WINTHROP — It had been some time since the Winthrop volleyball team stepped on the court, but now with more than a week into practices it’s been business as usual for the Vikings.
“It’s definitely exciting to be out there since it’s been over a year,” Rachel DelSolio, who co-coaches the Vikings with Lauren Kostegan, said. “But I think in terms of on-the-court practice it’s been running pretty much normally like we would be any other year.”
This will be DelSolio and Kostegan’s fourth year at the helm in Winthrop and — aside from some new guidelines — whether the season starts in the fall or in February, the first few weeks are still all about getting younger players up to speed.
“We’re only a week and half in, so it has been more about learning and just refreshing skills,” DelSolio said. “We have a lot of new players. There’s no middle school team here, so we get a lot of freshmen who don’t know much about the game. Our returners are trying to get them all together and up to speed.”
But there’s plenty of familiar faces as well, in a strong senior class that starts with co-captains Caroline Earl and Carolyn Kinsella.
“They were our two captains last year as juniors, so we already know they are great in terms of their leadership,” DelSolio said of Earl and Kinsella. “They’re really responsible. Having them is a great help for all of the younger players.”
They’re both also reliable on the court. Kinsella does it all for the Vikings offense, while Earl brings some size up front. Both are also coming fresh off a season on the basketball court.
“Carolyn is our setter,” DelSolio said. “She’s out there the whole time for us and is really a commanding presence on the court. Caroline is a middle blocker. They both really help the team out with their knowledge of the game.”
Another key returner will be senior Katie Gagnon.
“Katie is one of our top hitters on the team,” Delsolio said. “She brings a lot of positivity and energy to the court too.”
Coming off a solid 10-9 season (5-8 in Northeastern Conference games), Winthrop will also have some gaps to fill in from last year’s graduating class. Seniors Xhona Kokenshi and Adyanna Barbarisi will hope to make a splash on varsity for the first time. The Vikings are also fielding the varsity program’s first male player in Evan Burnstein.
“Some of our starters have been here all four years, some this will be their first,” Delsolio said. “We did lose a lot of players from last year, so there’s only five returners. Then we have seven new players on varsity. It’s very different but the seniors are working well together.
“We’re hoping for a good season, especially coming off a really good year last year,” DelSolio said. “We’re focusing on a couple different goals as a team. For the seniors, we want them to enjoy their last year. And for the returning players, we want them to continue to improve.”
Those goals start soon, with Winthrop hosting Swampscott Thursday (5:30) to open the season.
“It’s been really nice to see the team out there laughing and having a good time,” DelSolio said. “It’s going to be great to be out there after a crazy year.”