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11/25/2024 10:12 AMThe theme of the season for the Valley Regional volleyball team has been to redeem. And the redemption arc completed itself after the girls attained the pinnacle of what every single high school athletic team strives for: a state championship.
After falling in the 2023 Shoreline Conference final, the Warriors marched back to that same championship match after an 18-2 regular season and claimed the school’s first conference crown since 2019. Then, after a semifinal showing in the Class S State Tournament a year ago, the Warriors entered the 2024 edition of the draw as the No. 2 seed.
After a first-round bye, the girls swept No. 15 Norwich Tech in the second round, got out the brooms for No. 10 Canton in the quarterfinals, and then also defeated third-ranked Lauralton Hall in the semifinals to put the Warriors one step further with a state finals berth. They met No. 5 Coventry, the same club that denied Valley a trip to the final in 2023. Yet the Warriors again gained revenge with a 3-1 victory in the final on Nov. 15 at SMSA to net Valley its first state crown in 35 years. The Warriors concluded the dominant season with a 24-2 record overall.
“I am in absolute shock with the success of my team. I am so unbelievably proud of each and every player. It is a huge deal for our school and our town. Valley volleyball hasn't won states and shorelines since 1989,” said junior Hallie Moore. “Our success took an insane amount of effort, long hard hours of practice, and scouting the teams we would be playing. After losing to Coventry in the semifinals last year, this felt like a revenge game. Our team lives for revenge games. We did it right this time, and I couldn't have asked for a better team to do it with. Our chemistry on the court is unmatched. Everyone works so well together, which is extremely hard and rare to find.”
In the win, Moore punched up 22 digs. Kellyn Kolber dished out 31 assists and 15 digs. Senior Regan Grow–also named MVP of the state final and First Team All-State–powered the offense with 15 kills while balancing her stat sheet out with four blocks. Senior Rubee Cecchini earned 15 digs and 11 kills, plus junior Nia Marchese dropped in an even 11 kills and 11 digs. It was that veteran core and its experience having poise under pressure that was a crucial factor in the championship victory.
“It's an amazing feeling to know all of the hours of hard work and adversity we have faced paid off,” said Head Coach Jaimie Bickelhaupt. “Almost all returners played in the offseason, which was a huge piece of the girls coming into the season ready to go better than last year. All of their goals at the beginning of the season were to win Shorelines and states. We kept that goal as a forefront of our ‘why’ each day, and they worked their butts off for it all year. We hoped it would be Coventry, and it was a great atmosphere to compete in. Coventry is a great team and program. We knew they weren't going to give up, and we needed to refocus and stay on the attack instead of playing timid to avoid making a mistake. That's exactly what they did in the last set, and the toughness really showed.”
The Warriors looked like they would make it an early night of celebration after taking the first two sets by 25-19 and 25-18 decisions. Yet Coventry denied the Warriors a fourth-straight sweep in the tournament with a 25-20 win prior to Valley staving off a rally to win the eventual clincher, 25-22.
“Winning states was a big deal. We won Shorelines. We did not want to settle, and we needed to keep pushing and work harder every practice. With these being my last few practices and games, I didn't want my last season to be cut short at all,” said Grow. “I love playing with these girls, and I have cherished every moment. Stepping on the court for the state final game was more emotional for me than it was stressful, just knowing that it will be my last time on the court with my girls. For my last game, I wanted to give everything I got in me. Battling through the four sets of that game was stressful, but it was some of the best moments from my entire volleyball career. Being able to be in the position we were in was an honor, but it came with a lot of hard work. I had no doubt that the girls on the team would give everything they have. Although our final game was not our best game in the slightest, at the end of it, we just wanted it more.”
Basking in the afterglow of the monumental victory, Moore also gave a great deal of credit to those that may not have made it onto the court this year, with coaches and injured colleagues. Yet the impact was felt quite strongly in helping the girls make their preseason dreams a postseason reality.
“Emma Gibson was not a coach but an injured co-captain this season. With her season being cut short, she did everything in her power to keep us motivated. She showed up to every practice and game to support all of us,” said Moore. “She was the person that connected the coaching to the players. She gave the hitters open spots to hit and the defense inspiration and advice to help our digging. We really couldn't have done any of this without everyone's contribution. We all had goals written down in the very beginning of the season to win Shorelines and states. Having that high mentality from the very beginning motivated us to go as far as we could. Again, I could've never asked for a better team to share this honor with, and I am so unbelievably thankful for all of my coaches, Emma, and my team.”
Bickelhaupt’s coaching staff was comprised of longtime Valley veteran Sofi Cullina, now through her fifth year, along with a coaching newcomer in Nick Braga. She explained that their unmatched success on the floor is emblematic of the cohesiveness away from it. That, combined with the background and skill level of the girls, made it almost unfathomable to think the Warriors wouldn’t wield the gold in the end.
“This has been an incredible group to coach. They all really want to be there, they want to get better, and they love each other,” said Bickelhaupt. “It's a second family atmosphere we have created, and it goes to show how much it plays a part in the game. Like I said before, the majority of the girls have played in the offseason, which was a huge contributor to coming into the season ready to go. We played in a summer league together, which gave them time together to start to gel on the floor. And they worked so hard to get to where they are now. It wasn't easy. We had a lot of road bumps this year. We bent but never broke as a team and always came back stronger than before. I couldn't be more proud of how they handled themselves this year and the performances we had throughout each tournament. It was truly a historic season.”
The Valley Regional 2024 roster is comprised of seniors Cecchini, Gibson, Grow, Grace Lunz; juniors Kolber, Moore, Taylor Zduniak, Helen Manco, Marchese; plus sophomores in Madelyn Delorso and Team Manager Linnea Winkley.
2024 Valley Regional Volleyball Team Regular Season Results
Sept. 3: Valley Regional 3, East Hampton 0
Sept. 5: Haddam-Killingworth 3, Valley Regional 1
Sept. 9: Valley Regional 3, North Branford 0
Sept. 11: Valley Regional 3, Coginchaug 0
Sept. 13: Valley Regional 3, Portland 0
Sept. 16: Valley Regional 3, East Hampton 0
Sept. 18: Valley Regional 3, Cromwell 0
Sept. 20: Valley Regional 3, Morgan 0
Sept. 23: Valley Regional 3, Old Lyme 1
Sept. 25: Valley Regional 3, Hale-Ray 0
Sept. 27: Valley Regional 3, Haddam-Killingworth 0
Sept. 30: Valley Regional 3, North Branford 1
Oct. 4: Valley Regional 3, Coginchaug 0
Oct. 7: Valley Regional 3, Portland 0
Oct. 9: Valley Regional 3, East Hampton 0
Oct. 10: Valley Regional 3, Cromwell 0
Oct. 15: Valley Regional 3, Morgan 1
Oct. 16: Valley Regional 3, Old Lyme 0
Oct. 21: Canton 3, Valley Regional 2
Oct. 22: Valley Regional 3, Waterford 1