By Pete Borello

Joe Hu/Town Crier Pinewood’s Whitney Vellequette rises for the kill Thursday.

Fans of Pinewood School volleyball need not panic about the team’s 1-6 start. New coach Cathy Carter said the wins will come once league play begins next week.

“Usually, the preseason is much more challenging than league,” said Carter, promoted from junior-varsity coach. “We’ve played teams that are very good.”

The teams in the Private Schools Athletic League haven’t been particularly good - at least not in recent years. New to the league, Carter isn’t sure what to expect from the PSAL this season. She does, however, anticipate her Panthers rising to the top of it.

“We expect to win the league and get back to CCS,” she said.

Pinewood beat out King’s Academy for the PSAL title last year and made it to the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Division V playoffs. The Panthers return five players from that team, including three starters.

All-leaguers Sam Andreacchi and Whitney Vellequette, both seniors, and Sammie Cardenas, a junior, lead the list of returnees. Outside hitter Andreacchi is a four-year varsity player who tops Pinewood in kills this season. Right-side hitter Vellequette notched a team-high 18 kills in Thursday’s straight-game loss to Crystal Springs (6-1). Setter Cardenas had a team-best 34 assists in Thursday’s home match.

“She’s done very well assist-wise,” Carter said of Cardenas. “She’s kind of dominating the court.”

Pinewood’s other starters include Mika Chan at libero/defensive specialist, Katie Mo at middle blocker and Sami Field-Polisso at outside hitter. Chan is a junior who came off the bench last season. Mo is new to varsity, and Field-Polisso is new to high school volleyball.

“Sami’s doing a very good job,” Carter said of the senior, a standout on the Panthers’ state champion basketball team. “She’s one of our top three kill leaders.”

Another basketball player, transfer Helena Borland Zych from Denmark, is playing volleyball for the first time. Standing nearly 6 feet, the reserve middle blocker is Pinewood’s tallest player.

“She’s doing well,” said Carter, a math teacher at the school. “She’s learning quickly.”

The coach also hopes to get some help from setter Audrey Priux. Carter intends to elevate the freshman from JV to back up Cardenas for league play.

Senior Veronica Mapes, Pinewood’s other returning player, comes off the bench as a defensive specialist.

Defense is the area in which the undersized Panthers need the most work, according to Carter, who is stressing blocking and digging in practice. Pinewood’s strength is “definitely offense,” the coach said.

When the defense starts catching up with the offense, as Carter expects, perhaps Pinewood fans will forget all about that 1-6 start.

“We’ll do very good things as soon as we come together and figure out the defense and put all the components of volleyball together,” the Michigan native said.

The Panthers open PSAL play at 5 p.m. Tuesday at St. Lawrence.