Experience fuels Latrobe girls volleyball team

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 16, 2018 | 6:54 PM

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A year has made a big difference for Latrobe’s girls volleyball team.

The Wildcats finished last season with just three wins in WPIAL Section 3-4A. Latrobe has matched that win total through its first three section matches this fall.

“It’s definitely a different scene for us,” Latrobe senior Carly Augustine said. “We don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves, though. We just have to take it one game at a time.”

The Wildcats returned most of its starting lineup from a year ago. Having a full season under coach Drew Vosefski, who took over last fall, has allowed the team to find a rhythm, too.

“We have more experience as a team, and the girls are getting used to my program and my style since it’s my second year back. They are buying in and performing quite well,” Vosefski said. “In terms of confidence and maturity, the difference is tenfold. They have the mindset that they are not going to be denied.”

Latrobe senior Savina Pavlik said: “I definitely have seen an improvement in the team since last year. That comes with playing together as a team, and the teamwork we have is pretty good.”

A tweak in Latrobe’s offense provided a spark. Junior Abby Rullo joined Augustine at setter.

“We changed to two setters on offense, where Carly has been able to hit more. That’s been a big advantage to us,” Vosefski said. “Together, they run the offense very well.”

Seniors Beth Havrilla and Pavlik return at outside hitter, while junior Sadie Wetzel is back at right-side hitter. Senior Kameran Giannilli has been a steadying force at libero.

“She has gained a knack from last year of reading offenses and putting herself in the right spots all the time,” Vosefski said.

Junior Lauren Cammerata returns at middle hitter. Sophomore Emma Fenton joins her as the newest addition to the starting lineup.

“I love playing with my teammates. They are very supportive,” Fenton said. “I thought it was going to be hard, at first, coming into the starting lineup, but they’ve taken me in like family.”

Juniors Sarah Vasinko, Skylar Shank and Sydney Quinn are part of the rotation.

“We can put them in at any time and feel confident,” Vosefski said. “Overall, I think the girls have taken ownership of their roles. There hasn’t been a lot of differences in positions from last year. They’ve just taken total ownership of their responsibilities. They are maturing and understanding the level of play they have to achieve and going out and doing it.”

Experience has allowed the team to play at a faster pace.

“That’s how we practice every day – we try to make the play faster in practices than we play in a match so that the thinking becomes less and the reaction is more,” Vosefski said. “Hopefully, that slows the game down in the actual match.”

“We’re a lot more comfortable playing at a different speed now,” Augustine said. “We have some really talented players this year, and we’re all really, really close.”

Latrobe opened section play with a win over Penn-Trafford and rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Connellsville.

“That definitely showed our determination,” Fenton said. “We focused on each other’s strengths and were able to come back. That showed us we can do really good things this season.”

The team swept Plum for its third section win and hopes to continue its momentum.

“It’s been a lot of fun this year,” Augustine said. “We just get to breathe a little now with our strong start. At the same time, we’re learning to not be complacent with it.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.

Tags: Latrobe