SBHS volleyball team ready to break out

By: Brian Shappell
   South Brunswick High girls volleyball coach Nancy McDonald isn’t making any Mark Messier guarantees — but she’s confident this will be a breakout year for the Lady Vikings.
   The team will begin their quest today (Thursday) against North Hunterdon.
   "We’re trying to go for .500," McDonald said. "This is the year we should be able to step it up and be competitive with the better teams."
   The fourth-year coach said the team, led by junior co-captains and returning letterwinners Terry Smoke and Kim Yee, boasts the best quality of athletes the program has had in its four-year history. She said it should help the Vikings take a large stride toward improving on their 5-19 record from last year.
   "I have girls that have played other sports," McDonald said. "They catch on to the game better and learn quicker."
   Though only one senior, Ashley Dwyer, is a returning letterwinner, juniors Smoke, Yee and Rachel Wolf; and sophomores Heather Domotor, Pam Weiss and Mia Korecky give the team varsity experience.
   Players who are up from the junior varsity are seniors Lynn Gazzale, Lori Meneide and Jodie Shutt; juniors Whitney Potts, Kimberly Fisher, Karen Lakarosky and Vera Loftis; and sophomores Lauren Maslowski, Ashley Milotta, Denise Yackman and Heather Cleffi.
   "A lot of them have played together for three years," McDonald said. "There’s a lot of team camaraderie. They’re great to work with because they all love the game so much.
   In fact, this close-knit group has been able to enjoy more success each year. After one win in 1998, the Vikings earned three in 1999 and improved to five last year.
   Every bit of that camaraderie and trust from playing together will be needed as SBHS will face perennial heavy hitters from West Windsor-Plainsboro South, East Brunswick and Hunterdon Central, each of which have six-foot tall players.
   McDonald admitted the off-season was tough on the team as it team lost five key letterwinners — two seniors to graduation, two underclassmen to transfers and one for personal reasons.
   However, plenty of new blood will join the roster this year, including sophomores Alexis Conklin, Neda Nejad and Laura Payne and freshmen Courtney Dwyer, Katie Kokoszka, Sara Koenig, Courtney Lyon and Jessica Mendoza.
   "We’re just going to need the younger kids to learn quicker this year," McDonald said.
   The Lady Vikings will open their season amidst a busy week. With the opening of school as well as scrimmages on Tuesday and Wednesday, the team will leap into its season at North Hunterdon at 4 p.m. today. The Vikes continue with their home opener against Edison on Friday at 4 p.m. and another road game, against West Windsor-Plainsboro South, on Saturday at 10 a.m.