Mattituck plays for Coach Pick at emotional memorial tournament

As a beloved member of the Mattituck school community, Kelly Pickering gave so much to her students, whether it was as a guidance counselor or girls volleyball coach.

She pointed youngsters in the right direction, whether it was academics or sports.

This was one reason why Grace Quinn, a 2026 graduate, returned to the school to honor Coach Pick, as she was affectionately called, at the inaugural Kelly Pickering Memorial Volleyball Tournament Saturday.

“She had a big impact on literally my whole life,” said Quinn, who plans to attend Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. “I think about her every day. I obviously came here for that.

“She was such a great coach, always supporting me. Really had a lot of belief in me. There were times where I was having a bad game, and she would just give me a big pep talk and always supported me.”

Mattituck and seven other teams competed as the event raised money for the Kelly Pickering Scholarship Fund.

“It was a really emotional day,” sophomore middle blocker Brynn Pawlowski said. “It was hard to get through, but I’m glad that she was there with us the entire time. We really had a purpose and someone to play for. That’s what motivated us.”

Added junior right-side hitter Riley Richert: “It wasn’t just to win games. It was to play for her and to play something more than just volleyball.”

Perhaps no one appreciated that more than Pickering’s wife, Jeanine Graviano, and her son, Damian.

“Today was really about taking our pain and turning it into a purpose,” she said. “That purpose was to let Kelly’s light keep shining and let her legacy live on. You could see it in the energy between the parents, the volunteers, the players, the coaches, even the opening ceremonies. All the coaches who were here, they all respected Kelly. They all had a bond.”

Beforehand, Mattituck athletic director Gregg Wormuth addressed the teams, coaches, and spectators.

“Pick was our coach here for over 20 years,” he said. “She mentored so many. She was our friend. She was a mainstay in the Mattituck community. All of the girls here played for her at one point in time. More importantly, she was a wife and a mother.  We do miss her every single day. We thank you so much for being here. Pick was a competitor.

She loved to argue with me more than anything … and compete each and every day.”

Shirts were on sale, and baskets were raffled off for the scholarship fund. It was not immediately known how much was raised.

The Tuckers’ blue warm-up jerseys honored Pickering.

The front read:

MATTITUCK

VARSITY

VOLLEYBALL

The back read:

PLAY 4 PICK

It also featured “KP” in the middle, with angel wings on each side.

Center Moriches, coached by Pickering’s friend and travel coach colleague, Nancy Morrow, won the tournament, defeating the Tuckers in the final, 25-23 and 25-22.

“Physically, I’m tired, but we just kept playing because we really wanted to win this,” junior libero Lizzie Fohrkolb said. “Ms. Graviano was here. We wanted to win for Pick. The outcome was sad. We played as hard as we could. Pick would have wanted them to win. That was like her favorite team ever. She loved the coach.”

Not only was it an emotional day, but an exhausting one. The Tuckers began at 9:15 a.m. Their final ended at 4:28 p.m.

They played nine sets, recording a 6-3 mark. All three losses were to Center Moriches.

“That’s more than we play sometimes in a week, and we did it in one day,” Tuckers head coach Jeff Hauser said.

 “This might have been the best volleyball we’ve played all season,” Richert added.

Center Moriches, Southampton, Miller Place and Mattituck competed in Group A in the main gymnasium. Group B, composed of Greenport/Southold, Shelter Island, Riverhead and Hampton Bays, played in the back gym.

Center Moriches and Mattituck finished first and second in Group A, while Hampton Bays and Riverhead did the same in Group B.

In the first one-set, winner-take-all semifinals, Center Moriches defeated Riverhead, 25-19, and the Tuckers produced an epic comeback for a 27-26 triumph over Hampton Bays.

Mattituck was on the verge of losing at match point five times — at 24-21, 24-22, 24-23, 25-24, and 26-25.  

“It really shows how much we care and how much we strive to win,” said Pawlowski, who had seven semifinal kills. Senior outside hitter Laurel Richards also contributing several kills.

Hauser was impressed with his team’s resilience.

“They played phenomenally,” he said. “I think that they rose to the occasion and maybe got gassed at the end.”

Hauser hoped that the tournament would prepare Mattituck for two challenging Suffolk County League VIII road matches. After playing Greenport/Southold (11-2, 6-2) on Wednesday, the Tuckers (9-4, 6-2) face Port Jefferson (18-1, 10-0) on Saturday, Oct. 17, in their regular-season finale.

“Maybe it’ll fuel us for next week when we have two big league games that we would love to win that could really help us solidify playoffs,” he said.

The playoffs are later this month.

“It gave us a sneak peek at how well we can do,” Richert said. “We used our full potential today, and it went really well.”

For the Tuckers and Coach Pick.