East Hampton’s girls varsity volleyball team said goodbye to 10 seniors at its final home match on Friday against Kings Park. Although Bonac lost to the Kingswomen 3-0, Abigail Downs, East Hampton’s head coach, called it one of the best matches of the season.
“These seniors gave everything they had to end their season with a bang. Friday night might be the best game of volleyball I have seen them play ever, including our two wins,” she said.
Six seniors — Brenda Avila, Cara Heneghan, Madison Kelly, Mia Mussio, Taylor Rade, and Valerie Torres — have been part of the program all four years of their high school careers.
“Being able to see their growth from their freshman year to their senior year has been an absolute joy,” Downs said. “Taylor Rade, a senior setter, will be leaving a big hole in that position. Her hands are some of the cleanest I have ever seen and her swing on the right side is deadly.”
“Cara Heneghan is the energy,” Downs said. “She’s always ready to go and always ready to hype her team up. She has been working so hard this season and it paid off big time. She was the kid I could rely on. I could throw her anywhere and she always got the job done and did it with a smile.”
Kailey Eberhart joined the team in her sophomore year. Coach Downs called her a positive presence whose energy is infectious.
Natalia Melendez and Mackenzie Snovell both transferred to East Hampton for their junior seasons. “They truly added so much strength, skill, and knowledge to the program as both of them came from competitive club environments,” Downs said, praising Melendez for her contributions to the team’s back row.
“This season I had more defensive players than ever before. Senior captain libero Natalia Melendez took control back there doing what she does best, reading the other side and getting the ball in play. Senior libero Valerie Torres, senior defensive specialist Kailey Eberhart, and two outside hitters who spent a lot of time in the back row, senior outside Mackenzie Snovell and senior outside Brenda Avila, all worked together like a machine. Collectively those ladies had over 300 digs for the season and that is incredible,” Downs said.
Kelly, a senior captain, and Mussio, both middles for the team, really came into their own this season. “For years we have been asking them both to be more aggressive at the net and this year they delivered,” Downs said. “They are both dancers, so they are nimble and are able to move around and find the ball in some awkward set situations. They both surprised me greatly this season.”
Samantha Rodriguez, a senior middle who joined the varsity squad this year, was also a terrific surprise. “She was a dark horse who truly came out of nowhere,” Downs said. “I am so happy she did. She was a phenomenal addition to this team.”
With just two wins, this was a challenging season for the Bonackers,
but Downs called it a rewarding experience.
“I am so honored to have coached all these young ladies. They are all on to their next chapters and like I told them Friday night, Coach Bridget Ehmann, my varsity assistant coach, Coach Jacqueline DiSunno, my J.V. coach, and I will always be screaming for them on the sidelines. These girls truly became family and their absence leaves a lot of big spots to be filled for our 2027 season.”
