Katelyn Oliveto leads Hauppauge girls volleyball to dominant win

Katelyn Oliveto has a powerful swing and can score from anywhere on the volleyball court.

But she doesn’t always have to.

The junior outside hitter is surrounded by talent that was on display in Hauppauge’s 25-16, 25-17, 19-25, 25-17 win at Smithtown West in Suffolk IV girls volleyball on Tuesday.

Oliveto helped the Eagles climb out of an early 11-6 deficit in the first set with four kills, but it was the stellar serving of sophomore Khloe Collins that kicked Hauppauge into another gear. Hauppauge (6-2, 6-2) ended the set on a 10-0 run, in which Collins had two aces.

Oliveto had six kills and an ace in the second set and was aided by sophomore Peyton Kulesa’s four kills and one block.

“One person isn’t gonna do it all,” Oliveto said. “Everybody plays their part and we all work off of each other. It definitely helps because I can rely on them. We all rely on each other.”

Despite being new to the position, setter Lindsay Adams has had a strong start to the season. She always has several options to pass to, but the sophomore finds a way to spread the ball around to all of the Eagles’ weapons.

“It’s hard to pick one person to go to, but you have to determine who’s on and who’s off in the moment,” Adams said. “Someone could be on fire for one part of the game but then they’re not feeling it for the next part. You just have to have a connection with your hitters.”

When Oliveto cooled down in the final two sets, Adams looked to Kulesa, Collins, Liv Condos and Brooke Tarasenko to put points on the board.

Hauppauge’s offensive success can often be attributed to strong serving. In addition to Collins’ run in the first set, Tarasenko had two aces in an 8-0 run in the second set and Collins’ older sister, Kayleigh, led a 7-0 run in the fourth.

“A good serving team can be underrated,” coach Eric Ericksen said. “We have quality servers and it puts pressure on the other team’s passers. The setter has to make great choices and the opposing hitters have to make some adjustments that they don’t want to make.”

Taylor Marsh had 18 kills and Alyssa Lorefice had four aces for Smithtown West (5-5, 4-4).

Oliveto had 12 kills and an ace, Kulesa had 10 kills and two blocks,  Collins had seven kills, three aces and two blocks and Adams had two aces, a block and a kill for the reigning Suffolk Class AA champions.

“We lost five starters from last year, but these girls got good experience, even when they weren’t on the court,” Ericksen said. “We have a lot of depth. Even the girls that didn’t get in the game at, we have confidence in.”