Welcome back Friars! This volleyball season is starting off with lots of strength on our defensive line. The 2022-23 varsity team started their season back on August 21st, and will run from September until the beginning of November when championship season will start. The team’s schedule includes an early season opener in Florida to give the girls a chance to gell and work out some of the early mishaps.
The first tournament of the season got underway on September 10th at Bayport Blue Point. The team made good plays and had good communication during the Championship game but fell short with a 1-2 loss. They bounced back from that for their home opener on September 13th when they started league play vs. Our Lady of Mercy winning 3-0. Two days later the Friars faced strong competition in Sacred Heart Academy, falling 1-2.
With a current league record of 7-2 and being led by senior captains Katherine Powers, Emily Close and junior captain Katie Bardak, they have strength and experience at the helm which should keep this team moving in the right direction.
“What do you feel it will take to capture a championship for this team this year?”
Katherine Powers responds, “I believe as a team we are very capable of doing great things this season, when it comes to working hard and putting our best foot forward we are always able to accomplish our goals. This season I think we can win the championship by improving every day at practice and keeping ourselves to a high playing standard with each and every team we come across. I truly think if we keep up the competitive level we have been playing at we will capture the championship this year.”
With eight games left and Playoffs starting November 1st, October starts to move fast. With the pace picking up I asked the Junior Captian;
Do you feel more pressure to perform and what are your expectations for this season?
Captain Katie Bardak replies, “As a junior captain I feel more pressure because there is no time for mistakes on the court and having this position is difficult because I am still trying to improve myself as a player. I have high expectations for our team this year. We have a very talented team and our team chemistry is getting stronger as the season goes on.”
These captains are coming off a strong 2021 season where they went 12-4 winning 90% of their matches 3-0 and went 5 exciting games (21-25 KB, 21-25 KB, 25-14 SA, 29-27 SA, 15-13 KB) in the League Finals to come up short 2-3 to Kellenberg. Coach Newman states, “This season Kellenberg will again be our strongest competitor and one of the toughest for everyone.”
The Friars have eight returning players of which four were starters. Key players outside hitter Powers and setter Bardak plus newcomer sophomore middle blocker, Julia O’Conner, will be worth coming out to see this year.
Follow the varsity volleyball team this season and come out and show your support at the home games. This team will be in the hunt for a League Championship on November 1st.
Follow the team on Instagram at @sagirlsvb
Isabella Moseley is a Senior at Saint Anthony’s High School, writing for her third year with Friar Scoreboard. She is also a member of Saint Anthony’s track and field team and Step Team and is a member of several clubs at SA. In the future, she plans to have a career as a physician’s assistant.
