8 Photos
Sophomore Destiny Parker serves. DREW BUDD
Senior Amy Fleming goes up to hit the ball. DREW BUDD
Junior Avery Austin gets to a ball. DREW BUDD
Sophomore Layla Garapie serves for the Whalers. DREW BUDD
Junior C.J. Echavarria serves. DREW BUDD
Sophomore Destiny Parker looks to hit the ball back over the net. DREW BUDD
It’s been a bit of an up and down season for the Pierson/Bridgehampton girls volleyball team.
After losing their first three matches of the season, the Whalers picked up back-to-back victories over Shelter Island and Ross, before going on a lengthy losing streak that continued Monday evening with a 3-1 loss at Babylon.
But better play of late, which included a 3-2 loss at home to Mattituck on Friday, is leading head coach Hilary Corwin to think her team is poised to break out soon. It could have very well been Tuesday, when the Whalers (2-1 in League VIII, 2-7 overall) hosted Greenport/Southold, in Bridgehampton, results of which were too late to appear in this week’s article.
“I’m proud of the way the girls are playing against these teams that we would historically lose to in [three sets],” she said. “It was tough having a bunch of our nonleagues in a row. But I’m excited to take what we learned from these matches and put them into use against the teams in our league.”
The Whalers took the first two sets, 25-23, 25-20, over Mattituck on Friday and were on the brink of what would have been a solid and much needed 3-0 win. But the Tuckers won the third set, 25-16, won the fourth set, 26-24, then took the fifth and deciding set, 15-12.
“We just couldn’t finish it,” Corwin said.
It might have been one of the Whalers’ best matches this season, outside of their two victories, and maybe they were a little motivated since it was the team’s third annual Dig Pink match in which all proceeds from a bake sale in the gym lobby and a 50/50 raffle raised $880 for the Ellen Hermanson Foundation. Founder Julie Ratner and Executive Director Mady Shuman attended the match and spoke about the foundation and breast cancer awareness beforehand.
After playing Greenport/Southold on Tuesday, Pierson/Bridgehampton plays at Port Jefferson this Friday, October 10, at 4:30 p.m., at Shelter Island on October 15 at 5:45 p.m. and then closes out the season at home against Ross two days later on October 17 at 6:15 p.m.
