Saints march in with win

When the Neumann-Goretti volleyball team defeated Cardinal Dougherty last week, it marked a milestone in the school’s short history.

It wasn’t just the first victory for the Saints girls’ squad — it was the first win by any of the school’s athletic teams.

Even though it was a non-league match, the athletes are upbeat about the early success.

"It was incredible," senior co-captain and four-year player Kristina Pizzo said during a break from Monday’s practice. "Everybody thought the football team would win first, but the girls pulled out ahead."

Co-captain Brie Birch stressed the strong team effort.

"It’s exciting," the senior said. "We try our best and do what we know we can do. [Against Dougherty], everybody did their best and worked so hard."

Coming off a 3-7 season, the win also is inspiring fourth-year varsity coach Jim Cappelli.

In last Wednesday’s second match against Dougherty, Neumann-Goretti was trailing 9-0, so the coach called a timeout to settle down his team. The Saints ended up winning 25-18. The first match ended in a 25-16 victory.

In previous seasons as the Goretti Lambs, the squad was considered an easy win. As larger schools, Catholic League opponents Cardinal O’Hara, Archbishop Carroll, Hallahan and Archbishop Prendergast have had a wider pool from which to recruit taller and more experienced players.

In Cappelli’s first season as coach, Goretti won five games, which wasn’t enough to make the postseason cut. The volleyball team hasn’t made the playoffs since 1985, when it won the Southern Division championship.

The Saints aren’t expecting miracles this season, but they do have a chance to reshape their image.

Junior Meggie Chitwood said the players are willing to put in the work, and are not concerned with taking credit or assigning blame.

"We go into [games] as a team and play the hardest we can," she said. "We win or lose as a team. It’s nobody’s fault when we lose. Six people play volleyball, not one."

The Saints’ small size is the squad’s biggest obstacle. Chitwood is the team’s tallest player at 5-foot-7. Last year, Cappelli developed an "East Coast offense" to compensate for the lack of size. Instead of playing right up against the net, the athletes play farther back and try to set the ball off the net. The coach added the strategy toward the end of last season, and believes it was responsible for wins against Little Flower and Dougherty.

This season, several athletes will have to step up to battle the more formidable opponents.

Senior Natalie Fortuna, a four-year player, is an experienced blocker, while senior Allison Elliot, sophomore Gina Impagliazzo, junior Tara Juele and senior Skyelynn Thomas are the defensive specialists.

"It’s going to be tough against the bigger teams, but I think this might be the hardest-working team I’ve had in the four years I’ve been coaching volleyball," Cappelli said. "We are going to give Goliath a hell of a fight."

One of those giants is Cardinal O’Hara, who has one of the top volleyball programs in the state. The Neumann-Goretti players vow not to be intimidated.

"We just have to show what we can do," Birch said. "We have to give it our all. We can’t get scared or nervous."

The Saints have a new look to match their bold attitude. Last week, the team was still playing in Lambs red and white, but the athletes received their new white jerseys with black trim at Monday’s practice at the old St. John Neumann building. The squad is using the site until Neumann-Goretti’s gym is completed.

The uniforms are receiving favorable reviews.

"I like them a lot," Birch said. "We have matching shorts and gold kneepads."

Once their new gym is finished later this month, the players hope to break in the floor with a couple of wins. Until then, the Saints will play their games on the road and practice at 26th and Moore streets.

A couple of weeks into the new school year, initial concerns of merging with the boys’ school have faded, and some of the boys even are attending volleyball practices.

"I don’t look at it as a new school because it’s the same building," Fortuna said.

But Chitwood does recognize the difference — at least to the extent that it gives the team an opportunity.

"We have a brand-new school and if we try hard enough, we will make a new reputation for ourselves," she said.