Falls Sports Season Officially Underway

A week after high school football officially got a head start Aug. 17, the rest of sports joined in Aug. 24.

“It’s been great so far,” said Putnam Valley High School volleyball libero Bella Coletti, a senior. “You know, we lost a lot of top players last year and now we’re just working really hard to try and get back to how we were last year.”

Coach Samantha Fasce added: “It was great to have all the girls together again. We’re looking forward to another exciting and successful season together.”

It was a mini-reunion, of sorts. Unlike football or soccer or even swimming, there are limited opportunities for clubs and offseason workouts in volleyball. But that didn’t stop Coletti and her teammates from getting together.

“I play lacrosse, so I’m always getting my exercise and training in,” she said. “I think a lot of the girls are like that. But sometimes we get together and we just play volleyball. We all were like family last year and it already seems like that so far.”

Even on the sand.

“We have a town park that has a beach sand volleyball setup,” she said.

Coletti is optimistic for the season.

“I think we have a lot of great returning players and a lot of up-and-coming girls who are super good,” she said. “So as long as we keep working hard, we’ll get there.

The optimism extends to the coaches – even the new ones.

“We will field a team of mostly eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders,” said new Haldane Girls’ Soccer Coach Chris Fortunato. “But we are eager to make our mark.”

And new Haldane Volleyball Coach Tony Caldiero has hit the ground running.

“There were great energy and enthusiasm throughout our practice sessions,” he said. “It was evident how eager and happy the players were to get the season started. There was a lot of teaching by the coaches as new systems and a style of play are being implemented, which will be a great challenge for the team.”