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Haldane's Etta, McConville, Lyons Make Grade for Empires
Sports story ideas welcomed for steamy summer days
by Ray Gallagher
Haldane's Danielle Etta (28), Katie McConville and Megan Lyons will all participate in the upcoming Empire State Games in the volleyball competition.
Summer has officially arrived, complete with soaring temperatures and sweltering humidity. To that, I say: Bring it! These are the days I live for; when varsity baseball and lacrosse simmers down and we await the boil of football - Section 1, college and NFL.
This week, we'll focus on three Haldane High students who have qualified for the Hudson Valley region at the 30th annual Empire State Games from July 25th-29th, which will be hosted by Westchester County for the first time in history. Three gals from the NYS Class C runnerup Blue Devils volleyball team have made the grade, including Megan Lyons, Katie McConville and Danielle Etta. That's pretty amazing when you get right down to it, particularly when you see that this trio has qualified for a second consecutive year. I mean, Haldane has long been known as a girl's basketball powerhouse, but this trio of volleyball stars has really put this particular program on the map.
All three are versatile and relentless in their approach to volleyball and all three bring something different to the table. Lyons is a businesslike home run slugger, there to deliver the killer ace at all times. McConville, a bundle of spunk, can do a little bit of everything well. On the court or on the bench, there's no denying her sprit or ability. Etta is one of those unsung players every successful team needs; a grunt for lack of a better word. Last year's team earned a bronze medal, and this trio hopes to secure gold this summer.
Etta plays the position of Libero and led Section 1 with the most digs last season (226), doing the dirty work on the floor. This also earned her the award of 1st Team All-Section in 2006, which encompassed all Section 1 schools from class AA to Class D. This honor was bestowed upon only six players in the section. Etta has also been a three-time honor roll pick for the Poughkeepsie Journal in 2006 and made the 1st Team All Star for the fall of 2006 in the Poughkeepsie Journal, in addition to earning first-team All- Tournament honors at the state tournament last year. At the conclusion of her club season, Etta was chosen as the Most Outstanding Passer and given the Coaches Award for excellence…
For the next 6-8 weeks, we will search high and low for story ideas, delving deep into the frontal lobes to come up with sports stories regaling our local athletes. Don't get me wrong. I like the down time as much as anyone, but it does make for an interesting challenge when seeking the 800 or so words we need to keep the PCN&R management happy.
Therefore, we seek your help for story ideas as we await the throes of varsity sports to being again in earnest in early September. If you live in or about the Putnam County News & Recorder region (Cold Spring, Philipstown, Putnam Valley, Nelsonville, Garrison, Continental Village, Lake Peekskill area) and you have an interesting idea for a sports story, I'm all ears. Just drop me a line at yourdirectrays@aol.com and we'll sift through the ideas together.
If you want to reminisce on this past seasons highlights, go to the galleries at www.yourdirectrays.com to view photos of Section 1 sports events.
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