11/1/2012
Trojans avoid more drama with sweep
Tom Fox - Times Leader

There would be no five-game thriller this time. Instead, it was a dominating effort by Nanticoke.
The Trojans were clicking on all cylinders and rode a big night from Kayley Schinski en route to a 3-0 victory over Dallas in a District 2 Class 2A volleyball quarterfinal.
Nanticoke will face off with Crestwood in Friday’s semifinals. The Comets were a 3-0 winner over Lake-Lehman in the first match of a twinbill at Nanticoke.
We’ve been practicing hard, and the girls have been pretty cooperative in practice,” Nanticoke coach Deb Krupinski said “They’ve been working hard on offense and defense, and we’ve been putting in some new stuff.”
What a difference one week makes.
In the final week of the regular season, the Trojans went to Dallas and needed a gigantic rally in the fourth game to escape the Back Mountain with a 3-2 victory. That win allowed Nanticoke to earn the No. 2 seed in the eight-team bracket.
This time, there was little drama.
“Last time we played them, they were hot and everywhere,” Krupinski said. “They were double-blocking, and we struggled with it. Tonight, I think they were just off. They have a great team, and they have a good defense. Maybe it was because of the weather because you don’t know how many practices they were able to hold. You just have no idea.
“They were probably playing with some things on their heads tonight.”
The Trojans jumped out to a 19-10 lead in the first game, and opened the second on a 12-4 run.
Dallas made it interesting in the third, leading 8-6, only to see Krupinski’s squad put together a 13-2 spurt.
“Our serving was on tonight. We did get kind of sloppy in that third set,” Krupinski said. “We had to call a time-out in the third set because we had to re-arrange some attitudes. We were OK after that.”
The Mountaineers just struggled offensively.
It started with the back-row pass, which scattered to all areas of the court – making it difficult to get into any offense rhythm.
At times, there was no communication as balls dropped between defenders.
“We didn’t play as a team. We played as individuals. It was just a letdown all around,” Dallas coach Meredith Ohl said. “We didn’t have communication, and we just lacked the teamwork that we’ve had all season.
“We lacked some purpose on our passes. I think that we just didn’t respond with that first ball.”
It was a big night for the Schinski girls.
Senior Kayley had a match-high 11 kills and three aces, while freshman Kassie added four kills and a match-high four aces. Junior Kendell chipped in with three kills and three aces.
Dallas was paced by Tanner Englehart’s eight kills.
“They have all worked hard and all put themselves in a position where Dallas hasn’t been in a very long time because of their efforts,” Ohl said of her team’s 10 seniors.
“They should be proud of the season they made for themselves.”
District 2 Class 2A quarterfinal
Nanticoke 3, Dallas 0
Dallas 12 13 17 — 0
Nanticoke 25 25 25 — 3
DAL : Tanner Englehart, 8 kills; Marlee Nelson, 4 kills, 1 ace. NAN : Kayley Schinski, 11 kills, 3 aces; Nancy Adkins, 6 kills, 2 aces; Alexandra Brassington, 24 assists

10/29/2012
Lineup is easy to prepare if you can spell ‘Schinski’
Nanticoke features 3 talented sisters in its starting six heading into district tourney.
Tom Fox - Times Leader

She stepped onto the court, nervous and unsure of what to expect. Then again, that would seem to be a common occurrence from a freshman in her first varsity match.
That’s when Nanticoke’s Kassie Schinski took a quick glance around the court and saw big sisters Kayley and Kendell.

“It’s pretty exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time,” Kassie said. “I don’t want to mess up on the court because I don’t want to let my teammates and sisters down. They are great to me. They tell me to just do my best and that’s good enough.”
It’s something that you don’t see too often.|
Sure, you see two sisters on the same team – and even on the court -- at the same time. A set of twins may come up through the system every now and then, too.
But at Nanticoke, you have the Schinski girls. All on the court at the same time. All aligned on the same row during certain moments.
Kayley is a senior, and a three-sport standout who is looking to major in nursing when she attends college. She has applied to such institutions like Bloomsburg, Misericordia and Luzerne County Community College.
Kendell is a junior who loves the sport of volleyball, and hopes to play in college.
Kassie is the youngest, just a freshman, who expects to make a difference on the basketball court as well. In her first season, she has 31 kills, nine blocks, three assists, four digs, 13 aces and 79 service points.
Now, add to it that all three girls are starters on the varsity volleyball team, which enters the District 2 Class 2A playoffs as the No. 2 seed behind undefeated Holy Redeemer.
“It’s something we’ve always talked about,” said Kayley, who has 140 kills and 133 service points this season. “I’m glad that we got the opportunity to play together for one season. It was such a great experience, especially in my senior year.”
Deb Krupinski admits she didn’t know how to handle it.
“I had sisters and we were extremely competitive,” the Nanticoke head coach said. “And yes, at times, we did fight. But I don’t see it with these girls. They don’t fight at all. For me, it was a change because I’ve never had three sisters together like this. I didn’t know how it would work out, and you wonder about it. At practice, I pulled them on the side and said I was going to look at each one as an individual and see how each one would fit into our scheme.”
Just watch the girls on the court for one second, and all the questions are answered.
The smiles never leave their faces. If one sister is down, the other two run over to slap her on the back.
“I love them. We don’t fight,” said Kendell, who has 63 kills and 172 service points. “We are so close, and we do a lot of stuff together. Our family is close. And we work so well together on the court. We are always there to keep each other up.”
Krupinski says each one is different in her own way.
“Kayley is outgoing, a great leader and a role model for her sisters,” the head coach said. “She is very mature and easy to get along with. Kendell is very coachable and has a great understanding of the game. Kassie is so quiet and shy, but she has so much ability. And what sets her apart is she’s the lefty of the group.”
Sports are always the talk around the Schinski house. That, and the possibility of a district title.
“We sit down and talk about what we did, and what we could do better,” Kayley said. “With playoffs starting, we talk about how amazing it would be to win a title. It’s going to be tough because there are a lot of good teams in the district, and Holy Redeemer is undefeated.”
All three sisters know the volleyball season is dwindling down. It’s one game at a time, all must-win contests. There are no more regular-season contests left.
And that means time together on the court is almost done.
“I’m so glad that I had this opportunity. I’m going to miss playing with Kayley next year,” Kassie said. “We are all really close, and hang out all the time. It was a big help to play on the same court with both of them. Hopefully, we’ll be able to win a district title together.”

10/24/2012
Nanticoke serves notice to league
Brassington makes special deliveries as Trojanettes vie for No. 2 district seed.
Tom Fox - Times Leader

It didn’t look good for Nanticoke Area.
Down 2-1 in the match and 22-15 in the fourth set. A possible second seed for the upcoming District 2 Class AA playoffs hanging in the balance.
One loss, and no chance for the two seed.
Cue Alexandra Brassington.
The Trojan setter used her crafty underhand serve to rack up nine consecutive service points to squeak out a fourth-set win and Nanticoke led wire-to-wire in the fifth en route to a 3-2 win over Dallas in Wyoming Valley Conference girls’ volleyball.
Match scores were 25-16, 23-25, 22-25, 25-22 and 15-11.
“We pulled ourselves together and said this is what we need to do,” said Brassington, who finished with a match-high 31 assists. “We had to pick ourselves up. If we would have lost this one, there was no chance for that second seed.”
That was the mantra for Nanticoke (14-3). Win, and let the intangibles play out.
Currently, the Trojans, Crestwood and North Pocono are all tied for the No. 2 seed – and all are expected to finish that way after the regular season ends.
Of course, the second and third seed is important because it means the opposite side of the bracket from undefeated Holy Redeemer (16-0).
“We would rather go against that toss or pull the name out of a hat, whatever is decided upon,” Nanticoke head coach Deb Krupinski said. “A loss here and we were locked into that fourth seed.”
It was a match of emotion.
Nanticoke rolled to a 25-16 win in the first set, only to see Dallas’ 10 seniors respond in their final home game.
Behind several big smashes from Tanner Englehart, and crafy net play by Rachel Olszewski, the Mountaineers rallied for a win in the second set after trailing by as many as six.
Marlee Nelson took over the third, racking up five kills and ending it on an ace, putting Dallas up 2-1.
“The girls wanted it because this was their senior night,” Dallas coach Meredith Ohl said. “They knew how important this was. Nanticoke is a team we may see in the postseason. The intensity got to us. I think that all the adrenaline started to kick in, and I think we lost our focus a little bit.”
It appeared all but over as Dallas (11-6) held a seemingly-comfortable 22-15 lead in the fourth set.
It slipped away in five minutes – thanks to nine straight service points by Brassington and several big swings by Kayley Schinski and Allie Matulewski.
“I can’t do an overhand serve. I tried it as a freshman and just couldn’t do it,” Brassington said of the underhand serve. “My mom was a volleyball player and she told me to try an underhand serve, and it worked for me. I really just tried to stay focused and after each serve, I just kept telling myself to work on the next one. I didn’t want to talk with anyone. I wasn’t even cheering with the team. I was just so focused.”
The fifth set wasn’t close.
Schinski had kills on five of the first nine points and Nanticoke jumped out to an 8-1 lead.
“It was a crazy game with so many highs and lows. We dug ourselves out, and I still don’t know how,” Krupinski said. “I think this was the first team all season that we’ve come up against that truly blocked well. They double-block so well. I give them a lot of credit. The turning point was when Lefty (Alexandra Brassington) was serving with that soft, underhand motion. I think it finally rattled them. It was a long game. You have to keep your head in it.”
Schinski and Matulewski combined for 23 of the Trojans’ 39 kills. Englehart had 12 kills to pace Dallas.
Nanticoke 3, Dallas 2
Nanticoke 25 23 22 25 15 — 3
Dallas 16 25 25 22 11 — 2
Nanticoke Leaders: Kayley Schinski 12 kills, 1 assist, 1 ace; Allie Matulewski 11 kills, 3 aces; Alexandra Brassington 31 assists, 4 kills, 3 aces.
Dallas Leaders: Tanner Englehart 12 kills, 5 aces; Rachel Olszewski 9 kills; Marlee Nelson 5 kills, 4 aces; Lauren Jones, 12 assists.

9/11/2012
Girls Volleyball Preview
Times Leader

Nanticoke Area

Coach: Debbie Krupinski

Key losses: None

Key returners: Nancy Adkins, Alexandra (Lefty) Brassington, Allie Matulewski, Kayley Schinski

Krupinski’s outlook: “We have a lot of talent back from last year’s team, but our philosophy hasn’t changed. It’s always one game at a time. That’s our first goal, and then, we will concentrate on the playoffs. We have a solid team. They are all good athletes and players. I’m excited about the new schedule. I like that fact that we’ll have an opportunity to play every team.”