YORKTOWN, N.Y.—Last year, Yorktown enjoyed a solid season, when the No. 4 seed lost at top-seeded Horace Greeley 3-0 (7-25, 12-25, 16-25) in the semifinals of the Section 1 Class AA Tournament to finish 13-7.
Natalia Lyon (senior captain, outside hitter, All-League, All-Conference), Julia Amado (senior captain, opposite hitter), identical triplets Mia Riordan (senior captain, setter), Hailey Riordan (senior, outside hitter) and Katie Riordan (senior, defensive specialist), Jordan Drap (senior, middle hitter), Lucy Von Lahndorff (senior, opposite hitter), and Kailey Alexander (junior, middle hitter) return from that squad.
“My expectation is for these returning players to lead, guide and demonstrate how to be a teammate, play hard and play to win,” said eighth-year Yorktown coach Gigi Kemp. “These seniors have been playing for Yorktown volleyball for four years now as well as club, and I am confident that they will put their all into each day of practice and get the wins.”
Junior Olivia Brackett, sophomores Nina Fasce, Mia Horn, Ella Chibbaro and Haley Allen, and freshman Emma McCoy make up the Huskers’ newcomers.
“My hope is for these players to jump in, play hard at the varsity level, advance their game to a higher level, and eventually be the leaders,” Kemp said.
Yorktown opens the season at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Hendrick Hudson tournament, with its home opener against Walter Panas at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8.
“One of our goals is to make it further than the semifinals in the playoffs,” Kemp said. “We are going to take each match one at a time and put forth our best effort, whether on the court or cheering their teammates on.”
After being an assistant coach for Steve Fallo in 2024, Andrea DiMichele is the new Lakeland coach.
“I was a volleyball player at Walter Panas many years ago and always respected and admired Steve as a coach even back then when I played against him and Lakeland,” DiMichele said. “Steve was a great mentor and role model. He taught me how to interact with players and how to motivate them to do their best. Steve was an amazing coach for 39 years at Lakeland. He will truly be missed in the volleyball community.”
Last year No. 6 Lakeland made it to the Section 1 Class A finals, the first time they were held at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, before losing to No. 1 John Jay-Cross River 3-0 (21-25, 26-28, 17-25).
“Upsetting the third seed Somers and then second seed Byram Hills to make it to the sectional finals was an amazing journey, then to be able to compete at the County Center made it that much more special,” DiMichele said. “We have many returning players who were the reason why we made it to the sectional finals. If the girls continue to work hard and work together on the court, we will have a successful season.”
One of the Hornets’ co-captains is junior outside hitter Kelly Mallon, who was both All-Section and All-League in 2024.
“Kelly is no stranger to Lakeland volleyball,” DiMichele said. “She has been on the varsity team since seventh grade. She is a leader both on and off the court. Her skill set and volleyball knowledge when it comes to all aspects of volleyball is incredible. Defensively Kelly is accurate, consistent and won’t let a ball drop. Offensively, she knows where the openings are, knows when to take a swing and knows where to find the hole. Kelly will continue to be a top player in Section 1.”
Junior outside hitter Sofia Cruz (All-Section, All-League) is Lakeland’s other co-captain.
“Sofia broke out of her shell last season and will continue to shine this year,” DiMichele said. “She is a dominant hitter in the front row. She works hard in the offseason and that work ethic continues each and every day at practice.”
Junior middle hitter Caelyn Faison is another top returnee from a team that finished 14-8 in 2024.
“Caelyn continues to improve from year to year,” DiMichele said. “She is becoming more consistent at the net and is going to be a dominant hitter in the middle this year for Lakeland.”
Taryn Bruno (senior, defensive specialist), Lynae Petrosino (senior, setter/opposite hitter), Ava Stabile (junior, defensive specialist), Elyse Steimel (junior, setter/opposite hitter) and Ava Hoff (senior, opposite hitter/middle hitter) also return for the Hornets.
Sophomore middle hitter Mia Aquart is the Hornets’ top newcomer.
“Mia has big shoes to fill since her sister, All-Section player Tatiana Aquart, graduated last year,” DiMichele said. “However, Mia is a hard worker and has solid hitting and blocking skills.”
Pranvera Ibrahimi (freshman, defensive specialist), Maebh Rooney (junior, opposite hitter/middle hitter), and Kelly’s sister, Amelia Mallon (freshman, setter), are Lakeland’s other newcomers.
Lakeland will open the season at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3 at Mahopac.
“Starting the season with more consistent play is our first goal,” DiMichele said. “It took last year’s team some time to gel. However, I’m hoping this season with many returning players we can start out with success right from the beginning. Another visit to the sectional finals is a goal with the hopes of winning the title of Section 1. We have a tough schedule playing against some talented teams throughout the section. This will hopefully prepare the team to be able to make it back to the County Center.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article said Steve Fallo coached for more than 40 years (not 39). We regret the error.
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