Newsday's All-Long Island girls volleyball team 2023
The All-Long Island girls volleyball first team at Newsday studios on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Front row, from left: Renee McGowan of Bayport-Blue Point, Allison Petrullo of Massapequa, Franki Kelleher of Long Beach, Lily Coan of Sayville, Maya Khan of Commack, Melissa O'Connor of Hauppauge. Back row, from left: Coach Hyunah Park of Mineola, Mary Wolcott of Half Hollow Hills West, Keira McCaffrey of Mineola, Katherine Ferng of Lynbrook, Stella Becker of Kellenberg, Carly Elfenbein of Massapequa, Sadie Reich of Wantagh, Coach Nancy Morrow of Center Moriches. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Newsday Player of the Year: Keira McCaffrey, Mineola, MH, Sr.
It was a year of firsts for McCaffrey and Mineola. The Mustangs won their first county title, first Long Island championship, and McCaffrey’s first appearance on the All-Long Island team comes in a big way, as Newsday’s Player of the year.
“This just shows that hard work pays off,” McCaffrey said. “I had to give up basketball my sophomore year to focus on volleyball, and it shows in the long run it was the right decision.”
McCaffrey was a leader for Mineola on and off the court. She totaled 284 kills, 83 digs, 63 blocks and 34 aces for the season. She was an important factor in postseason play, where she picked up 80 of those kills, including a 28-kill performance in the Class A quarterfinals.
“I’ve always worked hard and played hard until the last second,” McCaffrey said. “I think a big part of the game is to lift yourself up and your teammates, no matter how hard the situation looks.”
The Misericordia commit was the best player on the floor in the Long Island championship against Sayville, finishing with 10 kills and four blocks.
Suffolk Player of the Year: Melissa O’Connor, Hauppauge, S, Sr.
O’Connor played the role of orchestrator perfectly all season as Hauppauge took home the Suffolk Class AA championship. The senior had 32 assists as Hauppauge handed Smithtown East its first loss of the season with a three-set sweep.
“Her abilities speak for themselves, but her mentality and her work ethic really sets her above others,” coach Eric Ericksen said. “She is relentless in practice, always pushing herself to work harder, while making everyone around her look better. It was something the rest of the team fed off of.”
The Cortland commit finished the year with 537 assists, averaging 8.5 per set. O’Connor added 202 digs, 82 aces and 58 kills to her stat line.
FIRST TEAM
Stella Becker, Kellenberg, OH, Jr.
Becker had 372 kills, 259 digs, 57 aces and 50 blocks as Kellenberg went undefeated in league play and won a CHSAA championship.
Lily Coan, Sayville, S, Sr.
Coan had 716 assists including tournament play, and 78 aces as Sayville earned a second consecutive Suffolk Class A championship.
Carly Elfenbein, Massapequa, MH, Sr.
Elfenbein had 211 kills and a .306 hitting percentage. The senior had 65 blocks as Massapequa won a Long Island championship and made it to the state Class AAA final.
Katherine Ferng, Lynbrook, S/RS, Sr.
Ferng had 203 assists, 88 digs and 29 aces over her first 14 games. The 5-11 Iona commit was an imposing force, totaling 91 kills and 53 blocks.
Franki Kelleher, Long Beach, OH, Sr.
Kelleher totaled 252 kills, 100 digs and 45 blocks as Long Beach made it to the state Class AA final. The senior had a combined 40 kills in Long Island championship and state semifinal wins.
Maya Khan, Commack, OH, Sr.
Khan had 242 kills and 147 digs as Commack won a second straight county championship. The senior had nine kills in the county final against Patchogue-Medford.
Renee McGowan, Bayport-Blue Point, L, Sr.
McGowan continued to show her prowess as one of the top defensive players on Long Island as the Phantoms made the jump up to Class A.
Allison Petrullo, Massapequa, S, Sr.
Petrullo had 320 assists, 132 digs and 19 aces as Massapequa won its fifth consecutive county championship. The senior had 43 assists and seven kills in a four-set, state semifinal victory over Shenendehowa.
Sadie Reich, Wantagh, OH, Jr.
Reich enjoyed an outstanding season, racking up 327 kills, including eight matches with 20 or more kills. The junior also had 243 digs and 26 blocks.
Mary Wolcott, Half Hollow Hills West, S/OH, Jr.
Wolcott made her mark in multiple ways for the Suffolk Class A runner up. The junior had 180 kills, 165 assists, 75 digs, 45 aces and 22 blocks.
Nassau Coach of the Year: Hyunah Park, Mineola
Park drove the Mustangs to a new level of success, securing the program's first county title and Long Island championship. Mineola earned three-set sweeps in nine of its 16 wins while playing in Nassau’s toughest conference.
Suffolk Coach of the Year: Nancy Morrow, Center Moriches
Morrow helped the Red Devils earn some hardware which they haven’t held since 2007 as they won the Suffolk Class B title. Center Moriches followed that up with a Long Island championship win and state tournament appearance.
SECOND TEAM
Kate Barba, Huntington, OH, Sr.
Carey-Jean Block, Seaford, OH, Jr.
Cate Bradley, South Side, S, Sr.
Emma Bradshaw, Ward Melville, MH, Sr.
Mackenzie Casey, Lynbrook, MH, Sr.
Karson Catalanotto, Smithtown East, OH, Sr.
Kaitlin Curran, Commack, OH, Jr.
Erin Henry, Port Jefferson, OH, Sr.
Julia Hromada, Center Moriches, S, Sr.
Sarah Idler, Eastport-South Manor, OH, Sr.
Yamen Imasogie, Elmont, OH, Sr.
Elizabeth Kenney, Mineola, S, Sr.
Hayley Lipinski, Long Beach, S, Jr.
Gianna Lucchi, Calhoun, S, Sr.
Danielle Probst, Whitman, L, Sr.
Samantha Raikos, Mepham, OH, Jr.
Morgan Reese, Sayville, OH, Sr.
Bianca Sapano, Kellenberg, S, Jr.
Alison Tsororos, Hauppauge, OH, Sr.
Emma Watts, Northport, OH, Sr.
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.