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Sports

Blue Wave Outlook: Volleyball Begins Quest For 12th Straight Title

The team faces a new challenge with the loss of four players over the summer.

The depature of four of its players during the summer—three who left for personal reasons and one who moved to Hong Kong because of her father's work transfer—may leave the Darien girls volleyball team in a precarious position this season.

The Blue Wave returns just three seniors—Bella Carrara, Emma Getsinger, and Mackenzie Begley—only one of whom, Begley, is a captain. That leaves the possibility that 2010 could be a rare rebuilding season for one of the state's most successful high school athletic programs.

Of course Darien's opponents will believe that when they see it. This is a team that churns out state championships with stunning regularity.

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Last season, the Blue Wave finished 25-0—their second undefeated season in three years—and captured their 11th consecutive CIAC Class L state crown.

Since 1982, when she took over the coaching reins, Laurie LaRusso has guided Darien to 19 FCIAC titles and 15 state championships.

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Certainly tradition is a motivating factor for the Blue Wave, who aren't used to losing. They will take a 49-match winning streak into the 2010 season.

LaRusso has a career mark of 536-79, and since 1993, her teams have posted an astounding record of 412-10, with six of those losses coming in a single season (2000). Darien once enjoyed a 139-match winning streak.

What this year's team lacks in seniors, it makes up for with seven juniors—Lexy Ashburne, Juli Flynn, Lauren Perry, Nina Preston, Lauren Pryor, Charlett Stevenson, and Katie Stueber—and nine sophomores: Kathleen Burke, Callan Clasby, Taylor Cockerill, Kate Fitzmaurice, Kelly Kosnik, Brittney Osborn, Molly Petner, Lauren Pryor, and Riley Sousa.

Begley was an FCIAC first team pick in 2009, the only player on this year's  team to earn league honors last season. Most of the others saw limited playing time in 2009.

Sarah Gorski (FCIAC first team), Colby Billhardt (FCIAC second team), Corinne Sommi (FCIAC third team), and Olivia Taylor (FCIAC honorable mention) were among the players who graduated. Billhardt now is at UConn and Gorski is playing at Division III Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

Darien opens it season Tuesday at home against St. Joseph (4 p.m.).

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