Volleyball: Time for Bureau Valley players to come of age

MANLIUS - Last year was a time for the young Bureau Valley volleyball team to grow up.

This year, it’s juniors Kate Salisbury, Emma Stabler, Ella Thacker and Annabelle Myong’s time to shine. They form the backbone of a Storm squad along with returning seniors Nikki Kerber and Jessica Fisher looking to improve on last year’s 13-19-1 (6-6 TRAC East) campaign.

“I am excited about the season and what we can do as a team,” said Salisbury, the Storm’s returning setter. “The juniors are more at ease coming into this season with the varsity experience we gained last fall. We are more comfortable with the speed of the game and gained confidence.

“I can’t wait to work hard this season with my teammates and bring home some hardware.”

Storm coach Caitlyn DeMay is looking forward to seeing how far they have come.

“We were a young team last year. We are looking forward to building and maximizing our efforts on the volleyball court. This is going to be a fun and exciting season of BV volleyball,” she said.

“They are eager to get better each and every day and are always up for a challenge.”

The Storm will open the season at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Wethersfield, making their home debut a week later on Aug. 30 vs. Mendota.

The Storm get a boost this season with the return of seniors Alaina Wasilewski and Mallory Endress from knee injuries, which knocked them out all of last year.

“Alaina and Mallory are going to bring some senior leadership to the program. With Alaina in the middle blocking and Mallory at the serve line it is going to be a big boost,” DeMay said.

Salisbury said Wasilewski and Endress are already making a big difference this year.

“Those girls and Kerber have been great vocal leaders on the team,” she said.

With a year of varsity ball under her belt, Salisbury, who averaged four assists per set as a sophomore, is ready to take off playing the key role as setter.

“With already one year of varsity experience, I feel I am a lot more comfortable on the court and I am more comfortable running quicker offenses and trying different things with my teammates,” Salisbury said.

“Kate is ready to go and she gets the ball to her hitters,” DeMay said. “She is being more of a vocal leader and calling out the offense more and more. I am looking forward to her decisions and helping guide her along the way to being one of the best setters in the conference.”

Things are also looking up at the net for the Storm with the addition of 6-1 Wasilewski and 5-10 freshman Keely Lawson to go along with Stabler (5-9), who recorded 171 kills, 140 digs and 31 aces, Thacker (5-9), who averaged 0.6 blocks per set last year, Fisher (5-11), Myong (5-9) and junior Josie Edlefson (5-8).

That combination will allow the Storm to average 5-9 at the net in all six rotations, DeMay said.

“It is so nice to have height up at the net. I always joke that we can not coach height. We have some great height all around,” DeMay said.

The back row will be in the hands of defensive specialists in seniors Olivia Davis, Kerber and Endress and juniors Katelyn Stoller, Addison Wessel, Callie Michlig and Meghan Kalapp.