Southwick looks to bump the competition with a full season of league play under their belt. (Photo by Chris Putz)
SOUTHWICK – For the first time in Southwick girls’ volleyball head coach Kaitlyn Hanlon’s coaching career, there is a bit of stability surrounding her young team.
For one thing, there will be no hoopla in terms of rolling out a new schedule.
Last season, Southwick-Tolland played its first league schedule in team history. The Rams, who knocked off some city schools earlier in the year, fell to some of the league heavyweights, such as Ludlow, South Hadley, and Easthampton, in the season’s final weeks to just miss making the playoffs with record better than .500 at 9-11.
“We need stronger hitting and blocking,” said Hanlon.
The 6-year head coach believes trimming the roster a bit more this season will make for a stronger team in the stretch run. Southwick had 34 players on the roster in 2011. This season, there are 26 spots.
“I want to give players more repetitions,” said Hanlon, who noted that this fine-tuned approach would also help the student-athletes on the junior varsity team prepare for their advancement over the course of the next few years.
“It’s going to make for a stronger varsity program,” she added. “It’s a better process.”
Southwick unveiled girls’ volleyball for the first time in 2007. After enjoying club status for three seasons, the Rams participated at the varsity level in 2010. Last year, they entered league play.
Since that time, five seniors graduated. But a strong nucleus still exists.
Senior Simone Thibault returns at outside hitter. Thibault will be joined by two juniors – setter Jess Martin and outside hitter Millan Andreoli.
“We have a similar schedule this year,” Hanlon said. “We hope to overcome that.
Andreoli, Martin, and Thibault will be expected to help lead the other varsity members, as the competition gets tougher later in the year.
“I’m very happy with the progress of our program,” said Hanlon, who also hinted at the prospect of adding a boys’ team. “We want to make volleyball strong at Southwick.”
Kevin Pender will assist Hanlon for the second straight season. Pender is the head coach of the JV team.
