Girls Volleyball Reflects On Historic Season

After posting a winning record of 13-7, including their program’s first ever win at the state level, it’s safe to say that East Longmeadow’s girls volleyball team should be proud of themselves for the season they had.

This was the first time in over a decade that a Spartans volleyball team has had 13 wins in one season, containing four more wins than the last three seasons combined.

The Spartans’ state tournament win was one of domination, sweeping the New Mission Titans 3-0, but that wasn’t their only playoff win this season.

The Spartans also swept their Western Mass. Quarterfinals matchup, Commerce, before losing to the defending Division V state champions, Paulo Freire, in their Semifinal game. 

Losing their Round of 16 game in the state tournament to Cardinal Spellman, the Spartans totalled four playoff appearances, a big feat in comparison to the one playoff appearance program had made over the last three years.

Not to mention individual achievements, as senior captain Ally Voight was named to the IVHF 1st All Star team and senior outside hitter Sam Ahlberg was named to the 2nd. This was the first time in Spartan history that a player was selected to the 1st team and that there were two selections in the same year.

This was Voight’s second year being selected as an All Star, putting up 384 assists, 187 digs, and 10 blocks on the season. In Ahlberg’s first year being selected, her statistics displayed 131 kills, 184 digs, and 6 blocks. 

Voight and Ahlberg, along with senior middle Bella Giard, have also been selected to play in the newfound PVIAC Senior All-Star game next Monday.

Marking two All-Star selections and becoming the all-time Spartans girls volleyball player with the most career assists, passing the former leader Olivia Calkins by over 300, Voight has met the expectations she had set for herself before the season started.

“One of my goals was to make the first all-star team, and being the first ELHS girl’s volleyball player to ever do that makes it so much more meaningful,” Voight said. “I am so proud but I still would not have been able to make it without Coach Kyle helping me grow and improve so much.“

Head coach Kyle Andolina has clearly made an impact on all of his players, but especially his seniors, who he has coached throughout all four years of their high school careers.

“I owe it all to this team, and especially this group of seniors,” Andolina said. “What the seniors did in their four years was something I will always remember.”

As for next year’s senior group, though it will definitely be hard to fill the shoes of the seven seniors this team had, Andolina also has high expectations for them.

“They’re the ones next year who have to lead the program and make sure the team is living up to the standards that we had this year,” Andolina said. “We will be a much younger and inexperienced team so I will be relying heavily on those seniors to put their best foot forward.”

One of those current juniors is outside hitter Adrienne Rioux, who totalled for 62 aces, 147 digs, and 101 kills. Starting in all but two games this past season, Rioux is hoping for a similar season next year and is confident in that happening.

“This season will be a hard one to top, but we have a lot of new talent coming into the program and I believe we can accomplish a lot in the coming years,” Rioux said.

After learning lots of things from this past season, Rioux is especially grateful to be able to carry on the leadership skills of captains Voight and Ashley Kahi.

“Ally and Ashley’s leadership taught me it’s important to stay positive on the court, how to come back from mistakes, bring our teammates up, and to help our teammates on and off the court,” Rioux said. “I plan to use these qualities to continue their positive efforts and energy into the upcoming season.”

It’s clear the emphasis surrounding this program is on team chemistry, something that clearly helped lead the Spartans to their historic season.

“I found that our greatest successes as a team came from when we all worked together like a whole machine, rather than focusing solely on our individual wants,” Ashley Kahi said. “It was easier to do the little things when we were all on the same page and working as a cohesive unit.“

For Kahi, her leadership skills were passed down to her from “previous upperclassmen who became like mentors,” once again showcasing the positivity that surrounds this volleyball program as a whole. 

The futures for Voight, who is planning on pursuing a collegiate athletic career, and Kahi are bright, but they will never forget the memories they made playing for East Longmeadow.

“I am incredibly happy with the way things turned out this year and I am so proud of my team,” Kahi said. “I can’t wait to see the great things they do next year.”

“Ending my high school career successfully was very crucial not only for college, but for myself and my coach,” Voight said. “He always knew my potential and I wanted to make him proud all the way to the end of the season.“

Successfully accomplishing those goals, this year’s senior group, consisting of Voight, Kahi, Ahlberg, Giard, Sophia Dow, Mackenzie Corl, and Roshna Bush has left their volleyball program with lots of potential for more growth.

“When the younger girls start seeing varsity doing well, it makes them even more invested in the program’s overall success, contributing to them coming back year after year and wanting to continue our success,” Andolina said. 

Andolina, Rioux, and next year’s Spartans volleyball team will continue to push for success, teamwork, and positivity, which, as Andolina says, is “all you can ever ask for.”