost every position, including key roles such as setter and libero, the Warriors knew that 2016 could potentially be a rebuilding season. One of the team’s goals was to fill the voids left by the graduating seniors and for its players to jell as a unit. Valley began that mission be competing in the Coventry Summer League, plus the Gold Medal Camp, in the weeks leading up to the season.
“Some players were easier to transition, like the move of Emily McLaughlin to the outside hitting position, along with Jessica Paholski,” Head Coach Kathy Scott said. “Alex Figuenick was doing some great things defensively at the end of last year, so she easily moved into the libero position. Rhyan Nedobity, who had some play last year, became our No. 1 middle, and Emily Hutchinson joined her as the second middle hitter. The setting position was a bit unknown as we waited to see who would develop into our No. 1 setter.”
In the end, everything came together nicely and the Warriors accomplished a lot this year by once again qualifying for the Shoreline Conference and Class S state tournaments. The Warriors actually surpassed last year’s journey by making further in both postseason brackets.
During the regular season, Valley recorded a significant win against eventual Class S state finalist Hale-Ray. For several years, the Hale-Ray match has been an important one for the Warriors and this year was no exception as Hale-Ray was an experienced team and a title contender. When the teams played their first match against each other on Sept. 16, Valley came away with a 3-2 victory that proved one of the most memorable moments of the campaign.
“Taking a match from Hale-Ray at home early in the season was a great highlight to our season,” Coach Scott said.
Another highlight came in the form of two victories against perennial powerhouse Morgan—a team that Valley hadn’t defeated in more than a decade.
“In my 10 years coaching and long before that, we had never beat powerhouse Morgan, but this year, we took two matches from them, so that was really exciting to the players,” said Scott.
Valley’s 3-2 home win over Coginchaug on Sept. 30 was also a big point in the Warriors’ season. Valley was facing a 2-1 deficit, but its players came together and played solid through the last two sets to get the five-set victory and qualify for states.
Determining who would be Valley’s main setter was a challenge for the Warriors this year. The squad had three players training for that position in senior Maddie Millard, who was the backup setter last year; along with junior Hannah Clark and sophomore Maddy Just. Each of the three athletes saw success when they went in and, midway through the season, Millard confidently took the lead role and ran with it the rest of the way. Millard wound up leading the team in assists and was fifth in the state with 406. Coach Scott said that Millard is “positive, empathetic, engaging, she has a great work ethic, and is really a great teammate,” and those are all reasons why she was presented with the team’s Sportsmanship Award. Millard showed a lot of maturity at key times this year, especially under pressure, and was also an All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention.
Senior Nedobity had played some middle for the Warriors last year and then came into this season playing aggressively en route to becoming the squad’s top middle hitter. Although Nedobity is shorter than many middle hitters, Coach Scott said that she “compensates well with her power and attack and block placement.” Nedobity also used her excellent float served to record 70 aces and there were several times where her serving changed the momentum of the match. Nedobity additionally mentored the younger players and often helped out at the JV and freshman practices.
McLaughlin was a senior co-captain and another key component to Valley’s solid season. McLaughlin finished sixth in the state for kills with a 34-percent kill percentage to go with her 583 attacks. McLaughlin moved into the outside hitter’s position this year after being a middle the last two years and quickly saw success by leading the squad with 198 kills. She also worked herself into an all-around, six-position player who has “great leaping ability,” according to Scott. McLaughlin was an All-Shoreline Second Team selection this year.
Fellow captain Jessica Paholski, a junior, also had a great season for Valley. Paholski is six-position player with great speed, power, and leaping ability who led the team with 89 aces was second in attacks (480) and kills (160). Her 89 aces were also the fourth-most in the state. Paholski was recognized for her play by receiving All-Shoreline First Team and All-State Second Team honors, as well as Valley’s Most Valuable Player Award.
“Jessica is the first junior I’m aware of from Valley that was recognized at the state level,” said Scott. “She certainly is an exciting player to watch.”
Also contributing as a junior was libero Alex Figuenick, an All-Shoreline Conference First Team selection who had 74 kills, 548 receptions, and 332 digs. Fellow junior Electra Cassells was fourth in state for hitting percentage at 28.3 to go with her 343 attacks and 127 kills. Cassells was presented with the team’s Warrior Award. It’s the team’s highest honor and Cassells received the award for her being a great leader, true competitor, and a complete team player.
Junior Heidi Clark had a good year playing defense in the opposite position for front row player Cassells. Clark recorded 57 digs with 136 receptions and was one of Valley’s “best defensive players,” according to Scott. The coach added that Hannah Clark, who will be returning as a setter next year, works well with the hitters and “plays solid defense” that complements her “powerful serve.” Paholski, Cassells, and Hannah Clark will lead the Warriors as the team’s senior captains next season.
Sophomores Maddy Just and Emily Hutchinson also made huge strides on the varsity level this season. Just received the team’s Coach’s Award for being an aggressive, solid, all-around player with a powerful attack. She was effective playing all positions and will be hitting on the outside next year for Valley. Hutchinson played a key role in the front row as middle for the Warriors and led the team in blocks. Scott said that Hutchinson is a “smart player and learns quickly” and added that she’s “driven to excel. Hutchinson spent a lot of extra time working on her attack and blocking in the middle, which is why she earned the team’s Most Improved Award. Linden Duval, Madden Sullivan, Rylee DaRae, and Helen Porter also saw some time on the varsity floor this season.
Each one of these athletes made some type of contribution toward Valley’s success in 2016 and Scott said she was pleased how the campaign played out. The coach extended her appreciation to the people who help make coaching at Valley Regional such an enjoyable experience.
“Overall, it was a good season and we are really fortunate to have such quality young people, athletes to represent our school and program so well. Valley is a great place to coach and teach and we have great parents, administrators, and young people with a strong sense of community,” she said. “We look forward to a strong season next year, though, as always, we will miss the graduating seniors who leave a lasting impression on us.”
From the Sidelines
Valley Regional went 13-6 for the regular season, recording two victories against Creed (3-0 and 3-0), Morgan (3-0 and 3-1), Cromwell (3-1 and 3-1), Old Lyme (3-0 and 3-0), and North Branford (3-0 and 3-0), along with one versus East Hampton (3-1), Hale-Ray (3-2), Coginchaug (3-2).
The Warriors also took two defeats to Haddam-Killingworth (3-1 and 3-1), as well as one against Lyman Memorial (3-0), Hale-Ray (3-0), East Hampton (3-2), and Coginchaug (3-1).
In the postseason, Valley entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed and beat No. 6 East Hampton 3-0 in a quarterfinal contest before taking a 3-2 loss to 2nd-seeded Hale-Ray in the semifinals. After that, the Warriors were the No. 11 seed in the Class S State Tournament and won their first two matches by sweeping both No. 22 Canton and No. 6 University by 3-0 finals. Valley then dropped a 3-1 contest at No. 3 Hale-Ray in the quarterfinals to finish the season with an overall record of 16-8.