Donneson’s Defense Dazzles In Westhampton Beach Girls Volleyball Loss To Kings Park

If there’s one thing that Ella Donneson and her Westhampton Beach girls volleyball team didn’t know then, but that they do know now — after a 3-1 loss to Kings Park Monday — it’s that the Hurricanes can hang with the best of them.

“We know they’re beatable,” the senior right side and middle blocker said. “But we’ve been playing this team for years and we’re always, always losing. I think, playing them this time, it definitely made an impact and brought out the good and bad in our game.”

One of those positives was Donneson herself, who picked up an ace early in the first set and followed it up with another service point to put her team out front, 8-4. Kings Park (4-4 in League IV) struggled to find its groove, and handed Westhampton Beach (5-6) several points on errors, mainly through short serves and out-of-bounds kill attempts, but never stayed more than three points behind the Hurricanes the rest of the set. After a botched Kings Park block put Westhampton ahead, 25-24, Donneson made back-to-back blocks of her own in the last volley, the second of which won it for her team.

“I felt really good,” said the senior, who finished with 10 kills and eight blocks, earning points for her team on four of them. Donneson also made just one error. “I was up against a really good middle, Liv Bernard, so that really boosted my confidence and motivated me to want to work even harder.”

But her head coach wishes her players were even more receptive to her blocker’s big stops.

“I would’ve thought it would help them a little bit more, getting so excited,” Jackie Reed said. “You don’t get too many blocks in a volleyball game. The two middles were executing.”

While Donneson’s defense proved to be just as powerful as her offense, she was quick to credit her teammates for much of her success.

“If it wasn’t for Olivia Jayne and Lauren Goss, I wouldn’t be able to hit,” the senior said. “I think we struggled with the passing, and that prohibited me from hitting as much I would like. But the blocking was huge for us, and I’m glad I was able to execute that.”

The Hurricanes started the second set down 3-0, but also kept things close. That is, until a 6-1 Kingsmen run — capped by a return hit out in the back court by Westhampton — gave Kings Park a 16-8 advantage. Senior Jackie Glaser’s kill and Donneson’s block boosted the team, but their opponents quickly regained control. After a Molly Mensch (four kills and an ace) kill attempt was hit out of bounds and junior Allie Parascandola earned her second ace of the match, Kings Park collected the next seven points to win the set, 25-14.

“I know the score didn’t reflect it as much, but I think we played well as a team,” said Jayne, a senior setter who had two aces and split time with sophomore Lauren Goss (five kills, two blocks and an ace). “We came out with a lot of energy and shut down their big hitters pretty well, we learned to work around the block and I think we just played a little bit smarter in the first set.”

But the girls admitted that the fact that Westhampton lost to Kings Park in five straight Suffolk County finals — through 2018 — and lost to the Kingsmen in the 2019 semifinal, was in the back of their minds. The Hurricanes were also swept in a matchup between the two teams on March 16.

“We tried to push that aside and push forward,” Jayne said. “The first set was such a confidence-booster for everybody, but some of us haven’t seen Kings Park enough.”

Seven Hurricanes returned to the team this season with playing time, five of whom are seniors. None of the seven juniors faced the Kingsmen until earlier this season.

“Those of us who have seen them before expected them to be big swingers, but some were like, ‘Wow, that was big,’” Jayne said. “And we’re like, ‘Yep, that’s Kings Park for you.’”

The senior did add, however, that the seniors and their opponents shared a few laughs at the net, even through 25-22 and 25-15 final set losses.

“Some of us have played against each other for years now,” Jayne said. “It’s different when you know your competition so well. I think if anything comes out of this, though, it’s that we can work together and hold our own. We can be high in the points with them. We can totally hang with them.”

If there’s one thing the coach took away from the game, it’s that her team can follow through with a game plan, which is what she said her Hurricanes did in the first set.

“That’s a big deal,” Reed said. “I don’t know that many student-athletes in high school can do that, and do it successfully. The second set we were a little bit off — I think that got a little bit frustrated — but I like the fact that if I give them something, they can apply it. We just have to do more of it and practice it.”

The Hurricanes will need to beat all the opponents they previously earned wins against this season to earn a playoff spot — which they’ll do with at least a .500 record. Reed is hoping her team can also take a victory in a battle against Hauppauge (at home April 9) or Harborfields (on the road April 15) in the regular-season finale.

Donneson said the team just needs a little more consistency and aggressiveness to come away winners against the top teams in League IV, like their No. 2-ranked opponent Kings Park (4-4), Hauppauge (6-4) and No. 1 Harborfields (9-1).

“We have to get angry,” Donneson said. “We wanted to win. We really wanted this game. But when the going gets hard, you have to fight harder. We can win if we really want to, but our mindset has to be there, our mentality has to be there and we just have to keep working hard. It hasn’t been the season I’d hoped it’d be, but I think we have a lot of potential.”