This season has been one of redemption for the Mineola High School girls varsity volleyball team. This season goes a long way toward making up for all the heartbreak and defeats the team faced the previous two seasons. The Lady Mustangs, under third-year coach Janna Balsamo, have persevered, they have survived, they have learned to trust and have emerged as one of the best Class-B units in Nassau County. This has been a tough lesson for the volleyballers. From two years ago when they went oh for the season, they improved a little bit last year to the point they were not losing as badly. Now, this season, the hard work has paid-off for Mineola, which finished its season with eight wins and six losses and earned number-five seed in the county tournament. Mineola then opened the postseason with an impressive win over Clarke taking three straight games 25-18, 25-19 and 25-23. That earned the ladies a berth in the second round against 4th seeded Roslyn. That match was to be played on Saturday, Nov. 1. Allyson Strein and Juliette Barber each had 15 kills for the Lady Mustangs, while setter Nicole Lapin added 45 assists.

After defeating Seaford in four games in the last match of the regular season, a win that earned Mineola its playoff berth, Coach Balsamo took some time with us to talk about her team and her players. You wonder what is the big difference between those teams of the past two years that lost nearly every match to this year's team. The coach explained, "They finally gelled as a team. They have team unity and show terrific teamwork. There are no super stars on the team. But, they all get along very well, while they are maturing mentally and physically on and off the court." It also took a while for the girls to grasp the kind of system Coach Balsamo implemented. "We don't have much size. So, we had to rely on our solid passers and make sure the players were set up to hit from the best spot on the court for them," said the Coach. She went on to say that "Once the girls saw what it was like to win early this season, it gave them the confidence they needed to play well." Coach Balsamo further complimented her squad by saying, "It's been a great season with the girls. They are a great bunch. I'm happy to be there. It's a pleasure to coach them." Balsamo was an all-star player in her high school days at West Hempstead. So, it comes as no surprise that the Oct. 3 win over her alma mater stands out as the biggest win this season. Mineola won that one in five games, outlasting west Hempstead 28-26 in the 5th and deciding game. Liz Kocienda served an ace to break a 26-26 tie and then the visitors made a hitting error to give Mineola the victory. This was a team built to succeed this year and next. Coach Balsamo is hoping this will lead to a strong program that can be a contender every year. Once the playoffs are completed, the coach will sadly bid adieu to three seniors, Allyson Strein, Elizabeth Kocienda and Janet Holler. There are an additional seven key juniors on this team. In talkin about her players, Coach Balsamo characterized them this way:

Allyson Strein, Sr. The team's go-to server and defensive player, serves 95 percent and has about 150 attack attempts (spikes).

Liz Kocienda, Sr., solid middle blocker, our tallest player, leads the team in blocks (60) of which 30 have resulted in points. She has 72 kills.

Nicole Lapin, Jr., setter, has over 1,000 sets and 200 assists, has a 90 percent service rate, she is a key element of our team.

Juliette Barber, Jr., an amazing defensive player and very smart hitter, she has a 90 percent success rate on her serves and 98 percent success rate on her digs.

Michelle Guido, Jr., leads the team in kills (120), a very solid blocker and al-around player.

Erin O'Neilll, Jr., off setter (right side), solid player, serves at 90 percent success rate and is second in assists.

Coach Balsamo also pointed to three more juniors, Caitlin O'Neill, Amy Kemmler and Jill Shanahan as key defenders who have made huge contributions to the success of the team. While Strein and Kocienda will be very difficult to replace next year, rest assured that Coach Balsamo has a strong cast of junior and help from the JV team that should make 2004 a good season as well.