The Hand girls’ volleyball team had to endure many hurdles throughout the 2024 season. Yet thanks to the force and commitment of each member of the roster, the Tigers salvaged a solid season in which they were in postseason contention until the final week of the run.

Hand finished just a couple victories shy of a state tournament berth by finishing with a 6-14 record. Head Coach Jennifer Aguzzi reflected that the core matter of the Tigers this year was the solo and collective maturation of the program. While dealing with health hiccups in the lineup, the cohesion and connection stumbled a touch, but the girls were right there in every match throughout the 20 contests.

“Our philosophy is to develop a program of continuous growth for each athlete individually and also as a team. We strive to have a positive team environment that is built on strong relationships,” said Aguzzi. “We certainly hoped to have a winning record and make it to the conference and state tournaments along the way, but winning is not our primary goal. Rather, we feel that if we develop a strong team environment with focused activities, the wins will come. Unfortunately, this year, we struggled to gel and maintain energy as a team on the court, resulting in a number of near misses. It seemed like we had very few games where everyone was playing well and/or we weren't missing players due to sickness, injury, or travel.”

One shining stretch for the girls this year was early on when they had to go the distance and grind out consecutive marathon match victories vs. two nearby SCC rivals. As they were the inaugural pair of triumphs on the docket for the Tigers, they also saw one of their setters make major strides.

“Our first games against East Haven and Law stand out as a high point of the season. These games were played back-to-back, and both were battles to five sets in which we came out victorious,” said Aguzzi. “East Haven was our first win of the season. One of our setters, senior captain Grace Hall, had struggled a bit with doubles in the previous game and was nervous going into this one, but she had 21 assists, a season high. This was one of our most successful offensive matches, but also a tremendous night defensively–featuring senior libero Julia Gallo with 34 digs.”

Speaking of the win against Law, Aguzzi recalled that the girls struggled out of the gate. They took a moment to collect their thoughts and selves and then got right back to work with a tremendous momentum swing that carried them to the win. It was a microcosm of high school volleyball: as the girls took in the momentum swings and stood tall through it all.

“We actually didn’t start our Law game very strong, losing the first six points. We called a timeout and reset, and then Grace Hall came out with an 11-point serving run that included two aces,” said Aguzzi. “The momentum of the game totally shifted, and we won the first set, but Law battled back, winning the second and third sets. In the fifth set, we were down 8-5 when sophomore setter Lena Aguzzi came up to serve. She scored three aces in a row, beginning a seven-point run. But Law fought back with their own serving run, and we ultimately battled to win, 16-14.”

In the win, Hand had 20 aces as a collective. Junior middle hitter Ava Bonalsky featured six kills in the first set. Gallo found her eventual season-high of 42 digs, and senior captain and right side hitter Alexis Kuszpa added nine kills.

Aguzzi reflected that the Tigers did have to center themselves a bit in the early phases of the season, which was facilitated by the stewards at the top. Yet no matter the juncture of the run, each and every day, they never took a point or session off–even when they had the option to do so.

“We had a bit of a frustrating season and struggled to execute offensively. But what I am most proud of is that the team never gave up,” said Aguzzi. “They came to practice, even when practice was optional, generally ready to work. When I asked what had gone well or what we needed to work on, they had ideas, requesting specific drills or skills as a focus. We had a very big varsity roster. I think that the team was a bit scattered socially at the beginning of the season as a result, but the captains specifically, and all the seniors in general, made a significant effort to improve the team bond, and I do think that was evident as the season progressed.”

In terms of top statistical producers for the year, Hall amassed 143 digs, 50 aces, and 171 assists. On defense, Gallo (also named Second Team All-SCC) tallied 353 digs and fired through 39 aces. Senior outside hitter Margeaux Langille nabbed 88 digs and 67 kills in a truncated season due to injury.

For team awards, the Academic Weapon Award, given to the junior or senior who is a weapon on and off the court, went to junior Kayla Warnke. Kuszpa garnered the Teammate Award for her positivity and focus in uplifting the team. Hall was honored with the Heart and Hustle Award, and then Gallo was bestowed with the Tiger Pride Award.

During the final few contests of the 2024 campaign when the Tigers knew their postseason hopes were dashed, their spirit never wavered and remained strong. Victories may not have been shown on the scoreboard, but they set the table for triumphs moving forward.

“In our second to last game of the season, we knew we had not made the tournament, so I actually took the opportunity to play only underclassmen in one set,” said Aguzzi. “I have to say that this group shows a lot of promise; they had incredible energy on the court and great camaraderie. While they did not win the set, they came very close, and I am excited to see what next season brings. We had some young offensive players this year who show tremendous potential.”

Looking more to that underclass, Bonalsky and her classmate Hailey Yahara developed as middle hitters this season, featuring 45 and 52 kills, respectively. Junior Grace Burton had 46 kills this season. Aguzzi (setter/right side hitter) developed as a setter throughout the season, earning 143 assists to go along with 29 aces. Sophomore Madison Ruffo looks to add a spark on defense moving forward, as she powered the court with 56 digs.

Aguzzi was extremely complimentative of her captains and their uncanny ability to deal with the day-to-day logistics and responsibilities of leading a squad and being exemplary young women.

“Grace and Alexis did a phenomenal job throughout the season. They handled the business of the team without error, sending out messages and reminders regularly and without needing to be told,” said Aguzzi. “Beyond that, they were impeccable role models, staying focused and positive throughout what turned out to be a frustrating season. I credit them with helping the team to build a better bond throughout the season. When we had struggles, they handled it very maturely, making a plan to react in the right way and to focus on moving forward.”

In the Tigers’ final foray for 2024, they honored their seniors in the best way possible by sweeping aside Plainville and going out on a very high note. The guests of honor that evening were able to play without the heat and care-free and finish off a stint that saw them truly come closer in all aspects of student-athlete life.

“The final game of the season was our Senior Night game, and it was joyful to watch the seniors just have fun together. There was a huge senior class with nine athletes, and through the season, they definitely developed a bond as a class,” said Aguzzi. “Players who seemed to avoid each other last season are now seen walking down the halls together. In their Senior Night game vs. Plainville, they seemed to let go of all the pressure to win and execute plays, but because they weren’t focused on those pressures, they did execute points and win the match.”

The Tigers’ 2024 roster was comprised of seniors Clare Berry, Gallo, Hall, Julianna Hansen, Kuszpa, Langille, Camryn McParland, Kayla Remy, Stacy Joyce Tagne Kuate; juniors Bonalsky, Burton, Warnke, Yahara; sophomores Aguzzi, Nicole Bettuchi, Beatrice Gray, Bridget Kaplan, Caroline Keating, Emma Kuja, Mavis Perry, Ruffo, Catie Schneider, Mary Swec, Mira Thadani; plus freshmen Aliyah Brown, Ava Chapoton, Chloe Flickinger, Jacqueline Merkle, Ilana Perez-Bedford, Olivia Rinaldi, Kaylee Savin, and Riley Sears.

2024 Hand Girls’ Volleyball Team Regular Season Results

Sept. 3: Guilford 3, Hand 0

Sept. 6: Sheehan 3, Hand 0

Sept. 7: Waterford 3, Hand 0

Sept. 9: Amity 3, Hand 0

Sept. 13: Hand 3, East Haven 2

Sept. 16: Hand 3, Law 2

Sept. 18: Mercy 3, Hand 2

Sept. 20: Cross 3, Hand 0

Sept. 23: Guilford 3, Hand 0

Sept. 25: Plainville 3, Hand 2

Sept. 27: Hand 3, Sheehan 0

Sept. 30: Amity 3, Hand 0

Oct. 2: North Haven 3, Hand 1

Oct. 4: Hand 3, East Haven 0

Oct. 7: Hand 3, Law 1

Oct. 10: Mercy 3, Hand 1

Oct. 14: Ledyard 3, Hand 1

Oct. 16: Cross 3, Hand 0

Oct. 21: North Haven 3, Hand 0

Oct. 22: Hand 3, Plainville 0