Rye High School girls varsity volleyball coach Geri Jones said the squad’s goal this year is to not be afraid of making mistakes, but rather learn how to move past them.
That’s after last year, when the Garnets overcame a slow start to their season and headed into sectionals confidently, but fell hard to Nanuet High School in the playoffs.
“It was a really, really tough end to the season,” Jones told The Record.
But, she said her team this year is going into the fall “stronger in a lot of ways” than last year, and that she has an “enormous” amount of confidence.
The volleyball program only graduated one senior last year, so the varsity squad is mostly set already and familiar with each other.
Jones said there will be one returning captain this year, Erin Ball, but hasn’t made her final picks for the other captain spots. Some of her key players this year will be Ashley Dehmer, a setter who stepped into her own leadership role; Emma Lunstead, the rising junior who has been on the varsity team since she was a freshman; Phoebe Greto, who Jones said brings positive energy to the court; Anna Nolasco, who mentors younger players; and Valeria Medina, a leader by example.
“I just really want them to play to their potential,” Jones said. “Individually I hope they play well, but the biggest goal I have for them is to play together. If we can do that we’re going to win.”
Most of the girls have been conditioning and playing club volleyball through the summer, the coach said, and nearly the entire team also went to the University of Maryland’s volleyball camp just a few weeks ago.
The squad officially started practice at 8:45 a.m. on Aug. 26, and their home opener is on Sept. 4 against Saunders Trades & Technical High School. They’ll also have an early shot at revenge against Nanuet for their second home game on Sept. 6.