Lourdes’ Rebecca Townes, right, hits the ball over the net during Tuesday’s game against John Jay.
Those blue and white balloons adorning the John Jay High School gymnasium weren’t really meant for the volleyball team. They were remnants from a homecoming celebration.
But on Tuesday, the decorations were appropriately repurposed. Because this was, in fact, a homecoming.
After spending more than a month as volleyball vagabonds, practicing and playing their first 10 matches on the road as the gym was refurbished, the Patriots eagerly rushed their home court as “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” blared from the speakers.
“We’re all happy to be back here,” senior Nicole Nardone said of her team debuting its new court. “To have our gym back, knowing our friends and parents will be watching us, it’s exciting.”
The match didn’t go as they hoped. Vanessa Jacobs had 22 digs, Jessica D’Auria added 14 kills and Ceara Giametta had 26 assists to lead visiting Our Lady of Lourdes to a 22-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-21 win.
John Jay volleyball players are road warriors during gym repairs
Adriana Losier had 12 kills and Krysti McDonald had 14 assists for John Jay (5-6). Nardone had three kills and three blocks, and Skylar Kellam added 19 digs.
Still, the atmosphere created by the home spectators and the still-pungent smell of fresh polish on the court — “The equivalent of the new-car smell for us,” Patriots coach Maria Mahoney said — was enough to boost their morale.
John Jay’s Skylar Kellam, center, hits the ball back during Tuesday’s game against Lourdes.
“We don’t leave this gym until next week,” Mahoney said. “We’ve got another home match and practices. Kids can get their food and get their homework done after school without having to worry about where we’ve got to travel for practice.”
The school informed the Patriots in August that the gym had incurred damage over the summer and would need to be renovated. Repairs were done in September, which caused the volleyball team to play all its games on the road and scramble to find available venues for practices.
“Now we’ll be able to have regular, full-length practices,” senior Cassidy McDonald said. “We should improve. This will definitely benefit us.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
John Jay’s Cassidy McDonald, left, goes to hit the ball over the net during Tuesday’s game against Lourdes.
Lourdes’ Ceara Giametta puts the ball up during Tuesday’s game against John Jay.
Lourdes’ Grace Rappleyea, right, and Grace McElduff, left, try to block the ball during Tuesday’s game against John Jay.