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09/30/2021 12:00 AMLexy Signor’s path toward becoming the starting libero for the North Haven girls’ volleyball team was filled with speed bumps after she picked up the sport during her freshman year. However, Lexy was determined to prove that she belonged on the varsity floor and earned her spot as North Haven’s libero as a senior this season.
Lexy was a softball player in 8th grade, but was open to trying different sports. North Haven volleyball Head Coach Brianna Kleckner was Lexy’s guidance counselor at the middle school at the time. After meeting with Kleckner and then attending the team’s summer camp prior to her freshman year, Lexy decided that volleyball would be the new sport for her.
“She had a meeting with us, talking about volleyball. I thought about it for a while. I really wanted to start a new sport. I just didn’t know which one I wanted to play,” Lexy says. “I went to the week-long camp and fell in love with it. I wanted to do this. Everyone on the floor has to work together to achieve the same goal. It’s not a one-man sport. You rely on everyone else.”
During her freshman season, Lexy competed for North Haven’s JV team as she figured out the game and what position she wanted to play. That year, Lexy was coached by Kristen Bataille, who is now a volunteer coach who goes by PK. Under Coach PK’s tutelage, Lexy realized she wanted to play libero for North Haven.
“I was definitely nervous playing my first year of high school volleyball. I’m a very athletic person, but playing volleyball was new to me,” says Lexy. “PK was my coach back then. She was a big reason why I decided to keep going in the back row as a libero.”
Lexy earned her chance to be the starting libero for North Haven’s JV team in her sophomore season. Lexy enjoys manning the libero position, because she has an impact on almost every play. A self-described “aggressive player,” Lexy likes being vocal on the court and making sure that everyone knows where they are supposed to go.
Lexy got called up to North Haven’s varsity squad as a junior last year, but it wasn’t necessarily the debut that she expected. With numerous players who had more varsity experience in front of her, Lexy spent a lot of time on the bench. While she was willing to fill any role the team needed, Lexy wanted to be on the court more than anything.
Lexy kept working hard to secure a starting spot for her senior year. Lexy’s parents, Cami and Chris, told her to keep trying her best and show everyone that she deserved to be a varsity starter. Every time that she stepped on the court after that, Lexy held those motivational words from her parents close to her heart.
“My mom has been my drive to do anything. There were a lot of days I’d come home and I was upset. I just wanted to play,” says Lexy, who also played for the North Haven softball team as a junior. “My mom told me not to give up. She told me I had to prove to them that I wanted this. My dad was the same way. Every practice, that’s all that went through my head. I needed to prove that they could put me on the court.”
As she entered her senior season, Lexy was once again on North Haven’s varsity roster, although her position wasn’t finalized. Coach Kleckner spoke with Lexy and a few other back row players, telling them that the coaching staff wanted to see who deserved the position the most. So, Lexy did everything she could by diving for loose balls and giving a 100-percent effort on every play. When North Haven faced Shelton in its season opener, Lexy was named the starting libero and helped the team defeat the Gaels. Lexy and company have continued to rack up the victories and are now 6-0 on the season.
“I didn’t know I was the libero until the day before our first game. Coach Bri met with all three back row players and said they weren’t naming a libero. They wanted to see who wanted it,” Lexy says. “Every day leading up to that game, I fought my hardest. I gave everything I had. I showed them that I wanted this position. My mom always said you have to show how hungry you are. Even though I have it, that’s all I do every practice.”
After encouraging Lexy to play volleyball a few years ago, Coach Kleckner feels proud to see much she’s progressed through her senior season. Kleckner says that Lexy always gives her best effort and keeps striving to get better each day.
“Lexy has done a tremendous job as our libero this season. Every day, she comes to practice and applies the skills and concepts we are asking her to. She always wanted to get better and constantly pushes herself to do so,” says Kleckner. “Lexy has put in a great deal of work this season, which you can see when she steps on the floor. She has been a wonderful asset to our starting roster, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Lexy has gotten everything that she wanted out of volleyball while competing alongside a group of teammates who have become an important support system for her. After she graduates from North Haven, Lexy is hoping to play volleyball in college and pursue a degree in elementary education.
Four years ago, Lexy was a brand-new volleyball player who had no idea where the sport would take her. Lexy feels that playing for the North Haven girls’ volleyball team is one of the most significant achievements of her life, and now she’s encouraging other people, including her seven year-old sister Averi, to follow in her footsteps and give the sport a shot.
“To call myself a volleyball player, especially for North Haven, is the biggest accomplishment I’ve ever made,” Lexy says. “In the beginning, the program was off to a rough start. But if you look at our record and stats now, we have grown so much as a program. If you want to play volleyball, I’d start now. It means a lot to be on a team like this.”