Herricks Girls Volleyball Loses to Kennedy

lost to Kennedy on Wednesday away, 3-0. 

Heroes: Herricks, led by outside all around player Paige Barnaby and mid-net powerhouse Kimberly Givelechian, proved no match for the balanced game offered up by this year‘s Cougars.

Four starting slots are filled with talented performers who were prominent from last year‘s team – middle Heather Hulkower (four kills), outside hitter Kerri Stalzer (seven kills), setter Jamie Demmett, and the talented server Taylor Krug (four kills), who is growing in stature on the court day by day. New to the scene is the impressive Lauren Sustad, a sophomore who‘s a force on the net; and the one-two tandem of Geena Bruno and Casey King in the sixth spot.

“Heather Hulkower’s day was outstanding, she was a leader out there,” Allen Ma, coach, said. He also praised Jamie Demmett in the setter position, and Kerri Stalzer

Quotable: “This is a balanced conference, all the teams are good and who wins on any day can depend on what’s going on inside the kids on any particular day,” Tara Krinsky, Herricks coach, said.

Bottom Line: Herricks, which was coming off a five game nail biter – and loss – to Long Beach, came out on fire in game one and, while their attempt to match up with Kennedy point by point faltered, kept things interesting for two . In fact, a particularly effective second game effort produced a 21-22 advantage – and a Cougars time out to regroup.

He got just that from his squad. The Cougars won four of the next five points, sealing game two with a soft Krug place between two Herricks defenders and roaring back for a decisive 25-13 match-winning game victory in number three.

It’s a long season full of tough competition in Conference A-1. And with a combination of strong programs before them – known knowns like Wantagh and known unknowns like Long Beach – it’s too early to assess how this year’s Lady Cougars will stack up by playoff time in late October.

But at this early stage, coach Ma was pleased with what he saw.

"I commended the girls for staying aggressive,” he said. “It’s early in the season. And it’s important to stay focused and unified, even when things get sloppy.“

Who's Next?: Herricks faces South Side on Friday at 5 p.m.