Last fall, high school volleyball players in upstate New York were looking to rack up points. They are now trying to make the same impact on the court together as a team. “It's definitely a different experience playing against the girls you play against all season,” said Natalie Battinelli from Plattsburgh, New York. “When you play with the girls, it's definitely a different challenge because you're playing against tougher competition. But since I've been involved, I've loved volleyball even more.” Battinelli, a high school volleyball player from Plattsburgh, is currently in her second season playing with Northern Impact Volleyball. This non-profit club practices twice a week at Peru High School and features some of the best girls' volleyball talent from ages 14 to 17 from Clinton and Essex County, New York. “It's sad coming to practice two days a week because I want to practice more,” Battinelli said. “When I come to practice, I feel like I'm getting better. My coaches teach me things that I don't normally learn during the school season. I like that a lot.” At Northern Impact These lessons she learned during her first season at Plattsburgh helped her reach a major milestone after returning to the court for her junior season at Plattsburgh. Battinelli was the unanimous Champlain Valley Athletic Conference (CVAC) Most Valuable Player (MVP) and helped lead the Hornets to the Section VII Class B championship. “I can now focus more time on the sport I really love,” Battinelli said of the factors that led to him winning the MVP award. “Being able to play volleyball outside of the school season makes you a better athlete and better volleyball player overall.” -An example of why I took advantage of the opportunity to become a co-owner of Impact. She and the rest of the coaches involved with the team wanted to take the talent of northern volleyball players to compete in various tournaments, competing against teams of volleyball players from various states and cities in the Northeast, including Boston, Massachusetts, and more. There is. Syracuse, New York. and Stamford, Connecticut. “It's a great opportunity,” Lake said. “If we compete downstate, we need our girls to see a variety of volleyball because the bigger schools attract a variety of talent. When you get out of the North Country and start watching volleyball, Please.” What is the big picture of volleyball? ” Northern Impact recently participated in one of Cycle's biggest tournaments, the Nike Boston Festival. The tournament, held inside the city's convention center, features more than 700 teams and matches played on approximately 90 courts. It was an unforgettable experience for Northern Impact players like Peru and New York's Sierra McLaughlin, who is now in her fourth year with the program. “It was really fun,” McLaughlin said. “We played very well and there's a high level of competition there. I love the area a lot and it's a great environment to play in.” Outside of competition, McLaughlin said: “There's a high level of competition there. I enjoy sharing the floor with top talent and know that they all have the same mindset to go out and play their best volleyball. “We all have the same drive,” McLaughlin said. “Everyone has the same motivation. We all want the same thing, and to be honest, we work very well together.” Many of the players who join the program also , may have the same drive to showcase their talents in hopes that college coaches will recruit them to the next level of volleyball after high school. Major tournaments like the Nike Boston Festival often have college coaches in attendance looking for prospects, Lake said. “There are a lot of college coaches who play in big tournaments,” Lake said. “These tournaments are prime scouting spots. We've even had some girls from around here come out of state to get some attention and play volleyball.” I hope I can continue to have an impact on volleyball. The Saratoga County, New York, volleyball tournament will begin on Saturday, March 9th for the U14-U15 division, with U16 and U17 teams playing the following weekend on Saturday, March 16th.
Last fall, high school volleyball players in upstate New York were looking to rack up points. They are now trying to make the same impact on the court together as a team.
“It's definitely a different experience playing against the girls you play against all season,” said Natalie Battinelli from Plattsburgh, New York. “When you play with the girls, it's definitely a different challenge because you're playing against tougher competition. But since I've been involved, I've loved volleyball even more.”
Battinelli, a high school volleyball player from Plattsburgh, is currently in her second season playing with Northern Impact Volleyball. This non-profit club practices twice a week at Peru High School and features some of the best girls' volleyball talent from ages 14 to 17 from Clinton and Essex County, New York.
“It's sad coming to practice two days a week because I want to practice more,” Battinelli said. “When I come to practice, I feel like I'm getting better. My coaches teach me things that I don't normally learn during the school season. I like that a lot.”
Those lessons she learned during her first season with the Northern Impact helped her reach major milestones after returning to the court for her junior season at Plattsburgh. Battinelli was the unanimous Champlain Valley Athletic Conference (CVAC) Most Valuable Player (MVP) and helped lead the Hornets to the Section VII Class B championship.
“I can now focus more time on the sport I really love,” Battinelli said of the factors that led to him winning the MVP award. “Being able to play volleyball outside of the school season makes you a better athlete and better volleyball player overall.”
Her improvements are an example of why Mary Ann Lake took the opportunity to become co-owner of Northern Impact with Jennifer Lerman Coughlan a decade ago. She and the rest of the coaches involved with the team wanted to take the talent of northern volleyball players to compete in various tournaments, competing against teams of volleyball players from various states and cities in the Northeast, including Boston, Massachusetts, and more. There is. Syracuse, New York. and Stamford, Connecticut.
“It's a great opportunity,” Lake said. “If we compete downstate, we need our girls to see a variety of volleyball because the bigger schools attract a variety of talent. When you get out of the North Country and start watching volleyball, Please.” What is the big picture of volleyball? ”
Northern Impact recently participated in one of the cycle's biggest tournaments, the Nike Boston Festival. The tournament, held inside the city's convention center, features more than 700 teams and matches played on approximately 90 courts. It was an unforgettable experience for Northern Impact players like Peru and New York's Sierra McLaughlin, who is now in her fourth year with the program.
“It was really fun,” McLaughlin said. “We played very well and there's a high level of competition there. I love that area a lot and it's a great environment to play in.”
Outside of competition, McLaughlin enjoys sharing the floor with some of the top talent in the North and knows they all have the same mindset to go out and play their best volleyball.
“We all have the same drive,” McLaughlin said. “Everyone has the same motivation. We all want the same thing, and to be honest, we work very well together.”
Many of the players in the program also use that same drive to showcase their talents in hopes that college coaches will scout them for the next level of volleyball out of high school. There is a possibility. Lake said Nike's major tournaments, like his Boston Festival, often involve college coaches looking for prospects.
“There are a lot of college coaches who play in big tournaments,” Lake said. “Those tournaments are prime scouting spots. We've had some girls from around here come out of state to get some attention and play volleyball.”
Northern Impact hopes they can continue to make an impact on Northeast volleyball in the next tournament, the Great Norstar. The Saratoga County, New York, volleyball tournament will begin on Saturday, March 9th for the U14-U15 division, with U16 and U17 teams playing the following weekend on Saturday, March 16th.
