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10/18/2023 06:43 AMThe Guilford girls’ volleyball team is looking forward to the playoffs as the Grizzlies enter the home stretch of the 2023 regular season. Guilford is sporting an overall record of 12-4 and claimed victory in all three of its matchups last week.
Marisa Ceneri, the head coach of the Grizzlies, is currently in her third season with the team. Ceneri feels the season is going well so far on the strength of a hungry and dedicated collection of players.
“The season has been going great. I think the bonding that the girls made during the summer in preseason really helped coming into this year’s season,” said Ceneri. “They are a great group of girls who want to play volleyball. They love being there, they are very motivated, extremely coachable, and it is a lot of fun to be around.”
With their 12 victories, the Grizzlies have already qualified for the Class L State Tournament this year. Guilford has taken two defeats to Cheshire and one loss against both Amity and Sacred Heart Academy (SHA), but also defeated SHA in recent action.
Leading the Grizzlies this year is senior captain Grace Reilly. Ceneri praised Reilly for how she’s been guiding the team throughout the season.
“It all started in preseason when she started with the girls in the summertime in August. They did a lot of conditioning, playing out on the courts, and she set up a summer league for them to play in together,” said Ceneri of Reilly. “She is a great leader on the court. The girls really react to her and respect her as the captain. She brings a lot of joy to the game.”
Starting off their three-match week, the Grizzlies played Hamden on Oct. 9, winning with a final score of 3-1.
The next match was on Oct. 11, when the Grizzlies played their Senior Night contest against Career and won by the score of 3-0. Ceneri was pleased that her seniors walked off the floor with a victory.
“The senior class played a big part in the win against Career. We made it all about them,” said Ceneri. “We wanted to make it a special night for them, and I was so proud of all of them.”
Last season, the Grizzlies took a 3-0 loss to Cheshire in the SCC semifinals. For the Class L State Tournament, Guilford lost to Woodstock Academy by a 3-1 score in the second round. Ceneri talked about the Grizzlies’ goals in 2023 as they move closer to the postseason.
“I think the girls definitely want to qualify for the SCC Tournament, which I believe we will qualify for. We had our eighth win, which already qualifies us for the State Tournament, so we reached that goal,” said Ceneri. “We really want to do well in the tournaments, move past the quarterfinals to get to the semifinals in the SCCs. I know we are going to have to face Cheshire and/or Amity; those were the losses we have had so far. We know that it is going to be hard work to get to that level.”
On Oct. 13, the Grizzlies faced SHA for the second time this season. Guilford avenged its 3-2 loss from earlier in the year by winning a 3-2 decision over SHA in the rematch, putting the Grizzlies in position to potentially win their division title. Ceneri felt that this was Guilford’s biggest match of the season, since the Grizzlies had lost to SHA the first time around.
“The game against Sacred Heart Academy was very exciting. Each match went point to point until someone reached 25. The positive energy in the gym was amazing, and the girls stepped it up at the end to claim the win,” said Ceneri. “We are now in first place in the league and face Law on Friday, Oct. 20. We beat Law, we win the division title. If we lose, we share the division title with Sacred Heart Academy.”
Several players have been key contributors for the Grizzlies this season, including Sam Alberghini (junior, middle hitter), Kate Footit (junior, setter), Sasha Goetz (junior, setter), Maya Thompson (sophomore, middle hitter), and Giorgia Mucciolo (senior, back row).
“Sam has 134 kills so far this season, averaging 10-12 kills a game. Maya has 72 kills and 31 blocks. Giorgia is a foreign exchange student that came in from Italy and has been a great asset to our program,” said Ceneri. “Without Kate and Sasha on the court, we would not get as many kills. They are always working hard and challenging themselves to get better every day.”
Although the Grizzlies are having a successful season, Ceneri discussed a few challenges that the team has faced so far this year, including its four defeats.
“We started with Cheshire in the second game of the season, going five matches with them. We had them beat and lost by two in game five. Amity same thing. We played with them. It was not like we got beat really bad. It was only a few points,” said Ceneri. “Playing those teams the second time around, our goal is to try to compete with them a little bit better. Amity, we face [on Monday, Oct. 23], so we have a chance to go back at them.”
For the rest of the regular season, the Grizzlies will play teams that they have already faced once this year, with the exception of their last match against non-conference opponent Northwestern.
“Northwestern is going to be like an Amity or Cheshire team that game, which is going to be tough. The remainder of our schedule are games that we can win. Amity is going to give us a run,” said Ceneri. “We have already seen most of these teams. We are getting better and better each game; that is the main key. I am very happy with how the team has come together to show their talent.”
Ceneri is assisted by Jeff DeMaio (junior varsity coach) and Arthur “Art” Fonicello, who is the freshman coach.
The Grizzlies’ team roster is comprised of Reilly, Mucciolo, Lyndsey Vale (senior, back row), Alberghini, Footit, Goetz, Hayden O’Brien (junior, back row), Abby Williams (junior, outside hitter), Hailey Murray (junior, back row), Alexa Kukta (junior, outside hitter), Thompson, Izzy Lopez Hernandez Meza (sophomore, back row), and Nora Stewart (sophomore, right side hitter).