St. Luke's Varsity Volleyball: Season Preview

The St. Luke’s Volleyball program has been going from strength to strength since Head Coach Abby Abbott took control in 2014 and this year will field three Upper School teams for the first time in program history.

The Varsity team enjoyed a terrific year in 2017 finishing with an overall record of 10-4 as well as reaching the semi-final of the FAA and New England tournaments. A number of key players from that squad graduated but Abbott is excited about what she has seen in preseason: “Elyse Kim (‘21) showed up ready to work and had clearly used the off-season and summer to her advantage. Ashley Kelley (‘20) worked hard on her setting over the summer and has earned a spot on the Varsity team. Kayleigh Bowler (‘20) has also looked sharp and we will use her for some defensive help in the back row.”

 

Preseason officially got underway on August 20 but a number of the squad attended a pre-preseason camp which Abbott feels was extremely beneficial to the players’ development: “For the past two years, many have participated in a four-day camp before preseason starts. The time that students invest at the camp sets us up nicely to get right to work on positioning and rotations from day one. We had more athletes than ever come out for preseason with a total of 40 girls. I think the program is in great shape.”

The team will be captained by Riley Page ‘19 and Sydney Cummings ‘19 and the head coach believes their experience at the Varsity level will be a huge benefit to the team: “Effective captains are always at practice and should be the first to arrive and last to leave. The best captains are willing to do the jobs that no one wants, like getting water and taking down nets. Not because it's fun but because it's best for the team. I am confident Riley and Sydney will lead by example.”

Abbott will be joined this season by a new assistant coach, Garrett Minyard, who she believes will be a huge asset to the program: “Garrett comes to us with a wealth of D1 collegiate experience and professional experience both as a player and a coach. His technical expertise and his ability to motivate our team have had an immediate and profound impact. Beyond that, he embodies the St. Luke’s motto and is kind, positive, and just an all-around nice guy.”

Varsity Volleyball opened up with a tough loss to The Hopkins School on Wednesday, September 12 but responded well with victories against Hamden Hall on Saturday, September 15, The Harvey School on Monday, September 17 and The Canterbury School on Thursday, September 20. Abbott was pleased to see the response from her team and believes there is great chemistry within the group: “An attitude of community is a major theme this year. The girls are constantly interacting with each other in a positive way on the court and off. I get the sense that the girls are really having fun in each others' company and also enjoying the sport.”

Next Up: Varsity Volleyball hosts The Westover School on Saturday, September 22.