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12/13/2023 02:46 PMOne of the most successful athletic entities within the town of East Haven in recent memory has actually belied within the confines of the junior high circuit, with the East Haven Middle School volleyball team. The squad has been built on creating a culture of not only well-rounded winners on and off the court, but also forging a formidable future for the community’s high school ranks.
The squad recently finished up a perfect campaign at 15-0 in 2023. More within the unblemished campaign, the girls additionally kept an 18-game winning streak afloat. The group is made up of middle school students, with sixth through eighth graders from the East Haven Academy and Joseph Melillo Middle School.
Head Coach Mark Curcio had 63 girls try out for the team and made the decision to keep 26, and he added that not only did the girls experience many masteries on the court, but they additionally touched on all of the preseason targets by becoming well-rounded athletes that had the mental and physical acumen to stay on the ball and the books.
“Our goals for each year are 1. Schoolwork and grades are the first priority because they are student-athletes, students first,” said Curcio. “2. Fundamentals. The girls were told that they would get better at the fundamentals of volleyball, including serving, setting, passing, spiking, and jumping. 3. Each and every player will give their best effort all the time during practice and games. 4. Create a winning culture and learn how to handle adversity. And finally 5. Have fun. I am happy to say that the girls achieved all their goals and exceeded them, as well. I witnessed the girls helping each other on the court and off the court with school assignments and homework. On the court, the girls clearly excelled by going 15-0. To go 15–0 at any level is a great accomplishment. It takes a love of the game, focus, pride, and determination to complete it.”
Looking at the perfect record, Curcio concluded that the Yellowjackets were able to overcome adversaries that previously served as hurdles in prior seasons. They also learned the benefits of persistence, even when the chips were down in one thrilling conquest.
“This group had so many accomplishments; they came together as a unit and performed. Amazingly, they only lost five sets all year. This team managed to defeat teams that they had been unable to defeat over the last five years,” said Curcio. “Those were teams such as North Branford, Shelton, Branford, and Amity. The team also showed community spirit by asking me if they can wear pink hair bands during the month of October to show support for breast cancer. The girls rallied behind each other, and faced adversity when being down by 12 points in a game to rally back and win the set and the match. By the middle of our season during a timeout, the girls were telling me where the opponents were going to hit the ball. They had not only been playing volleyball, but they were watching their opponents tendencies. This is an amazing accomplishment for middle school girls to comprehend and perform.”
The prominence produced by each girl on the floor manifested itself away from it, as every athlete truly garnered a new tier of passion and pride for the sport–virtually becoming engrossed in it 24/7 when it came to dealing with down time.
“Their development as a team was truly amazing and a pleasure to watch. I have been coaching for 40 years and part of two undefeated seasons. It was a true pleasure to see them come together. I had a group of 26 girls who wanted to do nothing but play volleyball,” Curcio said. “These girls love to practice. In fact, they would've practiced seven days a week if they could. Their parents would tell me that they would spend the weekend outside, hitting balls, passing, and setting to each other. They would go over each other's house on Saturday and Sunday to have a sleepover and they would just play volleyball. They were even doing some of the drills that we do in practice. I implemented new drills this year, as well as a circuit practice, where the girls move from station to station performing and practicing different techniques. This keeps all the girls moving, no one is standing around, and the newest players are getting the same amount of reps as the older players. I was told by some of the teachers at the middle school that the girls sat at lunch together, moved through the halls together, and during their gym class kept asking if they could play volleyball. When you have a group of girls like this, coaching is easy.”
Going further inside the numbers, the team has now gone a combined 23-4 the past two campaigns, with that 18-game win streak still intact when they resume action next fall. The future is even brighter for the Yellowjackets, with them having several sixth and seventh graders returning to the fold in 2024.
“I am excited for next year, because I have a great core group returning. I am losing seven starters to high school,” said Curcio. “Many of the younger players that saw varsity time are sixth and seventh graders. One seventh grader started all year for me, and she is a two-year starter, and I also had a sixth grader who played as a varsity player. The girls were given an offseason program that I created, so they can practice their fundamentals and continue to strengthen their core. I explained to them that practice is the key. You can join leagues and play games, but practice is where you get better each and every day. I told them if they play one game per week, they should be practicing four days per week. 90% of my team this year were able to serve from the varsity line; that includes sixth graders, as well. It's one of the fundamentals that the girls promised me they would work on all offseason. I have no doubt about that.”
The effect of the middle school’s success has had a ripple movement throughout the town’s volleyball pool–starting to string together uplifting prospects for the East Haven High School (EHHS) club, and giving those older Yellowjackets a youthful boost.
“My goal as a coach was to create a feeder program for EHHS. When I started, I had 27 girls try out for the volleyball team. The last three years, I have had over 60 girls try out,” said Curcio. “Last year's team saw one girl start on the varsity team, and two others saw varsity playing time for the high school. This year, I expect more of the girls who are leaving me to contribute to the high school team. With the amount of girls that have been trying out and seeing their progress, the high school was able to create a freshman volleyball team this year. One of the greatest moments for me as a coach came at the end of our season this year. I had five fifth-grade girls come up to me and say we're going out for the team next year, and we want to play for you. I believe there is no greater compliment as a coach than that. This year's team has created a winning culture at the middle school, and next year's team will continue it.”
The team’s roster consisted of Mary Alice Canney, Ashlee Divillo, Natalia Garayua, Emme Giannone, Daniella Rivera, Chole Colon, Gia Panico, Isabella Pellegrino, Lexi Perciballi, Sophia Rusnack, Olivia Santoro, Ella Saez, Angela Soto, Brooklyn Garofalo, Gianna Dinuzzo, Adriana Rodriguez, Olivia Astudillo, Delilah Defosses, Alaina Haley, Zoey Piscitelli, Macey Flores, Naila Gavilanes, Garcia Milan, and Gianna Natale.
Curcio was assisted by Megan Gaudasio this fall.