It was trial by fire for the Brighton boys volleyball team last fall.
Starting a lineup that featured five juniors and only one senior, the Barons may have overachieved finishing 10-10. Last season left a bad taste in many players mouths as they finished 2-4 in five-game matches, including a 3-2 loss to Spencerport in the Section 5 Class BB tournament.
Brighton, who reached the sectional finals in 2010, will take aim at another deep postseason run this fall when they open the year Thursday against Brockport.
“The offseason was great, the senior class worked really hard with the rest of the team,” said Brad Rosenbaum, Barons head coach.
“They go to open gym, they come to conditioning, they are pretty excited. We have a deep team this year and everyone is excited because they know they outperformed how they were supposed to do last year.”
Experience is on Brighton’s side this fall, as Rosenbaum’s roster features five players who played in the team’s five-game sectional championship battle with Victor two seasons ago.
Current seniors Phil Pellegrino, Riley Damerell and Kevin Szybist started in the championship game. Mike Hansen and Mike Rogachefsky were pulled up for sectionals two years ago and started last season.
Hansen, Pellegrino and Damerell benefited from the playing time as sophomores earning all-county honors last fall. Rogachefsky was named Libero of the Year in the Monroe County League.
“One of our biggest goals is to play consistently,” Damerell said. “We were up and down in a lot of matches. One of our goals is to each play game like it is the fifth game.”
Brighton’s never been known as one of the taller teams in Section 5, but that will change this fall when they start a lineup of players 6-feet and taller. Hansen (6-foot-6) and classmate Tristan Davis (6-foot-5) lead the Barons up front.
“We have more height, and I think that has helped us close the gap with other teams,” Rosenbaum said. “I have been in the program for five years, I think we have taken baby steps. I feel like we are inching closer. These guys are some of the hardest workers I have had.”
If Brighton wants to snap their title drought, they will have to go through the Blue Devils, who have won a sectional crown the last five seasons. The Barons face Victor twice in the regular season, with the first meeting coming Oct. 1 at Brighton.
The Barons schedule features plenty of tough tests before they match up with the Blue Devils, as they will see perennial powers Penfield, Fairport and Rush-Henrietta twice in league play.
“We are playing a lot of schools bigger than us, that could be a disadvantage, we feel like we can compete with every team,” Pellegrino said. “With a lot of returners coming back we knew we had a chance to win sectionals and so we put in a lot of work in the offseason to make sure that happens.”
It was trial by fire for the Brighton boys volleyball team last fall.
Starting a lineup that featured five juniors and only one senior, the Barons may have overachieved finishing 10-10. Last season left a bad taste in many players mouths as they finished 2-4 in five-game matches, including a 3-2 loss to Spencerport in the Section 5 Class BB tournament.
Brighton, who reached the sectional finals in 2010, will take aim at another deep postseason run this fall when they open the year Thursday against Brockport.
“The offseason was great, the senior class worked really hard with the rest of the team,” said Brad Rosenbaum, Barons head coach.
“They go to open gym, they come to conditioning, they are pretty excited. We have a deep team this year and everyone is excited because they know they outperformed how they were supposed to do last year.”
Experience is on Brighton’s side this fall, as Rosenbaum’s roster features five players who played in the team’s five-game sectional championship battle with Victor two seasons ago.
Current seniors Phil Pellegrino, Riley Damerell and Kevin Szybist started in the championship game. Mike Hansen and Mike Rogachefsky were pulled up for sectionals two years ago and started last season.
Hansen, Pellegrino and Damerell benefited from the playing time as sophomores earning all-county honors last fall. Rogachefsky was named Libero of the Year in the Monroe County League.
“One of our biggest goals is to play consistently,” Damerell said. “We were up and down in a lot of matches. One of our goals is to each play game like it is the fifth game.”
Brighton’s never been known as one of the taller teams in Section 5, but that will change this fall when they start a lineup of players 6-feet and taller. Hansen (6-foot-6) and classmate Tristan Davis (6-foot-5) lead the Barons up front.
“We have more height, and I think that has helped us close the gap with other teams,” Rosenbaum said. “I have been in the program for five years, I think we have taken baby steps. I feel like we are inching closer. These guys are some of the hardest workers I have had.”
If Brighton wants to snap their title drought, they will have to go through the Blue Devils, who have won a sectional crown the last five seasons. The Barons face Victor twice in the regular season, with the first meeting coming Oct. 1 at Brighton.
The Barons schedule features plenty of tough tests before they match up with the Blue Devils, as they will see perennial powers Penfield, Fairport and Rush-Henrietta twice in league play.
“We are playing a lot of schools bigger than us, that could be a disadvantage, we feel like we can compete with every team,” Pellegrino said. “With a lot of returners coming back we knew we had a chance to win sectionals and so we put in a lot of work in the offseason to make sure that happens.”
