New coach, same results for Calhoun girls volleyball this season as team picks up win over Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK
Grace Miller is one of 10 seniors on defending state champ Calhoun. She had eight kills and four aces on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Changing coaches after winning a state title isn’t easy.
But Grace Miller, Gianna Lucchi and the rest of Calhoun’s 10 seniors sure have made the transition look that way.
The reigning girls volleyball state Class A champions looked like their old selves in a 25-22, 25-17, 25-14 home win over Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK in Nassau Conference II on Wednesday.
“One of the first texts I got from the team was, 'Welcome to the family,’ ” coach Cheryl Scalice said. “It can’t be easy for 10 seniors to get a new coach, but they’re all role models for each other and it’s wonderful.”
Scalice earned the team’s trust early on and it shows on the court.
Miller totaled four service aces, including three in the final set. She constantly mixed up her locations, power and spin on her serves to keep Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK (7-4) off balance. Miller credited Scalice for calling a spot on each serve.
“We do a lot of serving at practice,” Miller said. “Coach Scalice is very big on accuracy rather than power.”
“Anything she says, we’ll do because that’s the trust we have in her,” Lucchi added.
Lucchi is one of the top setters in Nassau but has taken on more of an attacking role this year. She looked like an experienced outside hitter, finishing with 11 kills along with her 18 assists.
“You have to have confidence in yourself and think, ‘This is who I am and I’m going to kill the ball.’ Volleyball is still volleyball at any position you play,” Lucchi said. “Setting has helped me because I know how to time the ball when I go up.”
After a tight first set, Calhoun (10-1) erased an 11-6 deficit with a 13-3 run led by Olivia Ruisi and Cameron Tighe. A 7-1 run gave the Colts a 19-12 lead in the third set, Sofia Monastero closed it out with back-to-back aces.
Calhoun hosted a bake sale as part of the Dig Pink fundraiser, which supports the Side-Out Foundation in raising awareness and funds for the treatment of breast cancer.
Ruisi had 10 kills, Miller had eight kills, Olivia Katz had 14 assists and Amelia Secor had 10 digs.
As the postseason nears, the Colts are ready to prove that they’re as hungry as ever.
“We never walk into the gym saying, ‘We’re the state champs.’ ” Miller said. “Last year is over and this is a whole new team.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
