H-ton JV Girls’ Volleyball Displays Potential
October 27, 2023
The Huntington junior varsity girls’ volleyball team displayed noticeable growth and potential during the course of the fall season. Several promising players emerged and a small group has been practicing with the varsity during the post-season now that the JV schedule has concluded.
Huntington High School physical education teacher Lauren Blackburn coached the squad. “The team improved tremendously during the season, working hard every day at practice and in games,” Blackburn said.
The roster featured Manpreet Kaur, Mia Miller, Ana Vlahos, Amelia Carino, Alexandra Boeckman, Shannon Koepele, McKenzie Moore, Nallely Linares, Dakota Respass, Kaylin Olivo and Dylan McKean.
“Our greatest accomplishment came when we defeated Half Hollow Hills, 2-1 after they had previously beaten us earlier in the season,” Blackburn said. “We came out strong and served the ball really well in that match and hustled to earn every point. It was very gratifying to see all of the hard work the girls had put in, pay off.”
Respass and Kaur worked well together to create an outstanding offense. Carino was a force at the net, often making plays to save the ball. Vlahos was superb defensively, making great saves on tough hit by Huntington’s opponents.
Miller was the team’s key server while also playing the back row for multiple players. Boeckman and Koepele led the offense with “great hits from the middle,” Blackburn said.
Moore made a series of key blocks in games and also came up with some strong hits. Linares proved her versatility, filling any role asked of her. McKean was steadfast in the front row, putting balls over the net into good spots. Olivo was a defensive specialist, “coming in to play in the back row in essential moments,” Blackburn said.
The coach hopes an influx of current Finley players will help strengthen the JV next fall. Blackburn also hopes to feed skilled players into the varsity program.
