Isabella DeChico was one of several key players to turn around the Mahopac volleyball season in 2025. After a very sluggish start, the All-Section senior helped trigger a run that saw the Wolf Pac reach the Class AA finals at the Westchester County Center, a journey well worth their hard work, before falling to Yorktown last fall.
Folks were quick to write the Wolf Pac off after that slow start saw them lose 12 of their first 14 sets, including 3-0 shutouts to Lakeland, Yorktown, and John Jay-Cross River.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Mahopac coach James Melville said. “I would rather play a challenging schedule and take some losses early on to be ready for the tough matches in the tournament.”
DeChico will pass the baton to a handful of players, but All-State junior Taylor Ann Vitello — sixth-team All-NYS — will be the one quick to grab it after she put up some staggering late-season numbers in her first varsity season. Her 150 kills (2.3 kills per set) along with 186 digs (2.8 digs per set) are something coach Melville will be quick to build on.
Throw in the likes of returning junior setter Lily Slizowski, and seniors Vivien Zucchi (middle) and Sophia DeMayo, and the Wolf Pac are poised to do the same as last season: grow at the start and peak at the end; like they did last year in a pair of thrilling five-set wins over Harrison in the quarters and top-seeded Horace Greeley in the semis.
Its 2026 arc practically rewrites itself: a clean handoff from one star to the next set, wrapped inside a program that has learned how to grow early and peak late.
For two seasons, DeChico was the heartbeat of Mahopac volleyball. Her steady play and leadership helped transform a sluggish 2025 start into a run all the way to the Class AA finals. Her graduation leaves a void, but not a vacuum.
Vitello didn’t just acclimate to the Section 1 circuit last fall; she detonated onto the scene. Her late‑season surge and the trust of coach Melville, who sees her as the next foundational piece of the program, should bolster the Wolf Pac in 2026.
Vitello’s two‑way production gives Mahopac something rare: a player who can tilt a match at the net and stabilize it in the back row. She’s the kind of athlete who doesn’t wait for the baton — she readily grabs it.
Still, Mahopac’s strength heading into 2026‑27 goes beyond Vitello’s rise. It’s the returning depth, the continuity, and the familiarity with Melville’s system.
“There are key players returning from last year’s team that made the section final,” the coach said. “There are returning players who played last year and some new players moving up who have potential to be major contributors. This team has a chance to be very successful this season.”
Slizowski, a junior with varsity experience and the versatility to impact multiple rotations, will need to further step up. Zucchi provides a senior presence who steadies the floor and raises the team’s defensive ceiling. DeMayo provides another senior whose leadership and consistency will matter as the Wolf Pac navigate early‑season growing pains.
This group isn’t starting from scratch. They’re starting from familiarity, and that matters in volleyball — where balls spin and accelerate faster than most — more than most sports.
Mahopac’s identity has become predictable in the best way in recent seasons: a slow build; a steady climb and peak when it matters.
With Vitello emerging as a legitimate two‑way force, Slizowski stepping into a larger role, and Zucchi and DeMayo anchoring the senior leadership, the Wolf Pac are positioned to follow the same trajectory as last season — and perhaps push even further.
Melville said one of the early challenges will be incorporating new people — or new responsibilities — on offense and defense.
Key newcomers include Noella Rosner and Diana Grishaj, but the coach was quick to point out that others will emerge once the unit really gets into its summer flow.
This isn’t a rebuild. It’s a reload. And it starts with League C foes Brewster, Carmel, RCK, and reigning Section 1 champion Yorktown.
Team strengths include defense, and the experience of several returnees from a team that reached the section finals in 2025.
But the league schedule is tough and Yorktown is the preseason favorite. Beyond that, Yorktown and Lakeland — led by All-American Kelly Mallon — figure to be the favorites heading into the sectional tournament.
Mahopac will be one of 22 teams challenging for the Section 1 Class AA title, which opens up with playoff contention on Oct. 24 for out-bracket play and Oct. 27 for first-round action. The sectional finals will be contested on Nov. 11 at the County Center.
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