Reaching the state girls volleyball tournament is a genuine thrill. However, once there, a team can be given a rude reminder — like a hard-hit volleyball smacking it in the face — of just how tough the competition is at that lofty stage.
And so it was for Mattituck Saturday in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls. READ
The Mattituck girls volleyball team earned a trip to Glens Falls and the New York State Championship with a sweep of East Rockaway Sunday afternoon at Farmingdale State College. READ
Frank Massa, in his 32nd year as Mattituck High School’s girls volleyball coach, said he hasn’t made a decision on how much longer he will remain in coaching. What he does know is that he’s nearing the end of the road.
That’s just one reason a clearly delighted Massa rejoiced in Mattituck securing its sixth Long Island championship Sunday, earning the Tuckers a trip to Glens Falls for the state tournament that will be played next Saturday and Sunday. READ
Things had started off so easily for Mattituck that it was disarming when the Tuckers suddenly lost their game and were in danger of losing a match that had looked all but won.
That’s how it is with volleyball quite often, though. Without warning, momentum can shift from one side of the net to the other. Just how to win it back is the key. READ
An emotional Senior Day is nothing new. What was unusual about the senior ceremony before the Greenport/Southold girls volleyball team’s final home match Friday, though, was the source of much of that emotion.
Greenport coach Mike Gunther has a hard outer shell, but he unexpectedly showed his softer side. READ
Before going into Dig Pink mode, the Mattituck High School girls volleyball team dug something else: its first league championship in 14 years.
With a three-set win at Shelter Island Friday, Mattituck assured itself of a share of the Suffolk County League VIII title. READ
The spectacular is great for highlight reels and “SportsCenter,” but Frank Massa is more than content with making the routine plays, well, routine.
What the Mattituck High School girls volleyball coach wants to see is consistency on passes being made that should be made and sets being made that should be made. READ
Winning high school girls volleyball matches is a learned behavior, something Greenport/Southold has been working at in recent years.
That work finally came to fruition on Sept. 7 when Greenport snapped a losing string of at least 23 matches, covering four years and two winless seasons, with a four-set win over Babylon. None of the Porters had ever experienced a win before in a varsity uniform. READ
After Mattituck’s Viki Harkin finally put away a ball for the first point of the match — a long, hard-earned point — Westhampton Beach girls volleyball coach Lenny Zaloga called over to his counterpart, Frank Massa. “Frank,” he said, “this is going to be a long one.” READ
The Mattituck High School girls volleyball team is back in Class C.
The Tuckers must be A-OK with that, no?
“Can I tell you at the end of the year?” coach Frank Massa answered. “No, I’m generally OK with it.” READ