8 Photos
Mariners Avery Greene, left, and Bailey Brown go up to block a Center Moriches player in Monday’s match. RON ESPOSITO
The Southampton coaching staff is pumped after a block. RON ESPOSITO
Lucia Obregon is fired up after a point. RON ESPOSITO
Avery Greene tries to get the ball up and over the net. RON ESPOSITO
Southampton freshman Willow Ingram serves. RON ESPOSITO
Southampton senior Bailey Brown gets ready to spike a ball. RON ESPOSITO
The Mariners got off to a strong start, defeating, and avenging last year’s county final loss, in a 3-0 victory at home over Center Moriches on Monday. RON ESPOSITO
Southampton senior captain Bea Pariz has a good look at an incoming ball from the Center Moriches side. RON ESPOSITO
Last year was a magical season for the Southampton girls volleyball team. They seemingly came out of nowhere to earn their first playoff bid since 1995, and go all the way to the Suffolk County Class B Championship, where they brought defending champion Center Moriches to the brink in an eventual 3-2 loss for the Mariners.
Do the girls still possess that same magic that fueled them last season? On paper, with just about every player back, and with a couple of additions, the initial answer would seem to be “yes.”
But due to enrollment changes, Bayport-Blue Point has moved down from Class A/League VI into Class B/League VII, along with Center Moriches and Southampton, Babylon and Mattituck, making for what should be a highly competitive season for all the teams.
The Mariners will play crossover matches against League VIII teams Pierson/Bridgehampton, Port Jefferson, the Ross School, Southold/Greenport and Shelter Island.
“That’s definitely our goal, 100 percent,” to get back to the county final, head coach Jorgine Buccio said. “I feel like we have a chance at getting back to playoffs. But things have kind of opened up with Bayport, having always been a challenging opponent, back in our league.”
The Mariners will be led by their core four senior captains — Bailey Brown, Haven Daley, Danna Nieto and Bea Pariz. Lucia Obregon, a junior, remains the team’s setter, and sophomores Karen Amador, Avery Greene and Natalie Lopez also return.
Many of the returning players were among the county leaders in a number of statistical categories last season. Greene was among the leaders for service aces, as was Nieto and Pariz. Brown was a leader in kills and digs.
Willow Ingram, a freshman, and Zoey Sulph, a junior, have joined the team.
“Willow is a middle and I’m excited to see her up on the court,” Buccio said.
Southampton played in a tournament at Center Moriches on Saturday. It qualified for the gold bracket, in which it played Sachem North in one game and lost. But Buccio said it was a great tournament to get her team prepared for the season. The Mariners also scrimmaged Rocky Point prior to the start of the season on Monday.
“We’re ready to play,” Buccio said.
The Mariners opened the season on Monday against Center Moriches and played at Bayport on Wednesday. They’re also scheduled to play at Mattituck this Friday, September 12, at 4 p.m., and will play at Babylon on Monday, September 15, at 4:30 p.m.
