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09/08/2018 12:00 AMThe Guilford volleyball team went on a postseason run for the ages last fall. Although the Indians have graduated a good chunk of their roster from that playoff push, they still have the right foundation in place to build their way back up to being SCC and state title contenders.
Last year, Head Coach Laura Meyer’s squad posted its best regular season in program history with a record of 18-2 that included a mark of 8-0 in the SCC Oronoque Division to win the title. As the No. 2 seed in the SCC Tournament, Guilford defeated Branford (3-0) and Amity (3-1) to reach its first conference final since 2011, where the Indians dropped a 3-1 contest against top-seeded Cheshire.
After that, the Indians entered the Class L State Tournament as the No. 4 seed and notched victories versus Pomperaug (3-1) and Farmington (3-0) to advance to the semifinal round. Guilford took a 3-0 loss versus top seed and eventual champion RHAM to finish the year with an overall record of 22-4.
Several key components from Guilford’s landmark campaign have bid farewell to program. However, Coach Meyer said that while the Indians feature many new faces, they are hitting the court with the same aspirations for the 2018 regular season. The Indians started their season on a winning note by posting a 3-0 home sweep (25-21, 25-12, 25-12) over rival Hand on Sept. 6. Guilford later took a 3-1 defeat (19-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-25) to East Lyme on Sept. 8.
“We did have a super successful year last season that was a year to remember. It will be a rebuilding year for us, but our main goal is still to make the postseason, which means we need to get to eight wins for SCCs and states,” said Meyer. “The expectations are still the same.”
Senior back-row specialists Sarah Gieger and Leah Kornguth are serving as the Indians’ captains this year. The tandem will be learning on the go as they gain experience on the varsity floor, yet Coach Meyer said that both Gieger and Kornguth have the trademark characteristics of a leader.
“They don’t have a lot of varsity experience, but they each have great leadership qualities,” Meyer said. “They did a great job coordinating our team car wash and summer league. They are great role models. They do great in volleyball and in the classroom. They also know their roles on the team.”
Guilford brings back a pair of sophomores who are coming off phenomenal freshman seasons. Juliet Young returns as the Indians’ libero, while Emma Appleman moves over to setter after playing outside hitter in her freshman year. Senior middle hitter Hunter Halbower provides a veteran presence for the Indians.
“Emma was a strong outside hitter last year, but she’s an even better setter. We want her to touch the ball every time it is hit to our side, because she makes everyone else better,” said Meyer. “We want Juliet to touch the ball as much as possible. We are solid with her in the back. Hunter is much improved from last year. She has a harder hit and is more consistent.”
The Indians will be going up against several of their regular adversaries in SCC play this season. They’ve also added a few conference powerhouses to their schedule. Coach Meyer knows that facing such stiff competition can only benefit her program in both the short term and the long run.
“Hand is always a good matchup for us. We also play Hamden and Foran, who we haven’t played in recent years. We also have a lot of 50-50 games that will be close against teams like North Haven and East Haven,” Meyer said. “We play Cheshire and Amity each twice this season. They are big powerhouses in the SCC, and the girls are excited for those games, because they know when you play high-caliber opponents, it makes your team better.”
In last week’s win versus Hand, Appleman had eight kills and eight digs, Halbower contributed eight kills and two blocks, Young added 15 digs and three aces, and junior setter Eva Ott Hill handed out 21 assists for the Indians.
Facing East Lyme, Halbower had a dozen kills, three blocks, and two aces; Appleman dropped in 10 kills, 17 digs, and a pair of aces; Young punched up 15 digs and fired two aces, while Ott Hill doled out 25 assists to go with three kills and three digs.
Even though Guilford’s numbers have taken a bit of a downturn this year, Coach Meyer sees a silver lining. Meyer is looking forward to giving the athletes in all levels of her program the chance to compete and, potentially, earn their stripes in the varsity ranks.
“We are smaller as a program versus the past few years, but we’ve kept the expectations the same at each level of the program,” said Meyer. “We have 10 girls on [each of the freshman, JV, and varsity teams], which lends itself to more playing time and helping the girls improve. Getting more of that experience is helpful, so we are excited for this new era with smaller teams.”
From the Sidelines
This is Laura Meyer’s fifth season as head coach of the Guilford volleyball squad.
The Indians’ assistant coaches for this year are JV and varsity assistant Jeff DeMaio, who is also the Guilford boys’ basketball head coach, and freshman coach Alyssa Dunn.
Guilford will again compete in the SCC Oronoque Division with East Haven, North Haven, Foran, and Hillhouse.