By Michael Letendre
NAUGATUCK – It seemed like the postseason run for the Bristol Eastern volleyball team was never going to end this year.
The Lancers entered the 2023 Class L playoff bracket as the tenth ranked squad at 12-8 but that position is always a dangerous one – for opponents.
And after a first round exit in the CCC Tournament at the hands of Simsbury – the same squad that eliminated Eastern out of the Class L playoffs in 2021 – the locals caught lightning in a bottle this time around.
The Kingstreeters proved that very fact as the senior core of Andrea Martir-Perez, Kaitlynn Beaulieu, Samara Paranzino, Gabby Caucci and Adrianna Reay helped the program make a serious run in the postseason.
And it took the likes of Farmington, the eventual Class L champion, to finally topple the Lancers in semifinal round action.
That’s a credit to all five of those seniors and the leadership the group provided to the program.
“I love those girls, every single one of them,” said Eastern coach Stefanie Reay of her senior class. “There are fantastic kids.”
Unlike other programs, all the seniors on the Eastern roster were invaluable on the court contributors and each athlete provided a lift or spark over a tremendous 15-9 campaign.
Eastern tallied over 800 kills this year as the duo of Reay and Caucci dropped several hammers on opponents.
The left side was the sweet spot for the front line standouts as Reay averaged around 5.5 kills per set while Caucci was hanging on at four.
When setter Naseem Hennouch zipped up the perfect pass, the Reay/Caucci combination knew how to finish with zest.
It’s no surprise that all three athletes mentioned above were named CCC South All-Conference performers.
Reay helped carry the squad offensively at times this season and when the program needed a little more from her, like the 35 kills she collected over the 3-1 quarterfinal victory against Waterford, the second rated team in Class L, she delivered in a big way.
She opened the postseason with an 18-kill effort against Waterbury Career Academy and dropped the hammer 28 times in the sweep at Stratford.
You can see the mettle of a player like Reay when the pressure was at its highest and whether it was the 34 kills in that huge 3-2 come-from-behind effort against Bristol Central on September 28 or a 21 kill showing against Middletown in a CCC South bout, the senior came through each and every time.
She was also clutch defensively, moving to the backline and bumping up attempted swings from opponents to get Eastern back into the offensive groove.
Reay might have gotten a little more of the headlines than Caucci but the Lancers wouldn’t have gone anywhere without the timely contributions of Eastern’s other slick outside hitter.
Caucci easily doubled her swinging output from her junior to senior season and made all those kills count.
She also enjoyed success in the postseason as she dropped in 12 kills against WCA, added another 16 in the huge sweep at Stratford and smoked Waterford for 15 big swings.
Like Reay, her backline play was a great complement to her overall game and the team was fortunate to be able to mold and model their playing styles by watching the senior duo compete on a daily basis.
And the trio of Martir-Perez, Beaulieu and Paranzino played pivotal roles in Eastern’s 15-win season.
That crew were remarkable in the upset of No. 2 Waterford two Saturday’s ago.
Martir-Perez zipped up 19 digs in that stellar defensive effort at Waterford, Beaulieu added some tough serving which included an ace while Paranzino gave the second seeded program serve-receive fits.
Overall, Martir-Perez led the program in digs per set this year (3.7), Paranzino was the runner-up in blocks – showing her ability on the front line – while Beaulieu was a timely contributor on multiple fronts.
This senior crew was part of two Class L semifinal teams and, despite its 3-0 loss to Farmington this past Wednesday, those final year players left its mark on the program, leading to its spirited playoff run.
“I’m so proud of them,” said Reay of her seniors.
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