AMHERST — Nerves settled in and contagiously spread throughout the Amherst girls volleyball team while the Hurricanes took the court for their first match of the season against Minnechaug on Wednesday night.
During the first few plays, those jitters were prominent, as Amherst watched back-to-back balls fall in between several players to give the Falcons a quick 4-0 lead in the first set.
The Hurricanes responded exactly how a veteran bunch with 10 seniors should, as they stormed back to take set one on their way to a season-opening 3-0 sweep of Minnechaug. Set scores were 25-19, 25-11, 25-16.
“A little worried at the beginning,” Amherst head coach Kacey Schmitt said. “I felt like we started out a little slow. I think everybody had those first-match jitters, and the lineup is different than it was last year, so I think everyone is thinking a little bit too much about where they are on the court. Once they kind of got into a groove, it felt like we really started playing the way we are capable of playing.”
That groove was evident as the first set came to a close. Tied 14-14, junior Talia Sadiq (five aces) ripped off six straight service points to give the Hurricanes some cushion. They began to play more freely and closed out the set 25-19.
That confidence carried directly over into the second set, as Amherst jumped out to a 12-4 lead. Senior libero Liza Beigel (14 digs, two aces) was on point with her passes, setter Annabel Ogden (23 assists, three digs, two aces, one kill) placed perfect sets to the outside hitters, and Ruby Austin (nine), Sophie Kawall (five), Lauren Joy (five), and Shannon Klaes (five) finished them off to combine for 24 kills.
The Hurricanes looked like they were in midseason form in set two.
“The first set, we ended with high intensity. That second set we just started with that high intensity and took it to the end,” Beigel said.
With the aforementioned 10 seniors leading the charge for Schmitt this season, she knows they have the potential to be just as good as their 19-4 team from a year ago.
“It’s the most I’ve ever had in one year,” Schmitt said. “It’s really great because they are 10 really terrific players and kids.”
The only problem coaching that many seniors is every coach’s dream problem to have: getting all of those talented players the opportunity to shine on the court.
“The challenge for me is that they are all really good players, and I don’t like to disrupt the rotation too much,” Schmitt said. “So the challenge for me is keeping everybody playing up to their level and working people into the lineup where it’ll work the best for everyone. I think they all are great team players, so I feel like they are going to accept whatever role they have, and that’s going to make a big difference.”
The third set showcased more of the second set, with Amherst pulling away in the middle of it. While Schmitt was extremely pleased with a win in the first match of the season, she saw plenty of room for improvement. She understands the Hurricanes’ advantage is their plethora of outside hitters to go along with the solid facilitators who can feed them. Now, it’s just a matter of getting them the ball quicker.
“We need to start off stronger than we did today,” Schmitt said. “That might come back to bite us if we do that again. I think we need to stay aggressive, especially with our passing because we have some really good passers. Liza is amazing, Talia did a fantastic job today. We need to get those passes up so we can stay in system and really use our power.”
Having 10 seniors may mean possessing a boat-load of talent, but it also means possessing a boat-load of leaders. Beigel believes that, with the veterans directing the way, Amherst has the opportunity to have a special season.
“I am really excited for this year,” Beigel said. “We were talking [at the beginning of the season], and there can only be three captains, but I think everybody is such a leader in their own way on and off the court. That’s really gonna help us.”
Amherst’s (1-0) next contest comes on Friday at 6 p.m. when the Hurricanes host Chicopee before hitting the road on Sept. 11 for a marquee matchup in South Deerfield against Frontier.
