The Saint Stephen’s girls volleyball team has had its ups and downs in recent years, but with the hiring of new head coach Frank Casaine, the squad has found new hope and a new vibe.   

The Lady Falcons are 3-0 this season already, with the next game on Thursday, September 5, at home against Admiral Farrugut. 

A theme for this year’s volleyball team has been growth. In addition to a new coach, the program has gone through a transformation, with several players from last year’s team graduating.  It’s now time for new players to step up, and according to players the team’s energy has totally shifted

The team captain, junior Sophia Ierulli said there has been a notable change in pace down at the courts. 

 “The biggest difference going into this year is I think the energy,” Ierulli said. “The motivation is a lot different. I think we have a lot more confidence as well.”

Coach Casaine comes to the school with a lot of experience, having coached for 36 years. He attended Le Moyne College in upstate New York, which is where he got his start.  

According to Coach Casaine, the team is young, an attribute he didn’t think was a negative. 

 “We are a relatively young team, the varsity is very young,” Casaine said.  “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores and we even have an eighth grader.” 

Despite the young age of this team, the captain has high hopes for this season and with their winning streak so far, it’s off to a good start.

 “I do have really high hopes for the season, I feel like everyone is super talented and we can all grow and learn from each other.” Ierulli said.

The next Volleyball game is at home this Thursday against Admiral Farragut at 6:30 at the Hoagland Arena, make sure to come out and support our team.