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11/21/2017 11:00 PMThe East Haven volleyball team went on a great run through the Class M State Tournament that saw the squad win its first four matches to advance to the final. Unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, they dropped a 3-1 decision against top-seeded St. Joseph in the championship match at East Haven High School on Nov. 18 to finish the year with a record of 21-6. The Cadets took the title by winning the contest behind final scores of 26-24, 25-27, 25-21, and 25-17.
“We prepared as much as we could, all things considered. They play in the [Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference], arguably one of the top two or three conferences, if not the top conference for volleyball the last couple of years. They finished the regular season 19-1, lost in their conference championship game, and finished 25-2, and we were right there with them,” Head Coach Craig Brown said of St. Joseph. “Unfortunately, we came up a little bit short, but we went four games with them—extra points in two of the games—and we played point for point with one of the better teams in the state.”
East Haven had a shot at match point with a 24-23 lead in the first set, but St. Joseph won the next three points to claim the 26-24 victory.
“Unfortunately, we made a couple of errors between serving that took us out and gave St. Joe’s a win in the first set,” Coach Brown said. “They took an early lead, but after that, it was back and forth throughout the majority of the first set with them getting the final couple of points to put themselves over.”
The Easties rebounded in the second set by winning it 27-25. The Yellowjackets had two chances at match point with a 24-22 lead before St. Joseph tied it. The Easties went up 25-24 for another match point, but the Cadets saved it to tie things up again. East Haven responded by winning the next two points to take the second set and tie the match.
“Both teams were working hard at the net, and there were a lot of blocks in both directions, which is great for us being a shorter team playing against a bigger team like them. Julia [SanGiovanni], Jess [Stettinger], and Diana [Kalman] in the middle had a huge day for us in the first two sets, really slowing down the big girls for St. Joe’s and slowing down their offense,” Brown said. “That allowed Isabella [Ragaini] to run the offense through Kylie [Schlottman] and Summer [Onorato] later in that set to put us over the top in that win.”
The third set was close for most of the way, although St. Joseph went on a run toward the end and came away with a 25-21 win. In the fourth set, St. Joseph started pulling away in the middle of the frame and ultimately went on to the 25-17 victory to take the state title.
“They play a big game. Unfortunately for us, they had a little bit more in the tank at the end of the, and we made a couple too many serving errors to keep us afloat for the win,” said Coach Brown. “Through the course of the match, we played solid defense, ran a good offense, and blocked more than we have all year. We just made a couple too many serving errors.”
As a team, East Haven finished the match with 18 service errors compared to eight aces. Offensively, the Yellowjackets were led by their two senior captains as Schlottman had 22 kills, and Onorato finished with 17. The Easties’ offense was also boosted by 46 assists from Ragaini. Kalman had a great day at the net by blocking eight shots to go with her six kills. Onorato posted a team-best 14 digs, while Megan Roberts added 10 digs.
“It showed that they both deserved to be in the state championship game,” Coach Brown said of the pace of play. “Our kids really enjoyed playing in front of a big crowd and putting on a show.”
Coach Brown said there was an electric crowd at East Haven High School for the Class M final, and he was pleased to see such a big turnout.
“It was great. We had a good showing from other teams supporting us, boys and girls from the school I don’t think I’ve seen before showed up, parents. It was nice to see the entire East Haven community there to support us. You want to play in a big game, and you want the bleachers to be filled with people screaming either at you or for you. We had a little bit of both,” he said. “It’s tremendous, not just for me, but for community itself, and for the girls playing on the team. They work hard, show up every day, and it’s great to reward them by playing in more games that are meaningful. Seeing their faces when they go out there for a state title game and having their parents and all their friends cheering for them was great.”
This was the first state title match for Brown as East Haven’s head coach and the second in team history; the Yellowjackets defeated Masuk in the 2004 Class L final. Although the Easties weren’t on the winning end of this decision, Coach Brown knows that his program is continuously moving in the right direction.
“A state title is what you strive for. I said it when I showed up in 2011: Our goal for this program is to attempt to win a state championship, and we’ve gotten that much closer,” Brown said. “This was our second semifinal in three years and our first finals appearance. On a side note, [assistant coach Kristina Serio] has made a big impact over the last four years developing these girls in this first wave that made it to the finals.”
From the Sidelines
The East Haven volleyball team’s Class M State Tournament roster consisted of senior captains Kylie Schlottman and Summer Onorato; fellow seniors Julia SanGiovanni and Jessica Stettinger; juniors Cameron Cordaway, Diana Kalman, Alannah Doheny, and Megan Roberts; sophomores Isabella Ragaini, Samantha Schlottman, Eliza Goldberg, and Alexia Dottori; and freshmen Brooke Clancy, Kayla Goodrich, Carly Cordova, Victoria Heaphy, and Megan Gaudioso. Head Coach Craig Brown is assisted by Kristina Serio.
East Haven went 16-4 during the regular season. The Yellowjackets recorded victories versus Haddam-Killingworth (3-0), Branford (3-0), Lauralton Hall (3-0), Shelton (3-0 and 3-2), Sacred Heart Academy (3-0 and 3-1), Lyman Hall (3-1 and 3-0), Wilbur Cross (3-0 and 3-0), Hand (3-0 and 3-0), Seymour (3-0), Woodland (3-0), and Hale-Ray (3-0). The Easties took losses to Amity (3-0 and 3-0), Lauralton Hall (3-1), and Branford (3-2).
In the SCC Tournament, East Haven defeated Shelton 3-2 in the first round and then took a 3-1 loss against Amity in the quarterfinals.
In the Class M State Tournament, the Yellowjackets defeated Ledyard 3-1 in the first round, Northwestern 3-0 in the second round, Torrington 3-1 in the quarterfinals, and Seymour 3-2 in the semifinals prior to losing to St. Joseph in the final.