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09/03/2020 12:00 AMThe Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) recently updated the guidelines for a few fall sports designated as higher-risk activities, and the North Branford girls’ volleyball team will be affected by that decision in that masks will now be required during competition. The Thunderbirds had already elected to conduct their practices outside in preparation for that contingency’s implementation, but given the CIAC’s announcement on Sept. 4, the 2020 campaign will move forward with only the mask adjustment.
After graduating 14 seniors from last season’s team, this year’s edition of the Thunderbirds will feature numerous players looking to make their mark at the varsity level. North Branford may only have five seniors on its roster, but Head Coach Tori Ramada is hoping that all of her athletes’ offseason efforts will translate to success on the court this fall.
“This team has been communicating very well in the offseason. The three captains are leading by great example,” said Ramada. “I have had players reach out to me on skills they can work on for the upcoming season. This summer, we had conditioning and had a great turnout. All of the girls are working hard getting ready for the season.”
North Branford’s captains are senior hitter Emily Olson, senior middle hitter MacKenzie Burwell, and junior Marissa Ricardo, who is an outside hitter, a right-side hitter, and a defensive specialist. As her team looked to stay connected during the offseason, Coach Ramada relied on her captains to keep the T-Birds together.
“The captains work great together and can really lead the team well. The underclassmen are very comfortable going to them for advice,” Ramada said. “It’s reassuring as a coach that they have a great line of communication with the rest of the team. When they’re on the court, they make sure that everyone knows what everyone should be doing. They make the environment comfortable for all players.”
North Branford’s other returning players are seniors Summer Graver, Bella Esposito, and McKayla Aguiar; juniors Makenna Stone, Franceska Stakaj, Sheyenne Rivera, Catherine Pollock, Carley Parente, Kate Melillo, Bella Hills, Alyiah Carter, Genesis Camejo, and Jade Aucapina; and sophomores Danielle Minicucci and Spencer Carroll.
In terms of new players, Coach Ramada has been holding tryouts since Aug. 31 and planned on making the final decisions for her roster on Sept. 4.
Starting in July, North Branford held regular one-hour conditioning sessions until the CIAC put all fall sports activities on hold on Aug. 14. On Aug. 23, the CIAC announced that teams would be allowed to resume their conditioning sessions the next day and begin participating in non-contact sport-specific skillwork on Aug. 29. The CIAC has also set Thursday, Oct. 1 as the date for the tentative season opener. The first day of games was originally Sept. 10 and then rescheduled to Thursday, Sept. 24 before Oct. 1 became the target date.
While Coach Ramada admits that it’s been difficult to deal with all the changes, she’s happy that the T-Birds are still slated to take the court and compete this year.
“As frustrating as it is with everything changing, I’m content with that start date, as long as it gives the girls an opportunity to play the sport they love,” said Ramada. “We are definitely taking all the precautions and following the protocols, so we can get that green light to play come October.”
North Branford is holding its practices in three groups of 10 people or less for one hour at a time. Recently, the Connecticut Department of Health recommended for volleyball matches to be played outside if the fall campaign takes place. While the CIAC has no current plans to implement that change, the Thunderbirds have been practicing on the outfield of North Branford’s baseball field in an effort to be as safe as possible.
“Right now, we’re practicing outside, and it is definitely a bit of an adjustment. There’s not a court outside, so we’re using the outfield grass of the baseball field and putting up a backyard net,” Coach Ramada said. “The weather is tough to adjust to since we’ve always been inside. Overall, it’s not ideal, but we are working on getting used to it. Anything to get us to play and start the season fully as soon as possible.”
Despite the various barriers, Coach Ramada said that her athletes are excited about the prospect of playing volleyball. While the T-Birds may be inexperienced, Ramada likes that this year’s team is a close-knit bunch of people who are working their hardest to improve. As the team weathers the offseason storm and gets ready to get back in action, Ramada said that dedication will make the difference for North Branford in 2020.
“They just really want to play. They love the sport, love working with one another, and really want to win,” said Ramada. “A lot of them have been working hard even before the pandemic and trying to improve for this coming season. Any chance they get to practice together, they’re there having fun. They’re all really happy to be doing some sort of volleyball activity, even if it’s outside. The dedication is amazing with the group of girls I have this year. I’m very lucky.”
Assistant Sports Editor Chris Negrini contributed to this story.