Volleyball Changes Seasons, Giomanco Leaves Girls

Last season, in late May, the Schreiber boys volleyball team competed in the finals for the Class A Championship against Massapequa. The Vikings lost. This time around, the Vikings hope to win the title, but if they do, it will be sometime in the fall, rather than the spring. 

The change in season is countywide, allowing the boys' teams to compete in the state championship, rather than ending the season at the county level. And though scheduling may become tough, some male volleyballers welcome the news because this year they can play through three seasons. Take Paul Kagan, a junior, who has spent the summer playing for a national club team from Long Island. Kagan was a JV player in May who was brought up to the varsity squad for the playoffs. A varsity player this season, the 6-foot-4 middle blocker looks forward to the fall season.

"Playing in the fall is great because we have a lot of players coming off of summer training," Kagan said. "We go straight into the games at our peak instead of waiting a full year before the season starts."

The girls will not change their season of play, though they face a change that presents a new challenge: Head Coach Maria Giamanco's decision to lead the boys squad instead of the girls this season. Giamanco had spent multiple years coaching both the boys and girls.

"In the spring of 1990, I was hired here to coach volleyball for the boys," the veteran coach said. "That was 21 years ago, and I decided that since I'm winding my career down, I should stay with what I started."

While her shoes will be hard to fill, new Head Coach Steven Park, who for years has assisted Giamanco in coaching both the boys and girls' teams, has already taken steps in the right direction.

"You would never know that this is [Coach Park's] first year as a varsity head coach because of all the experience he's had in the sport," said Kristin Courage, a third-year varsity player. 

With both teams competing in September, playing times and gym space will always be limited. Volleyball fields a varsity and a junior varsity team for both boys and girls, making it difficult to manage where practices will be held for all four squads. 

"The first change I noticed was during preseason, when our morning practice times were moved back due to the boys getting the earlier times," Courage said. "I'm sure there will be problems not only in Schreiber but all over the county with having enough coaching staff, referees, and gym space." 

This season, both the boys and girls' teams will look to compete and win their respective titles. But they will need to do it during the same season if they want to do it all.