Top 25 Volleyball Players to Watch
Reem AbdelHack, Shelton, Sr., MH: The returning AllSCC first team middle had 64 blocks and 125 kills as a junior.
Lindsey Abramson, Cheshire, Sr., OH: An AllSCC first team and AllState second team selection, Abramson led the Rams with 162 kills as a junior. She had 15 kills and 14 digs in Cheshire’s 32 win over Amity in the SCC final.
Katharine Anderson, Weston, Sr., MB: Anderson, who will play at Sacred Heart University next year, is a returning AllState first team selection in the middle. She led the Trojans with 305 kills and 77 blocks, while also collecting 43 aces.
Emma Appleman, Guilford, Jr., OH: One of the SCC’s top returning hitters, Appleman had 349 kills, 232 digs and 42 aces last season. An AllState second team and AllSCC first team selection
Hassana Arbubakrr, Darien, Sr., MH: Arbubakrr, a returning starter as a middle, was a big part of the Blue Wave’s run to the Class LL final last fall. She led Darien with 99 blocks and was second on the team with 195 kills.
Meredith Blinn, RHAM, Sr., Libero: An AllState second team selection last year, Blinn had a teambest 556 digs as a junior.
Ali Castro, Trumbull, Jr., S: One of the top returning setters in the FCIAC, Castro earned MVP honors for the conference championship game when she made 36 assists in the Eagles’ win over Westhill. For the season, she had 608 assists, 122 digs and 58 aces.
Bailey Cenatiempo, Trumbull, Jr., OH: The returning outside hitter had a teamhigh 188 digs and 60 aces to go along with 145 kills last year. An AllFCIAC second team selection.
Elaina Cummiskey, Darien, Sr., OH: The senior had 188 digs, 42 aces and 90 kills while helping the Wave reach the Class LL final last fall.
Zoe DiZenzo, Amity, Jr., S: The Spartans’ starting setter racked up teamhighs in assists (886) and aces (68) as a sophomore last fall. Earned AllSCC first team honors on Amity’s Class LL championship team.
Kayleigh Emanuelson,
Barlow, Sr., S: Emanuelson, an AllSWC first team selection, racked up 671 assists for the Class L champion Falcons.
Jessica Foss, Shelton, Sr., S: Shelton’s starting setter led the Gaels with 428 assists last year. An AllSCC first team selection.
Bella Johnson, RHAM, Sr., MH: Johnson led the Sachem’s highpowered offense with 413 kills last season, while also collecting 42 blocks. She was named to the AllCCC team.
Zoe Lowe, Bristol Eastern, Jr., OH: Lowe put down 251 kills as a sophomore and was named to the AllState second team. Also contributed 186 digs.
Genevieve Murray, Newtown, Sr., MB: The returning middle blocker/opposite side hitter had 40 blocks and 84 kills as a junior.
Elise Phillips, Granby Memorial, Sr., MH: The AllState first team hitter had 179 kills, 45 aces and 39 blocks as a junior.
Faith Rousseau, Seymour, Sr., OH: An outside hitter for the Wildcats, Rousseau earned AllState second team and AllNVL honors as a junior.
Betsy Sachs, Westhill, Sr., OH: A top hitter in the FCIAC, Sachs helped the Vikings go 224 and reach the FCIAC final for the first time in 15 years last season. She earned AllFCIAC second team honors.
Lily Saleeby, Greenwich, Jr., OH: One of the FCIAC’s top returning hitters, Saleeby had led the Cardinals with 331 kills as a sophomore. Earned AllState second team and AllFCIAC honors.
Katharine Santella,
RHAM, Sr., S: The Sachems’ star setter returns for her senior year after earning AllState first team honors as a junior. She had 890 assists and 154 digs while helping to lead RHAM to its third consecutive CCC title.
Raven SymondJarrett, New Britain, Sr., OH: Led New Britain with 320 kills and 197 digs. An AllState second team and AllCCC selection.
Sophia Thaguras, Westhill, Sr., S: The Vikings’ veteran setter returns after earning AllFCIAC first team honors as a junior. She’ll keep the offensive attack humming again this year.
Morgan Yacavone, Stamford, Sr., Libero: A defensive standout and top passer for Stamford, Yacavone earned AllFCIAC second team honors as a junior.
Jia Yazon, South Windsor, Sr., Libero: A senior, Yazon led the Bobcats in digs with 393 last season and earned a place on the AllCCC team. She also had a teamhigh 63 aces.
Juliet Young, Guilford, Jr., Libero: Young earned AllSCC first team honors as a sophomore while leading the Indians with 335 digs and 57 aces.
10 MATCHES TO WATCH
Darien at Newtown, Sept. 13, 6 p.m.: Darien and Newtown squared off three times last season and every match was a thriller. Newtown won both regular season matches, 32 at home and 31 on the road, but the Blue Wave rallied for a 32 win in the Class LL quarterfinals. They meet again with this earlyseason matchup.
Amity at Cheshire, Sept.
18, 6:30 p.m.: The two SCC powers met four times last year, with Cheshire winning the first three meetings, including in the league final. Amity then got revenge with a 32 win in the state quarterfinals en route to the Class LL championship. This is the first of two regular season meetings between the teams.
Joel Barlow at Newtown,
Sept. 19, 5:30 p.m.: Barlow has won seven consecutive SWC championships and has beaten Newtown in the title tilt for three straight seasons. The Nighthawks take another shot at Barlow here.
Greenwich at Darien,
Sept. 20, 4 p.m.: The two FCIAC opponents split two matches last year, with Greenwich winning 32 during the regular season and Darien posting a 30 shutout in the FCIAC quarterfinals. They’re both expected to be among the league contenders this season.
East Hampton at Coginchaug, Sept. 26, 5:30 p.m.: A rematch of last year’s Shoreline final which was won by East Hampton in five sets. They split two matches during the regular season.
Cheshire at Guilford, Oct. 1, 6 p.m.: Guilford is the one SCC team which has been able to break the CheshireAmity hold on the SCC final. The Indians get their first crack at those two teams when they get Newtown at home.
Westhill at Trumbull, Oct. 4, 4 p.m.: A rematch of last year’s FCIAC final. The two teams are top contenders for the league title again and this match could go a long way towards determining the top seed.
Darien at RHAM, Oct. 12, time TBA: RHAM has dominated CCC play in recent years and goes outside of the conference to take on FCIAC power Darien.
Trumbull at St. Joseph, Oct. 15, 5:30 p.m.: The town rivals are both expected to be in the mix for FCIAC playoff berths and will go headtohead on the Cadets’ home court.
Southington at RHAM, Nov. 1, 6 p.m.: Southington was the one CCC team which managed to defeat RHAM last fall, beating the Sachems 30 in September. RHAM never had its rematch as Southington was eliminated from the conference tournament in the quarterfinals.
— Dave Stewart