This was a “growing” year for the Huntington High School varsity girls’ volleyball team. The Blue Devils are hoping to add depth to the program by getting more players involved in the sport. In the meantime, the squad is working hard and striving to be competitive against every opponent.
Coached by Huntington alum Todd Donaghy, the 13-player team was captained by juniors Shannon Kehoe and Grace Stolfa. The roster also included freshman Kathryn Barba; sophomores Megan Donaghy, Lauren Gennarelli and Haileigh Smith; juniors Madelyn Bavaro, Kianna Criscuola, Caroline Gorecki and Francesca Stamatatos; and seniors Marina Durand, Gracia Renkewitz and Sophia Severine.
Huntington head coach Todd Donaghy. (Darin Reed photo.)
The team was led by Kehoe, Stolfa and Donaghy. All three players rarely left the court for the Blue Devils. They were that indispensable.
Kehoe starred at setter, recording 294 assists, 134 digs, 33 serving aces and 76 kills, which are awarded to a player when an attack cannot be returned by the opponents. “Shannon was our leader,” Coach Donaghy said. “She ran the offense and was able to spread the ball around to get everyone involved.”
Stolfa was the team’s “libero” (back row defensive expert), compiling 201 digs and 15 service aces. “Grace was our defensive specialist,” Coach Donaghy said. “She led the team in digs and serving scoring percentage at nearly 54 percent.”
Megan Donaghy also enjoyed a great sophomore season at outside hitter. The teenager had 102 kills, 119 digs and 21 service aces. “Megan led the team in kills and played great defense,” Coach Donaghy said. “She also passed well as a first year varsity player.”
The highlight of the season was a win over Bay Shore, which advanced into the Suffolk playoffs and reached the quarterfinals of the county tournament.
“The team’s growth from start to finish was tremendous,” Coach Donaghy said. “They adapted well to a new coach, learned a new system quickly and put themselves into a position to be competitive in every match that we played this season.”
The Blue Devils are already looking forward to the fall season. Practice begins on Monday, August 23. Huntington will return 10 players, including six starters and some very strong players from this year’s JV team. “We will be looking to compete for a playoff position,” Coach Donaghy said. “We were in a very difficult conference this year, with programs that have multiple players on year round club teams. But the potential is here in Huntington as well.”
Freshman Kate Barba and junior Kianna Criscuola figure prominently in next fall’s plans. Barba had 76 kills and 130 digs while Criscuola recorded 37 kills, 98 digs, 85 service points and 17 service aces and “does just about everything,” Coach Donaghy said.
Interested in joining the Blue Devil girls’ volleyball program or just learning more about it? Send a message to Coach Donaghy at HuntingtonVball@aol.com.
