After dropping the first set against William Floyd, 25-21, the Blue Waves (3-10, Division I) came storming back to sweep the last three sets of the match for a 3-1 victory. 

The win was especially sweet since the event helped raise money for a Riverhead mom battling cancer.

“Every one has come into contact with someone with cancer throughout their lives,” Riverhead head coach Nicole Orfanitopolous said. “Each of the girls picked someone that has been impacted by cancer in their lives and put their name on the back of their jersey.”

Orfanitopolous, last year’s JV coach, has taken the reins after coach Rose Horton took this year off following the birth of her baby. She’s seen the ups and downs with a roster featuring only four seniors, but the game against William Floyd showed what this team could really do when they set their mind to it.

“It’s really been game by game this season,” Orfanitopolous said. “The games that are winnable. We have been putting our best foot forward. We’re definitely in a tougher league this year with Sachem East and Sachem North. But we’ve been holding our own in a bunch of games this season but just haven’t been able to win those close matches. Even so, I really consider this more of a rebuilding year.”

When they faced off against undefeated and first-place Bay Shore on Oct. 6, Riverhead won the first two sets of the game before losing the final three. In Bay Shore’s 15 wins, Riverhead is only one of three teams to take them to a fifth set.

Three major players stood among the rest in the victory over William Floyd. Leandra North had a massive game in front of the net. The junior connected on 16 kills.

“Leandra’s a powerhouse out there for us,” Orfanitopolous said. “She’s starting to really comprehend the tactical awareness of the game … She’s continuing to grow.”

A pair of sophomores have been major contributors in front of the net this year in Kassidy Doyle and Madison Zambriski. Doyle had seven kills and four blocks. Most of her damage was done in the fourth set when her team needed it most. 

“This is Kass’ first year on varsity and she’s been playing travel and it’s showing,” Orfanitopolous said. “Her confidence is growing and growing, and she’s crushing it. Can’t wait to see how she continues to develop.”

Zambriski nailed seven kills of her own but also contributed three aces, coming up with crucial game-changing plays over and over.

“It’s crazy to think that Maddy is only in 10th grade,” Orfanitopolous said. “She’s consistently playing travel volleyball, and you need to do that to be successful here. She’s consistent in all parts of her game. When we need a point, we can always rely on her.”

But the part they won’t get back next year is the consistency in the middle with setter Adriana Martinez. The senior has been on varsity since her freshman year and has been the epitome of cool, calm and collected since she’s stepped foot on the court.

“That’s going to be the biggest thing next year,” Orfanitopolous said. “You can’t get a better setter than Adriana. The way she’s able to pass effortlessly and always be positive and make major plays for us is something we can’t just replace.”

Riverhead has three games left on the schedule. A few more wins will do everything for the momentum coming into next season.

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Despite the less-than-perfect record, head coach Rich Vlacci, Jr. actually thinks this year’s squad is even stronger. The Blue Waves have been playing without their ace, Mya Marelli, in the circle for most of the softball season. But with her slowly easing back into the pitching mix, things have quickly started to turn around.

After Friday’s 15-1 win over William Floyd at Lincoln Ave Sports Complex, Riverhead (11-2 League I) has won six in a row and looks to be in top form as they finish out the back end of their schedule and prepare for the playoffs. Patchogue-Medford (11-3) sat at the top of the division for most of the season but dropped three games amid Riverhead’s winning streak paving the way for the Blue Waves to surge into a well-deserved first place. 

“I believe that those losses were really key for us,” Vlacci said. “Last year we didn’t get that chance to focus on the little aspects of our game that we needed to improve. With Mya not always being on the mountain we need to make sure that we are really focused in our positioning defensively as well as making the right plays. We’ve really found our mark of late.”

Photos by Bill Landon

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(Credit: Bill Landon)

All season thus far it’s been Riverhead’s bats that have set the pace. In the victory over William Floyd, the Blue Waves connected for 17 hits. Marelli and Jordyn Kwasna both had two hits to add to their ridiculous batting output this season.

But it’s been more than just those two reigning All-County players knocking the cover off the softball — just about everyone in the lineup has been raking. Ten players currently boast a batting average of .300 or better. Marelli leads the way with a .500 average, including eight doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs. Kwasna is not too far behind with a .469 average with five doubles, three home runs and 17 RBIs.

“Anytime you lose you reflect more on your game and think about what you need to do better,” Marelli said. “Nobody likes the feeling of losing.”

“I’m not trying to say that losing was a good thing,” Kwasna added. “But maybe it was because you learn from it. I’m glad that was earlier in the season because we’ve gotten so much better since that time.”

Junior Adriana Martinez has had a renaissance season hitting to a .487 average and knocking in 16 runs. Madison Saladino is hitting .455 with 20 runs scored. Shaylee Bealey and Sophia Viola have each hit over .400 so far. Anywhere you look in the Blue Waves lineup, there’s production. There is not a single “easy out” at the plate for the opposing pitcher.

“Everybody has been hyped up since we beat Patchogue-Medford,” Kwasna said. “We gave them their first loss. I think that was a major turning point in our season. We wanted to prove we’re the better team and we’re going to continue to prove that the rest of the season.”

Marelli has been pitching more of late and even completed a full 7-inning game in a 2-0 victory against Longwood on April 24th.

“The plan was to only throw five innings that day,” Marelli said. “But the game was so close I didn’t want to come out. I wanted to finish out the game. I think I needed to prove to myself that I could still throw seven innings. I was definitely sore the next day but it was a good sore.”

With the slim margin between first and second place, another league title is within grasp for Riverhead. Winning out would guarantee first place.

“Our thought process this year was always taking it a game at a time but honestly the league championship doesn’t mean much to us,” Kwasna said. “For two years in a row we were right on the doorstep of getting into the County championship. We want to get that championship. That’s what we’ve been working so hard for. We have the team to do it. We want to make history, especially for the seniors this year.”

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