Cassidy Stankowski of Frontier earns girls volleyball player of year honor
1
2
Cassidy Stankowski's high school career places her among the most successful, most dominating athletes in Western Massachusetts sports history.
And she's only just finished her junior year.
The Frontier Regional superstar has accomplished so much and reached such a level of excellence that the adjectives commonly used to explain local standouts simply don't do her justice.
This past season, her fifth on the Red Hawks' varsity squad, Stankowski broke the 1,000 career kill mark, the 1,000 career dig mark, won her 100th career match, led the program to its seventh straight Western Massachusetts Division 3 title and its second straight state championship.
She was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts, the Daily Hampshire Gazette's Player of the Year and verbally committed to play on scholarship at Division I Central Connecticut State in the fall of 2012.
"It's been a ridiculous year," Stankowski said. "This year was a different team, but we all worked together so well. The season was great from beginning to end. Back to back (state championships) doesn't happen very often, so it was very special."
It might seem like Stankowski doesn't have much left to play for in her senior year, but coach Sean MacDonald isn't worried about his star player's level of intensity heading into her final season.
"As far as milestones, there might not be any more to go for," he said. "What she's going to focus on from (this point) forward is to try to prepare, get herself better physically, volleyball-wise and stronger for her senior year and for college. She has a college commitment now. She's going to just try to keep getting better."
Stankowski, who had 276 kills, 143 digs, 76 aces and 20 blocks this season, said her mindset certainly won't be any different.
"There's always things to work on. Although these are great honors, I know there's a lot of volleyball left in the coming years for me," she said. "I just need to keep working hard and hopefully that will lead me in the right direction."
The highlight of the season came in the state championship, when the junior posted 24 kills, 16 digs and five aces in an epic 23-25, 25-18, 17-25, 26-24, 15-11 victory over Case in the state final.
Stankowski showed herself as the best player in the state during a key run that turned a game-four deficit into that 26-24 victory and then establishing momentum in the deciding game.
The five-year starter and three-year captain is joined on the Gazette's first team by Frontier seniors Courtney Parent and Marie Wheeler and junior Julia Wan.
The squad will have to replace another strong group of graduating seniors, but with Stankowski back, there's no reason not to have high hopes for another banner year in South Deerfield.
Stankowski "is really good about focusing on getting better," MacDonald said. "She thinks like 'I might need one or two more points to win a match, how am I going to be ready to get it?' She's never sat back and thought that she doesn't need to work hard anymore. I just don't think that's how she is. She's going to keep working hard and trying to get better."
That's a scary thought for volleyball players throughout the state.
Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.
