The Blind Brook Girls Varsity Volleyball team has been battling through the season, fighting to remain one of the strongest teams in Section One. This is a difficult task for the Trojans due to the loss of Lindsey Kim and Gabby Accurso, both freshmen in college this fall. Kim and Accurso were both vital players on the team who brought experience and knowledge about the game. Without them, the team must unite and practice even harder in order to take home a win during their games.
Lindsey Kim has been one of the strongest players to go through the Blind Brook volleyball program. She had a positive mentality both on and off the court, and used her leadership abilities to set an example for the rest of the team. Coach Justin Goldstein, the coach for Blind Brook girls’ volleyball for many years, viewed Lindsey as a “remarkable player who led the team to success multiple times.” In her senior year, Kim committed to University of New Haven for volleyball. The University of New Haven is currently ranked number two in the east for division two volleyball, allowing Lindsey Kim to take her love for the sport to a new level.
Gabby Accurso also benefitted the team in a big way. Alongside Lindsey, she led the team to many victories and even a shot at sectionals. Accurso, a freshman at Delaware University, ended up not playing volleyball for the college but she still has a strong passion and love for the sport. Despite her height, she brought power and ferocity to the Blind Brook team, allowing the younger players to understand what it took to be a true athlete.
The younger players on the girls’ volleyball team will definitely have some large shoes to fill as they try to mimic the game of both Kim and Accurso. Coach Goldstein has the girls practice after school every day doing drills on both hitting the ball and footwork. They push themselves to the limit, desperately wanting to show their coach what they can do. Senior Captain, Sarah Carmona stated, “It is definitely difficult being captain but I try to do my best during every practice. I want to show the girls how great this team can be despite the loss of Lindsey Kim and Gabby Accurso.” Along with other senior team captains, Alexa Goldstein and Alyssa Wei, Sarah Carmona believes that the team will be able to come home with multiple wins by the end of the season.
The team definitely misses having both Kim and Accurso on the team but they are confident that they will go far in the season and possibly make it to sectionals again. Although these two vital players were lost, the team captains are strong players as well. Having learned from Kim and Accurso themselves, they are capable of leading the team. Even though the captains are only on the team for one more year, they are committed to helping the younger players, making them stronger and able to carry the weight of the team for the future years to come. The Blind Brook High School Girls Volleyball team definitely has prosperity in its future. There is space for the girls to improve, but they are still led by strong players who have experience and will to win.