Passing the Volleyball Team onto New Coaches

By: Gianna Weaver and Ellie Pasacreta, Staff Writers                                                   October 26, 2022

    A new volleyball season is close to ending but a new coaching staff stepped up to the net. The girl's volleyball team welcomed new assistant coach Mrs. Tammi Spose alongside returning coach Jessica Hoffer. This year, Coach Hoffer is taking on a new role as the head coach.

    The girls’ volleyball season began this year in early August. For the 2022 season, the team currently holds a 4-12 record. As the season continues on each and every day, the team and coaches are working more and more cohesive and gaining strong connections between one another.

    Sophomore Ava Sanz says, “I love getting to make connections with all grades in our school and having bonds that last throughout high school.”

    For Coach Hoffer, volleyball has been a passion since the seventh grade. Hoffer played volleyball in high school for a travel league and at Amity High School. In addition, Hoffer played for CT Juniors Volleyball at Woodbridge sports center. Hoffer attended college at Southern Connecticut State University where she played on a club co-ed team.

    Hoffer started coaching when she was eighteen years old at Amity High School as the freshman coach. Aside from coaching, Hoffer now plays in an adult league in both the winter and summer.

    Coach Hoffer says, “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world because it is just such a rewarding experience.”

    Although this is Spose’s first year as assistant coach at Foran she is not new to the game or coaching. Spose played volleyball in high school and in college was part of a co-ed intramural team. Up until three years ago, Spose also played on a co-ed adult team out of New Haven during the winter and on the East Haven Beach during the summer where they were division Champions in 2017. When it comes to coaching, Spose started a volleyball program at her previous school of Stamford Academy where she was the head coach.

    With a new coaching staff, new and fun traditions are started. One tradition brought into the 2022 season was by Hoffer entitled “secret psycher.” At the beginning of the season, each player was assigned to another teammate. Before each game, every teammate revives a gift from their secret psycher containing some of their favorite things as a way to get them psyched up for the game. When the season is over, the team will reveal who is each others secret psycher.

    Sophomore Haley Stroffolino, libero for the varsity team, says, “I love secret psycher because it’s super fun and you never know what you’re going to get because it’s a surprise which makes it even more exciting. I really enjoy doing it because it brings the team together and it gives me something to look forward to.”

    The last game was away on October 26, at Lauralton Hall.