Coventry overcomes adversity in a big way in Connecticut Volleyball

Coventry High battled through a difficult season in 2011. The girls volleyball team had to overcome the loss of the program's founder and head coach, Matt Hurlock, who died in July 2011, the appointment of a new head coach and the relative inexperience of a talented yet young lineup.

Still, under new coach Ryan Giberson, Coventry won its sixth consecutive CIAC Class S championship and eighth in nine years with a perfect 24-0 record, its second straight 24-win undefeated season.

In addition, the Patriots were voted the No. 1 team in the state coaches poll for the second year in a row. Quite an accomplishment for a Class S school.

"The difference from last year is obviously, they've all gotten a little bit better, but they have the experience," said Giberson, who took over in August 2011 after one year as an assistant to Hurlock. "They were a little immature at times last year. It was a tough season for all of us.

"I have another year of experience under my belt and we're all getting along a little bit better. It's a little more comfortable. There was just a lot going on last year. It looked good on paper, but it wasn't always as easy as it looked. Maybe it was a little of (Hurlock's) influence. Maybe he was looking down on us. In a few of those matches, we went five sets...we were kind of on the ropes, but we kind of gritted through it."

The Patriots are off to their same winning ways in 2012 with a 6-0 record, extending their current winning streak to 58 matches and knocking off Class LL Southington, 3-0, last week.

Though in different conferences, the teams have a good rivalry as Southington ended Coventry's last winning streak at 84, which ran from the beginning of the 2006 season until Oct. 29, 2009.

"We ended the first streak, we haven't been able to end the second one," Southington head coach Rich Heitz said. "Matt had done a phenomenal job of building that program and working with the middle school kids and starting them early and stuff like that. And they continue to shine despite the unfortunate loss of him from the Coventry community."

Coventry was down 17-13 in the second set last Thursday against Southington, but came back and dominated the third.

"The schedule's a little quirky. We had only played three matches and not that kind of competition," Giberson said. "We had six days off before that match. It's always a good game to try to set the bar. We were chomping at the bit to play and we played pretty well."

Coventry has five seniors in its rotation, led by one of the best, if not the best, player in the state.

"We lost one senior from last year, we didn't lose any starters," Giberson said." So we have a pretty heavily senior-laden group. Marina Rose (302 kills, 280 digs, 118 aces in 2011) is an outside hitter but in college she's probably going to be a defensive specialist. I think she's the best offensive player in the state and the best defensive player in the state, too. All-around the past two years I've been around her, she's always the best player on the floor."

Others in the rotation are the Patriots' other outside hitter, Alyssa Keeney, who Giberson said will play Division II or III volleyball in college; middle hitter Jess Beausoleil, defensive specialist and right hitter Erika Trudon, Claire Hall, junior Kelly Foley and setter Emma Rose, Marina's sister.

Giberson says his team's success this season depends on some basic attributes.

"Not become complacent and stay focused," Giberson said. "It's easy for us to get up and be focused against Southington and some of those teams. Those six days of practice that we had going into Southington, we got a little goofy, we lost focus a couple times. But we re-focused. I think we have some matches that are tough, tougher than people think."

Coventry plays North Central Connecticut Conference rival Avon, a perennial Top 10 team, East Lyme, the reigning Class L Champion, and Class L Woodstock Academy in the next two weeks.

"To maintain that fire and that competitiveness," Giberson said. "A lot of times, the most competitive matches we play are the ones we play against ourselves in practice."

Paul Rosano, the former assistant sport editor of The Hartford Courant and sports editor of The New Haven Register, is a MaxPreps contributor. He may be reached at pjrosano@cox.net.