Several years ago, Mattituck girls volleyball coach Frank Massa made a promise to some eighth-graders who were trying to decide on what sport to play in high school.
As Massa recalled: “They said they would like to play volleyball, but they knew I was retiring in a couple of years and they didn’t want to go through a coaching change during their careers, so I said, ‘Well, if you guys play volleyball, then I’ll stay on until you leave.’ ”
Massa kept his promise. Those players are now six seniors on his team. Not only will this be their final season, it will be his as well.
Massa confirmed to The Suffolk Times that this, his 36th year in charge of the Tuckers, will be his last as head coach.
“I think my energy level is starting to run down a little bit,” he explained. “I could feel it over the past year or so and you really have to have a lot of energy. If you want to have a successful program, you have to keep the kids engaged. You got to be in it all the way or don’t bother doing it because you’re not going to be giving the girls the best that you got, so I knew I had a year or two left in me and it’s time for me to turn it over to some young blood that has got a little bit more energy than me.”
Massa, who said he will be an assistant coach next year, has a nice memory of his final regular-season match. It was a well-played 25-22, 25-12, 25-20 victory over Babylon at Cutchogue East Elementary School on Wednesday. In addition to snatching the Suffolk County League VIII championship outright with the win, Mattituck (13-2, 13-1) will receive the top seed for the county Class C semifinals and have a home playoff match Oct. 28. (A loss would have left Mattituck with the No. 3 seed and road playoff match, said Massa). This is Mattituck’s eighth league championship since 2004.
As if all that wasn’t enough, it was Senior Day.
Prior to the match, super fan Daniel De Mato gave the Tuckers a pep talk before they warmed up. Later, wearing blue and gold face paint and a blue Mattituck volleyball polo shirt, he cheered from the stands. His daughter, Jessica, who played three years for the Tuckers before graduating in 2010, was among some 20 former players in attendance. On behalf of the players, senior captain Sage Foster presented Massa with a poster that bore photos and handwritten messages from the players. Massa’s wife, Deana, gave him a hug before the match.
Players indicated they felt the urgency of getting a W. “Losing was not an option,” said senior outside hitter Abby Woods.
Foster (21 kills, three aces) said it was stressful because “we knew what was at stake.”
Mattituck pulled out a tight first set, taking the lead for the fifth time when a net violation by Babylon (11-3, 11-3) snapped a 21-21 tie. A two-handed placement shot by Woods ended the set.
Things went easier for Mattituck in the second set, highlighted by the longest point of the day, settled by one of Woods’ 12 kills.
In Set No. 3, Foster had five kills, an ace and a block during an 11-3 run for a 20-12 lead. Foster was sharp. “We needed her to be on and she was,” said Woods.
Foster’s play was also a reflection of Carolyn Conroy’s setting. Conroy had 30 assists.
Meanwhile, Sofia Knudsen was a net presence with four blocks. Massa said libero Jolin Chen “had, without a doubt, her best match.”
Babylon’s Sara Womack had nine kills and Gigi Basile had 19 assists.
The potential for distraction was there, but Massa said his players “looked focused. They knew what was riding on this.”
Massa showed his compassionate side, giving two seniors sidelined by injury, Emma McGunnigle (knee) and Ella Suglia (back), the opportunity to play briefly for the first time this season. McGunnigle, wearing a knee brace, only served and stood off the court.
“It’s like heartwarming, you know,” Woods said. “It really shows that we’re a team, that we love each other, that we want each other to succeed, not just ourselves.”
The team’s other seniors are Megan Jacobs and Jamie Schwartz.
Defending Long Island Class C champion Mattituck has played in every postseason since 2004, when the season was moved from the spring to the fall.
The Mattituck players have made a deal with Massa. If they win two sets in the state tournament, Massa is to get a tattoo, customized by them.
Massa isn’t thinking too far ahead, though. Referring to the way his team played, he said, “If we can repeat this a couple of times this year, I’ll be a happy man.”