Lower Cape Captains Continue to Grow on the Volleyball Court

Typically, there are areas of both certainty and uncertainty that a coach experiences during the season. Lower Cape May High School girls volleyball head coach Rick Ferrante can be certain of the dedication and leadership qualities demonstrated by team captains Shaye Fletcher and Emma Muldoon.
“They are both seniors, and have been with the program since its beginning,’’ Ferrante said. “They both have good communication skills and are polite when talking with officials. Emma is probably the most well-rounded player we have.
“Last year, she led the team in digs and was selected to the Cape Atlantic League All-Conference American Division First Team. Shaye is an excellent communicator and has a great rapport with my other players.
“Emma is a peer leader, received the People’s Choice Award in May, and was named Student Spotlight of the Month. Shaye is a National Honor Society student. She is also a Spanish National Honor Society Spotlight student, she participates in the Structured Learning Experience Program.
“They are both good role models and set good examples for the younger players to follow.’’
Both student-athletes began playing volleyball competitively at 15-years-old.
Muldoon enjoyed watching beach volleyball in the Olympics, and mentions being a coachable player as her strength on the court. She’d like to work on all aspects of the sport to become a complete player. She had 105 digs in 2018, and would like to surpass that total this year.
Fletcher likes the complexity of volleyball and wanted to try a new sport. She lists her ability to jump high and block as being among her strengths. She wants to improve her receiving and passing techniques, and would like to see the Tigers improve with consistency and confidence.
Lower Cape May will host Pleasantville Oct. 11.
“The LCMR volleyball program is only in its third year of existence,’’ Ferrante added. “We’ve come quite a long way in a short amount of time, but still have a ways to go before we reach the level of play achieved by the schools who have had active programs in effect for a much longer time.
“Also, the vast majority of the new players that we receive in our program are ninth-graders, who have had virtually no experience in organized volleyball before. There is no feeder system in place at the middle school level, so they have to start from scratch as freshmen.’’