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10/06/2019 12:00 AMThe East Haven volleyball squad is competing against the top tier of Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) competition this fall and currently sports an overall record of 4-4 to go with a mark of 3-0 in SCC Quinnipiac Division play. Last week, the Easties lost home matches versus Amity and Cheshire, but defeated divisional foe Lauralton Hall by a 3-1 score on the road.
“We’ve done a good job of playing within the division, but we’re ranked as a No. 1 in the SCC in terms of tiers, along with Guilford, Amity, and Cheshire, so we’re playing them twice each,” Head Coach Craig Brown said. “We’ve done a good job as a team the last couple of years developing players and have had a lot of success to be considered a top-four team. That’s a testament to how hard the girls work and how talented they are.”
East Haven opened last week by taking a 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-22) loss to Amity on Oct. 1. Senior captain Samantha Schlottman recorded seven kills, while junior Carly Cordova had seven kills with 10 digs for the Yellowjackets. Junior Megan Gaudioso finished with 12 digs and three aces in a closely contested match against a top-notch Amity squad.
“It’s Amity. They’re the Class LL defending state champ. They’re well-coached and have a lot of tremendous athletes,” Brown said. “We did a good job of hitting the ball around on our side, staying scrappy, and making some digs. We hung tough and scored some points, but they were a little more aggressive, forced unforced errors, and those were the difference in the game.”
Following that defeat, Coach Brown was thrilled with his team’s bounceback performance at Lauralton Hall the next night. East Haven went on the road and notched a 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 25-14) victory to claim its third-straight win in Quinnipiac action.
“We played a great team and lose 3-0 and, all of a sudden, you’re on the bus for an away game the next day,” said Brown. “It’s tough to run around in general, let alone be able to play, but we did a good job fighting versus a scrappy Lauralton Hall team that played us really tough.”
Senior Bella Ragaini handed out 34 assists to lead East Haven to the victory. Senior Eliza Goldberg had 12 kills with two blocks, and junior Tori Heaphy finished the match with five kills, three aces, and 10 digs.
“When they’re passing the ball, Bella can set up [the hitters], and we run a good offense. We have the hitters that can hit. It just depends on if they get the opportunity. When we’re on, it’s pretty good,” Brown said. “Lauralton gave us an opportunity to hit, so when you have an opportunity to hit, you’re going to score more points. We were able to take a couple more swings and win the match.”
East Haven finished the week by dropping a 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15) contest versus Cheshire on Oct. 4. Ragaini had 12 assists and eight digs, while Cordova had three kills with nine digs for the Yellowjackets.
“[Cheshire] played a good game, and they’re a tough team. They’ve come in prepared to win the conference this year. That’s where we want to be,” said Brown. “We have to learn to compete and be stronger against them. We need to take advantage of their errors.”
As his team works its way into the heart of the season, Coach Brown wants East Haven to complement its offensive firepower by bringing a scrappy approach to the floor in its matches.
“We talked a lot about how to be scrappier in general. That’s something we did a lot more when I first got here. We used to be more scrappy, but the last few years, we’ve been a bit more offensive, because we’ve been able to put balls away more consistently,” Brown said. “We’re good on the outside again, but we’re trying to get to our roots, have more ball control, and stay scrappy to force some plays to stay alive, especially versus these better teams that we’re going to be playing.”
In terms of East Haven’s rotation, Heaphy and Cordova are playing on the outside with Goldberg and junior Taylor Salato manning the middle hitter position and Gaudioso playing libero this season. Ragaini is the Yellowjackets’ setter, and Schlottman is the opposite-side hitter. Junior Kayla Goodrich is playing a defensive specialist role, while junior Brooke Clancy can play anywhere off the bench.
“We have great depth. This is one of those years where we’re looking at the bench and there are girls sitting that can compete, so they’re getting into spots to help out,” said Brown. “We’re deeper as a team and trying to piece it all together to help us win more games.”
• The East Haven volleyball team’s roster features senior captain Samantha Schlottman; fellow seniors Bella Ragaini, Eliza Goldberg, and Alexia Dottori; juniors Gia Buonfiglio, Brooke Clancy, Carly Cordova, Tori Heaphy, Kayla Goodrich, Taylor Salato, and Megan Gaudioso; sophomores Magdelena Barthel and Kayla Stefania; and freshmen Jessica Urban, Adrianna Geremia, Adriana Franceschi, Madelyn Camera, Lily Gagnon, Autumn Clancy, Julia Nargi, Alice Stettinger, Nicole SanGiovanni, and Gianna Bernovich.
• Craig Brown in his ninth season is as the Yellowjackets’ head coach. Brown is assisted by East Haven alum Amanda Bradley.
• East Haven is competing in the SCC Quinnipiac Division this fall. The other teams in the division are Lauralton Hall, Wilbur Cross, Sacred Heart Academy, and Career.