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11/27/2024 12:00 AMKelsey Hinckley jumped right into the fray of the East Haven volleyball team as a fresh-faced rookie and has continued a steady growth both athletically and mentally through each campaign–culminating with her most standout statistical output this fall.
The junior started out with basketball in third grade and stayed with it for six years to shift her focus to the other court with a net in volleyball. Kelsey, a middle blocker, completed a sound statistical year with 138 kills on a .213 hitting percentage while firing through 34 aces at the clip of a 85.1 serving percentage. She also swatted aside 13 blocks to go along with 19 digs, and she helped the Yellowjackets improve with six victories on the year in just coming up two wins shy of states.
“In high school volleyball, it is more about technique up front, and I love taking my anger out on the ball. It is more fun and competitive compared to middle school volleyball,” says Kelsey, a varsity starter since freshman year. “I only had 50 kills as a freshman, then 58 as a sophomore, and then 138 this year. My hitting percentage went up. I have to thank my setter Eve Backhaus for that with her amazing sets.”
Kelsey is in a position that does not allow her to take off one solitary moment of one single point. Yet she runs to that responsibility rather than shunning it by tirelessly running her half of the floor.
“Being a middle blocker, I love being involved in everything because I have to figure out what I am doing on each point,” says Kelsey. “It can be hard when you are blocking, you have to go back and forth, and you can be spinning in circles with sets to figure out where the ball is going.”
When adversity hits, Kelsey files it in her mental bank as a moment that is simply going to test and later reveal her character. The mistakes will rear their ugly head, but she harnesses the love and encouragement of her colleagues to rebound swiftly.
“When things get rough, I always think to myself that this is just a ‘push through it’ type of game. In my head, I keep telling myself to keep going,” Kelsey says. “When we make errors, we cheer each other up as a team because it feels so much better for you personally when you have that teammate cheer you up.”
Kelsey has additionally become a specialist with ball placement through the years as a Yellowjacket. Now, she explains the goal in mind is to diversify her shot selection so she can avoid extra attention by the opponent.
“As a freshman and sophomore, I struggled with hitting to corners,” says Kelsey. “But now, I can hit it to the right corner of the court. I need to work on my blocking because I feel I do not have the best numbers considering I am a blocker. I also need to learn how to hit to the left side because if they know I hit to the right, I can get double-teamed.”
The Yellowjackets are now even hungrier for a playoff bid after coming up so close to punching a ticket. While they look to grab postseason representation, Kelsey aims to also make good on a selection she just fell short of attaining.
“I would like for us to go to states next year. We struggled with wins the last few years, but we got to six this year,” Kelsey says. “We have shown we are capable of making states, and it would be incredible to do it next year for my final year. Personally, I was nominated for All-SCC but just missed it, so I want to get that next year.”
East Haven volleyball Head Coach Craig Brown marvels at a landmark year for Kelsey in terms of her personal statistics. Yet he looks ahead and knows that she will have to continue her ascent by filling some voids left by graduation, as the Yellowjackets will also face a competitive schedule.
“Kelsey led our team this fall in both kills and hitting percentage, both of which were career highs for her. With Mia Abely and Alexa Heaphy graduating from the team, we are hoping to see Kelsey's numbers continue to climb as she heads into her senior season,” says Brown. “With her height and talent, we would love to see her push for over 200 kills next season while pushing us into a position to compete in the playoffs. An early look at our schedule next fall has us playing a tougher schedule, so the team will be relying on Kelsey to be a leader not only with her play on offense, but also vocally. The coaching staff looks forward to seeing what Kelsey will bring to the table next season.”
Camaraderie was at the core of East Haven’s visible improvement this fall. Another facet of the Yellowjackets’ progress was the motivation to come through for their mentor on the bench, who was giving his all to instill them with every last tool to win.
“We had a good team put together this year. We were always together both in and out of school,” says Kelsey. “We had some arguments with each other the previous years, but we were able to encourage each other more this season. We were trying our best to win for Coach Brown, and he was trying his best to make us better by showing us how to do the little things to win.”