Season Preview: Westhampton Beach Volleyball Squads Build Teams Around Core Groups Of Returners

The Westhampton Beach boys and girls volleyball teams return some familiar faces, but will see an influx of new ones after losing key playmakers to graduation last season.

Joshua Tuttle returns four student-athletes to his boys volleyball team this year, which will be led by senior outside hitter Declan Kerns.

“He’s been on varsity for three seasons now,” the coach said. “We’ll rely on his leadership and talent.”

Also back on the team are senior right side Daniel Gosnell, junior setter Seth Terry and junior outside hitter Alec Kelly.

“There’s a lot of new players this season, but even with only two returning starters I feel really good with our incoming junior class,” Tuttle said. “We have a lot of strong players, and I have no doubt they’ll make an impact right away.”

Newcomers who have shown adeptness so far include junior middle blockers Ben Donoghue and Will Jankowski and junior setter Casey Sidor.

“All have made great strides from their junior varsity season to now, and been equally as impressive,” Tuttle said. “They’ve spent time playing together last year and many play club volleyball together. They’ve been part of offseason practices as well. It will certainly take us a little bit of time to get into a rhythm as a collective unit, but I have full confidence in everyone’s skill.”

What helps, the coach said, is that his experienced players are battle-tested — most from last season’s 8-7 team were around when the 13-3 squad made it to the 2020-21 Division II Suffolk County semifinals.

“They’ve competed in the playoffs, so they know what it’s like to be in those pressure-filled situations,” Tuttle said. “Even with that, I have full confidence that the incoming players will also be able to make an impact and hold their weight. They’ll all be contributors.”

He admits it will be a different season for Westhampton, but that may not be a negative. Typically, the Hurricanes have been known to have one strong hitter. The last few seasons it was Daniel Haber. Before that, it was Ryan Barnett.

“We’ve had that one go-to player that is just an absolute beast,” Tuttle said. “This season, there won’t be just one player to focus on — opponents will have to look out for all six very talented guys. I believe any one of them can get the job done when we need them to.”

For now, it’s just a matter of making fine-tune adjustments to be that well-rounded team the coach is looking for.

“Balance will be key,” Tuttle said. “We’ve worked hard to be a solid passing, serving and blocking team, and I think with those three skills as our foundation, we’re going to give a lot of teams a hard time.

“Although there’s a lot of new faces, our expectations remain the same,” the coach continued. “We expect to be competing for and winning a county championship. The guys are confident, and I believe in them. It’s just a matter of making the progress we need to across the season to accomplish our goals and meet our expectations.”

Eric Ferrante, the junior varsity head and varsity assistant coach, will be leading the girls volleyball team this season while Jackie Reed is on maternity leave. Ferrante, who has been working in the club scene for years, is thrilled to be filling in.

“I think our potential is incredible,” the coach said. “We have an extremely athletic team with a real competitive attitude, and I’m excited to see what the team and I can accomplish working together at the varsity level. I hope to make Coach Reed proud as I fill in for her this season.”

This year, there’s more of an even split between returning and new players. The team, which went 7-11 last year, will be built around senior setter Lauren Goss, senior middle blocker Reilly Mahon and junior outside hitter Haley Waszkelewicz.

“They are definitely going to be the core of our lineup as we begin this season,” Ferrante said. “Of our returning players, a lot of them had the opportunity of getting a lot of court experience last year and are looking strong for this year, however, we have a lot of incoming players who show great promise — adding a good amount of depth for most positions.”

The coach said Goss is capable of making quick decisions on offense and executing plays to generate momentum; Mahon — who racked up points on offense and defense last year — provides a calm perspective and has strong sense of leadership, constantly keeping the team focused and level-headed as competition gets tough; and Waszkelewicz also shows a lot of promise as a leader, exhibiting an immense amount of optimism and effort.

“There have yet to be any moments where these three have backed down from a challenge, and that resilience is something we are going to need moving forward,” Ferrante said. “All three together possess strong competitive spirits and great teamwork, setting powerful examples for their teammates and younger players to follow.”

Also returning to the team are senior Christie Stevkovski and sophomore Karly Pascale, whom Ferrante said are surprising him every day.

“Karly continues to impress practice after practice — proving herself to be an offensive threat we can hopefully rely on,” he said. “Christie, on the other hand, continues to surprise me with her athleticism and ability to adapt to new techniques and methods in her game. This focus and adaptability will hopefully give her an edge against anything our opponents throw her way.”

New to the team is sophomore Shannon Sweet, who the coach said is athletic, aggressive and constantly challenging herself to compete at the varsity level.

“I think we’ve had a lot of pieces develop since last year, especially among the returning players, who are showing a ton of growth,” Ferrante said. “Our chemistry this year will really be a major focal point of our play. With some proper preparation, our players who continue to fine tune and develop their skills will bring some real excitement to our program.”