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09/17/2017 12:00 AMThe Valley Regional volleyball squad is coming off a strong season in which the Warriors went 16-8, made it to the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals, and then advanced to the quarterfinals in the Class S State Tournament. This year, the Warriors feature players who have experience, but are taking on larger roles. Valley expects to once again be in the postseason mix and is off to a good start with a record of 3-1 thus far this fall.
Last week, the Warriors played three matches and won them all. On Sept. 11, Valley faced off against East Hampton on the road and won 3-1. Two days later, the Warriors had their home opener against Creed and swept the Howling Wolves in three sets. Then on Sept. 15, Valley was at Hale-Ray and prevailed by a 3-1 score.
The Warriors were eliminated by Hale-Ray in both of last year’s postseason tournaments, and so Head Coach Kathy Scott thought it was good for her team to exact a modicum of revenge against the Noises.
“Hale-Ray has always been one of our top competitors in the Shoreline and at the state level,” said Coach Scott. “Last year, they were the state runner-up, and we had two tough losses to them—both times in their gym—which bumped us out of Shoreline and state playoffs. That made last night an especially memorable night for us.”
It was a even matchup between Valley and Hale-Ray as no set was decided by more than four points. After losing the first set 25-22, Valley rallied to take the next three sets 25-21, 25-23, and 25-21. The Warriors needed a strong effort from several players to secure the victory. Senior Alex Figuenick, who was All-Shoreline Conference First Team last season, worked her float serve for 14 service points and an ace, and she also added 30 receptions and nine digs. Senior captain Hannah Clark helped establish an early lead in the third set by serving eight straight points. Clark had 16 service points for the match to go with four aces and 31 assists. Senior captain Electra Cassells had six kills, 10 receptions, eight digs, and a block; and senior Heidi Clark recorded 17 receptions, five kills, three digs, an ace, and a block.
Coach Scott credited the Warriors’ success on the court to being forceful and always staying on the attack.
“Just be really aggressive in their approach. The tendency is to play safe. We just want to go for it and continue to attack,” said Scott. “We have a big group of seniors. They’ve been working hard, and they won their summer league. They are really driven, and we started the year deciding to just go for it, just push the limits with the attack.”
Senior captain Jessica Paholski is one of the centerpieces of that aggressive mentality. As a result, she earned All-State Second Team and All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors last season. In the match against Hale-Ray, Paholski scored 16 kills and two aces to go along with four digs and a block. Paholski’s speed and athleticism have been a huge asset for the Warriors the past several years.
“Last year, Jessica was Second Team All-State. It was the first time we’ve ever had a junior win that, and she was First Team All-Shoreline,” said Scott. “She’s just a really exciting player to watch. She’ll hit right over the top of blocks, and she’s very, very quick. She has amazing power. She’s just an extraordinary athlete.”
Earlier in the week against East Hampton, Valley won the first two sets 25-11 and 25-17. The Bellringers played much tougher in the third set and eked out a 25-22 victory, but the Warriors sealed the deal in the fourth set by winning 25-19. Paholski had five service points and 10 kills, and Hannah Clark provided three aces and 24 assists. Junior Maddy Just scored two aces and had nine kills to go with 11 receptions. Figuenick aced four of her 18 service points and had 17 receptions, while Cassells notched seven points, seven kills, and a block.
Scott thought that Valley was extra motivated for the East Hampton match after losing to reigning Class S state champion Lyman Memorial in its season opener.
“It was a tough opener, but it gave us a good look at what they had. It was, overall, a good experience. You have to learn from your losses. We tweaked some things,” said Scott. “We wanted to play really aggressive against East Hampton. We don’t play well over there, and they are scrappy. We did what we needed to do.”
Facing Creed to close out the week, Valley dominated the contest with Paholski breaking out a jump serve for the first time this season. It paid off as she scored 12 aces to complement her seven kills. Heidi Clark also had a strong serve, recording seven aces on 18 total service points, and she added a kill, as well. Hannah Clark got in on the act with six aces and also assisted on 15 points. Coach Scott feels that serving and receiving serves effectively are integral parts to being a successful team, and she likes what she’s seeing from her squad in that regard.
“Against Creed, that’s the match that Jessica jump-served, and Hannah Clark had a nice service, too. Heidi started it and took over in that first set, especially,” said Coach Scott. “In our sport, serving and serve receiving are the most important things. It stops them from setting up their attacks, and it allows you to get your attack started. You have to have elements of aggressiveness in the serve.”
Coach Scott feels encouraged by what the Warriors have done to this point, but she also wants them to continue to work hard and improve. Scott doesn’t think that will be a problem since she knows her team is driven to succeed.
“It’s early in the season, and everyone is going to get better. We have to do the same, just get better and better,” Scott said. “This is what we’ve been working for the last four years and beyond.”
From the Sidelines
The Valley Regional volleyball squad’s varsity roster includes senior captains Jessica Paholski (outside hitter), Hannah Clark (setter), and Electra Cassells (opposite hitter); fellow seniors Heidi Clark (middle hitter) and Alex Figuenick (libero); juniors Caitlin Bouchard (outside hitter), Rachel Dona (defensive specialist), Zoe Hollewedel (outside hitter), Emily Hutchinson (middle hitter), Maddy Just (outside hitter), and Maddy Meyer (middle hitter); and sophomores Carlee Kirla (opposite hitter) and Evelyn Stack (setter). The team managers are senior Matt Martinez and freshmen Justin Bailey and John Divix.
Head Coach Kathy Scott is in her 12th year with the team. Caitlyn Cody is an assistant coach for the Warriors.
In last year’s Shoreline Conference Tournament, the Warriors beat East Hampton 3-0 in the quarterfinals and then took a 3-2 loss to Hale-Ray in the semis. In the Class S State Tournament, Valley swept Canton and University by 3-0 margins to make it to the quarterfinals, where the Warriors lost to Hale-Ray 3-1.