The expectations for Rye volleyball are at an all-time high entering the 2026-27 season.
The Garnets claimed their first section championship last year, made the state tournament’s regional final, and had a 19-5 overall record, including nine wins in their last 11 matches. The team as a collective shattered nine school records, on top of nine individual records, making it the most decorated Rye volleyball season to date.
So, now what?
Throughout summer workouts and the team’s annual three-day camp at the University of Maryland, coach Geri Jones has stressed to her returners they are no longer section champions, but defending section champions — “which comes with a whole different view,” she said.
“We can’t come in with that in our head,” Jones said. “We knew we were good enough last year to win the section championship, we knew we had the talent last year to be able to do that, but we didn’t approach the season [like that]. We approached the season as, ‘We’re going to do this one at a time.’”
That’s why the perfect book for the team’s yearly mandatory preseason read was “Champion Mindset” by Patrick Mouratoglou, a world-renowned tennis coach.
This time last year, Jones felt her team came up short — not due to a lack of talent, but a mental barrier and a fear of losing. Now entering this season as defending section champions, that fear is long gone.
“We have to work like we want to be champions again,” she said. “And if that’s what they want, then we have to set little goals each day to get there, but our goal can’t be to win the section or to win the state. I don’t think this group is afraid of losing. They might be afraid of not winning, but I don’t think they’re afraid of losing anymore.”
Seniors Amelie Modesto, Margo Ehrenberg, and Lexi Kessner will take on larger leadership roles, carrying on the legacy of last year’s captains. Modesto has already shown the ability to lead after starting as a setter who helped run last year’s offense.
“I have an enormous amount of confidence in the plays that she sees. I trust her tremendously,” Jones said. “She gives everything she has every day, and that’s what Amelie brings to this team. She knows her job, and she’s going to do it.”
Following Emma Lunstead’s graduation, Ehrenberg will take over as libero. She spent the past two seasons playing alongside Lunstead as a defensive specialist, which could help make for a seamless transition.
“Margo came up to varsity as a sophomore knowing she was not going to play the libero position until her senior year,” Jones said. “She was starting as another DS, but she was taking what she could from Emma and making it her own. I have all the confidence in the world that Margo is going to step into that libero position and do her job.”
And returning from injury, Kessner will be another crucial setter and leader for the Garnets this year. Other familiar faces in the starting lineup include senior Giorgia Brizio, sophomore Audre Campbell, and junior Katie Hillis.
“Most of our starters are back, so it’s a good problem to have,” Jones said. “And we have some really talented girls coming into this program. We have some talented returning players who played on junior varsity last year who would definitely be considered for varsity. I’m very excited about what we’re going to look like after the first week of tryouts.”
The season opener is set for Wednesday at Tappan Zee, a rematch against the team Rye beat in last year’s Class A section championship. The home opener is Sept. 10 against Dobbs Ferry, the 2025 Class B section runner-up.
“When I went into making the schedule for the season, I wanted to play all the teams that finished first in their conferences,” Jones said. “I want us to play the best teams out there during the season and get us ready for what’s next.”
