Newington Volleyball Tops Wethersfield

Newington coach Chris Wanner and her volleyball team went through some growing pains a season ago, but the adversity has been a blessing in disguise.

This fall, the squad is using the struggles from last season as motivation and have won eight of their first 11 games, including a straight-set win (25-15, 25-19, 25-18) over Wethersfield last Monday night.

The conference-victory qualified the Indians for the Class LL tournament and erased the memory of a year ago when the team won a total of five games all season and missed the postseason.   

“I think that team chemistry is really phenomenal and the kids are playing with a lot more confidence,” Wanner said after the tourney-clinching victory, “We had a rough year last year with a lot of new players. It was an off year and they were really excited to come back. They’ve been playing well and improving a lot and they can see the difference in a big way from last year to this year. This is the proof of all their growth.”

The team is again receiving excellent guidance from Wanner and her trio of senior captains. Meghan Roberts, Blayne Wanner-Hyde, and Yasmin Rincon have all contributed through their production and energy levels on the court.

“It feels great. We struggled last year, but this year we’ve come out and gave it our all,” said Roberts, who had a game-high 10 kills in the win over Wethersfield, “Our energy has been really good and we’re confident. We really worked for it this year and we’re more together as a team. We all did offseason, so that’s definitely helped.”

Roberts is the frontline enforcer, leading the team in kills and block. Wanner-Hyde is the libero, leading in both digs and aces. Rincon is the jack-of-all-trades, excelling in all phases of the game.

“They have really stepped up. I think the three of them are a great mix and they have their own unique style of leadership,” Wanner said of her court generals.

All three were instrumental in Monday night’s victory. Roberts dominated the first set after her coach reminded her to stay aggressive following an error on a kill attempt.

“One time I said snap and the other time I said to fall into the ball and crush it,” said the third-year coach.

Roberts responded by finishing three straight points, including a devastating spike after Rincon made a diving save.  

The captains are doing their part, but it’s been the play of a couple of young guns that has Newington primed for a postseason run.

Carelys Benitez and Paige Trumbull are both starting as sophomores and the pair is getting more comfortable on the court with each passing game.

Benitez was a force on Monday night, registering five kills, four digs, and serving up four aces.

“She’s a confident, poised player,” Wanner said of Benitez, “The other thing that has happened is her hitting has become so much more consistent and that ups her confidence in a big way.”

Fellow sophomore Sara Caceres came off the bench to add five more kills and junior Azya Bass has settled into the setter’s position, dishing out 20 assists in the in the victory.

Newington was unable to sustain the early week momentum, losing in three sets to both RHAM on Wednesday and Bristol Eastern on Friday.

Despite the loss, the tourney-bound Indians are still in good shape and have a handful of games remaining in the regular season, including a rematch at Wethersfield on Thurs, Oct 26.

The regular season finale could have extra importance to Wethersfield, who may need a win to qualify for the tournament. The loss to Newington was their fifth straight after winning four of their first six to begin the season.

Eagles head coach Debbie O’Brien believes the team has enough talent on the floor, but wants to see fewer lapses in production.  

“We need more consistency and cannot let one mistake turn into many. We haven’t had that same energy or consistency the past four games. We haven’t had as much offense and our serving percentage wasn’t as good. The dips in those two have killed us in the last four games.”

The one stability has been the play of the team’s seniors, who are attempting to help the program earn their first tournament berth since 2014.

Cheyenne-Mone Smith and Danielle Elliott have been a terrific one-two punch at the net, each tallying five kills against Newington. Smith is the team leader in kills and Elliott leads the team in blocks. They are also first and second on the team in digs.

Setter Jacqueline Reategui is again the emotional leader and distributor on the court, leading the team in aces and assists, including 14 in Monday’s loss.

Junior Marina Pernoi also had a standout performance against Newington, coming off the bench with six points and thriving from the service line.

“She had been playing some outside hitter, but today was the first time that she did that,” O’Brien said of Pernoi’s serving, “It was a big lift for us and a big confidence booster for her too.”

The team rebounded after Monday’s loss with a come-from-behind five set victory (25-16, 22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 18-16) over Manchester at WHS and then dropped a four set match to Bristol Central on Friday, finishing the week with a 5-8 mark.

O’Brien and her girls close the regular season with four of their final five at home, including the finale against Newington.

The pieces seem to be in place, now it’s just a matter of finishing points and matches.

“I don’t think it’s as much about our rotation. I think it’s more about our aggressiveness and confidence and that feeling that we really can do this,” added O’Brien, “We can’t have that fear that we are going to make a mistake. I think they have the skills and in practice I see more of that, but on game day I think they are more hesitant.”

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