CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - Once a volleyball player at John Jay, Theresa Swertfager-Assumma feels right at home in her new role. “I feel back home,” she said. Still, stepping in for longtime coach Tom Rizzotti can feel a little daunting.
Not entirely, though. “We talk all the time,” she said. “He wants us and the coaching staff to have fun, keep developing the girls and hopefully go far in the sectionals.”
A key to that success will be setter Hellen Dollar. “She brings a lot of communication and with new hitters, she's trying to get a good vibe going,” said Swertfager-Assumma of her top playmaker.
Julia Shepherd returns to anchor the front line, but she won’t be alone. “We have some promising youngsters coming up,” assured the coach.
Behind them, experience is plentiful with Meghan McHugh, Maria DeGaetano and Haley Hoskins as defensive specialists. “They work hard on tracking the ball,” she said. “That’s all I ask.”
As for the libero position, the decision is still up in the air, though Swertfager-Assumma is confident in her options. “We have a lot of depth,” she said.
That depth extends to the coaching staff as well. “Playing under Coach Rizzotti, we’re both back,” she said of assistant coach Allie Driesen.
For now, the first-year head coach is focused on building day by day. “We want to play hard, leave everything out on the court, and win or lose, we want to do it as a team,” she concluded.
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