Printer Friendly Version - Hand Girls’ Volleyball Ready for States After Second-Half Season Spike

The Tigers girls’ volleyball squad has been in a celebratory mood for most of 2023, after it notched a Class M State Tournament berth with an 11-9 regular season record following a 4-6 opening to the run. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Aguzzi

Captains Ella D'Urso and Arianna Takyar and the Hand girls’ volleyball team had a second-half surge in the regular season to earn a postseason berth with an 11-9 mark. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Aguzzi

One concept of team sports is how the betterment of each individual participant of the club can form the foundation for the collective growth of the entity. For the Hand girls’ volleyball team, they have never stopped swearing to that creed since Day 1 of the preseason.

Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Jennifer Aguzzi, the Tigers played to an above-.500 mark of 11-9, and rebounded from a 4-6 start in the first half of the campaign to take seven of their final 10 regular-season contests.

Aguzzi recalled that Hand actually laid out their plans and objectives for the fall campaign back at the tail end of the summer, in the final phases of the preseason. She explained that each athlete’s desire to achieve a personal goal pooled together to help the Tigers make a big splash in the SCC and create a true family atmosphere.

“We actually did a goal-setting activity at the beginning of the year. I wasn’t sure what to expect, because I had only been working with the team for a few days at that point,” said Aguzzi. “It was a simple activity; we just asked them each to make an individual goal and a team goal for the season, and to challenge themselves to think beyond the scoreboard. We could not have been more surprised or pleased with the results: every single athlete in the whole organization gave the same answer in their own words — to be a team, a family, to support each other, to have a positive experience. We were thrilled because when those things happen, the team can focus on continuous growth, and that is what brings wins.”

Leading the Tigers are senior captains with outside hitter Arianna Takyar–who currently tops the team in kills with 143 and is runner-up on the squad in digs with 204 and aces (at 38). Joining her is setter Ella D’Urso, producing 322 assists and 124 digs.

“Arianna Takyar is a fierce competitor and an excellent all-around player,” said Aguzzi. “Ella D’Urso constantly surprises me. She originally tried out to be a defensive specialist this year, but has worked very hard this season to lead our team on the court as setter. Both captains bring a steady focus to the team more than anything. They are stabilizing forces on the court, lifting up the players around them.”

Additionally in the senior class are rock solid contributors in middle blocker Mia Thomas (115 kills and a team-leading 8 per match and first in blocks with 28) and fellow middle blocker Amy Totten–returning from an early season injury to average six kills and 1.6 blocks per game.

“Mia brings great energy to our play, celebrating enthusiastically and breaking the tension with levity when needed,” Aguzzi said. “Amy was injured the day before our opening match and missed the first several matches of the season, but came back strong when she was able to. Amy is a very smart player who reads the court well, monopolizing on open spots and adjusting to whatever defense the other team employs.”

Junior libero Julia Gallo leads the team in digs with 220, an average of nearly 16 per match. She is also a leading server with 25 aces so far this season. Junior Grace Hall has shined as a defensive specialist. In the first half of the season, her highest number of digs in a single match was seven, and in the second half it was 19. She also leads the team in aces with 53.

“Julia is an intense player who pushes me to keep practices moving quickly and find new and different drills. She has the mentality of a natural libero, always wanting the ball to come to her, and if she misses a dig, she always wants another chance,” said Aguzzi. “Grace has worked on being mentally tough this year, and it has really paid off. She has become a steady and dependable player who is able to recognize that mistakes happen, and sometimes the other team has a good kill, but we always need to focus on the next point.”

A junior trio has lit up the floor for Hand this season. Margeaux Langille is an outside hitter who also plays middle blocker when needed. She has 78 kills this season, averaging just over four per match. She also has

16 blocks, 40 digs, and 12 aces. Taylor Ferraiolo is a defensive specialist and has 125 digs this season, averaging seven per clash. She is also a leading server with 25 aces so far this season. Lastly, Alexis Kuszpa is a right side hitter who possesses 15 kills this season. She is also responsible for setting when the setter passes the first ball, and in this role she has 21 assists.

“While Margeaux prefers the outside position, she has happily covered the middle blocker position to support her team, and has been very successful in both positions,” said Aguzzi. “Taylor’s defensive range has increased considerably this year, as evidenced by an increasing number of digs per match as the season has progressed. Without Alexis in this position, all of those assists would likely have become free balls, rather than kills. Alexis is a highly focused athlete who is always working to improve her game.”

With so many moving pieces on the court for any given point, it is imperative that each player functions at their highest potential and does their job, which is something Hand discovered up close and personal when they took part in what would serve as a critical juncture in their season against Haddam-Killingworth.

“I told the girls at the beginning of the season that volleyball is my favorite sport because it is the most team sport, in my opinion. There are no breakaways, no goalie, no pitcher, no one player who can win virtually single-handedly,” said Aguzzi. “We have had moments of that throughout the year, but have struggled to maintain that level of playing together for a whole match, until our game against H-K. During that match, our whole team played their best collective volleyball, and I think it was a turning point for them to really understand what I had been talking about. We have referenced that match ever since, saying that that is how we want to play on a regular basis.”

The Tigers additionally qualified for the SCC Tournament with their efforts as the No. 12 seed. Hand unfortunately took a first-round 3-1 loss to 5th-ranked Sacred Heart Academy on Oct. 27.

Hand still has the Class M State Tournament that awaits, but with the progress made this year by the Tigers, including taking several measurable victories through defeats, they are just that much more eager to one-up themselves in terms of victories and additional team accomplishments for the future.

“Our season has certainly reflected our focus on continuous growth,” said Aguzzi. “Even in matches that we lost, we saw improvement from the beginning to the end of the match. My father always told me that the best players don’t get better from September to November, they get better from November to September. With the tremendous potential that I see in our underclassmen, I’m excited to see what next season brings.”

Previously, Aguzzi was the JV coach at Hand from 2006 to 2009, and assisting her this year is JV coach Nicole Myers (in her second year) plus freshman coach and newcomer Sarah Sandora.

The Hand 2023 team roster is comprised of seniors Takyar, Thomas, Totten, Durso; juniors Ferraiolo, Gallo, Camryn McParland, Hall, Kuszpa, Langille, Clare Berry, Kayla Remy; sophomores of Loden Bradstreet, Emeline Mannix, Kayla Warnke, Eden Woods, Maddie Martin, Grace Burton, Hailey Yahara, Ava Bonalsky; plus freshmen Madison Ruffo, Clementine Barry, Mary Swec, Beatrice Gray, Bridget Kaplan, Nicole Bettuchi, Caroline Keating, Lena Aguzzi, Catie Schneider, Catie Schneider, Mavis Perry, Lucy Burke, and Jaynet Dopico.