There were more than a handful of things that made the three-time defending Section VII, Class C Saranac Lake volleyball team a special group this past season, and on that list are four players who were named Champlain Valley Athletic Conference all-stars, as well as the coach of the year.

Seniors Sydney Andronica, Katie Gay and Maddy Gay and junior Kelsey Leeret were recognized for their efforts as all-league selections, and their leader along the sideline, Mike Navarra, was honored as the CVAC’s coach of the year.

Andronica, and twin sisters Katie and Maddy Gay were three-fifths of what Navarra called his “Fab Five,” which was the quartet of seniors who ended their high school careers in November with three Class C postseason titles to their credit.

The Gay sisters were both named first-team CVAC all-stars. Andronica was the league’s defensive player of the year, which is a brand-new honor awarded by the CVAC following the 2019 season. Playing in her second season with the team, Leeret, a junior, was an honorable mention selection.

Saranac Lake senior Katie Gay was named to the CVAC first-team volleyball team. (Enterprise file photo — Lou Reuter)

In his sixth-year at the helm, Navarra was named CVAC coach of the year for the first time while guiding the Red Storm to a 14-5 overall record and their third consecutive postseason crown.

Navarra said all three of this seniors who were honored have come a long way since their sophomore seasons when they played on the team that captured the first championship in school history in the sport of volleyball.

“When you see the comparison, what they brought in particular as seniors was a sense of intelligence and composure to the court. You couldn’t fluster them,” Navarra said. “That first championship, we had luck on our side, but determination, and that determination carried over.”

Navarra said his players combined their attributes into a recipe for success.

“In as far as what they did, they all had a little bit different games, they brought that together and it worked,” he said.

Saranac Lake senior Sydney Andronica was named as the CVAC's defensive player of the year. (Enterprise file photo — Lou Reuter)

In just about every match played during the 2019 season, opposing coaches credited Andronica for her exceptional play in the back court. The Red Storm’s libero finished the campaign with a whopping 574 digs, which put her over 1,000 for that statistic over the past two seasons. Andronica also served up 129 points in 67 sets played, which was third on the team in that category.

“Sydney’s job was to get the ball up and get control of every single ball that went back there,” Navarra said. “She did that more than 1,000 times in a two-year span. Sydney was responsible for our transitioning from defense to offense, and she did a great job.

“When Sydney was a sophomore, her nickname was Shanky. She shanked everything,” Navarra added. “But the one thing she was able to do was to clarify everything. She was a three sport-athlete who was determined to be a volleyball player. She did everything she needed to do. She went to the camps, she came out whenever we had an open gym, she put in the work, and it all paid off.”

In addition to being the CVAC’s defensive player of the year, Andronica was also named a fifth-team New York state all-star in the sport.

Navarra said Maddy Gay has always the had the athletic ability to play volleyball but what made her exceptional was the evolution she experienced from the beginning to the end of her varsity career.

Saranac Lake junior Kelsey Leeret was a CVAC honorable mention selection. (Enterprise file photo — Lou Reuter)

“Maddy’s difference from her sophomore to her senior season — it was all about attitude,” he said. “Once she felt comfortable on the court, once she broke out of a shell, all of a sudden she had this energy, she had a different confidence level, and it was contagious.

“I made her our third captain in the middle of her junior season. She was a captain this past year, and she was a great leader,” Navarra continued. “Maddy was extremely enthusiastic, she had this unbelievable desire to win and the skills to go all with it. From serving to defense to playing offense, she did it all.”

Maddy Gay put up some impressive numbers across the board during the Red Storm’s 2019 schedule, starting with a team-high 100 kills. She was also second on the team in digs with 221 and second in points served with 192.

Although Navarra noted that Katie Gay wasn’t the flashiest player on the court, she was extremely reliable, especially when it came to serving. Katie Gay finished tops on the team in points with 240 and aces with 76.

“You could always depend on Katie to get her serves in, and when she did they were difficult to handle,” Navarra said. “She was the one player on the team who was consistent with the jump serve. She had a quiet but deadly sense of volleyball intelligence. She knew where to put the ball and she usually got it there.”

Saranac Lake coach Mike Navarra was named as the CVAC volleyball coach of the year. (Enterprise file photo — Lou Reuter)

In addition to leading the team in serving, Katie Gay also finished her final season with 82 kills and 152 digs.

If the Red Storm hope to stretch its title run to four in a row next fall, which is something Navarra thinks is a definite possibility, Leeret is expected to be a key part of that success. After all, she was an important all-around piece of the puzzle in helping Saranac Lake notch its third in a row during her junior year.

“I call Kelsey our bionic girl,” Navarra said. “She jumps hard, she serves hard and plays strong defense. Right behind Andronica, she was the next quickest and fastest at being ready for the ball and knowing where to go with it. Now we need to get her to the next level for her senior year. Once she’s out there with that experience and confidence that comes with being a senior, she’s going to be tough to stop.”

In addition to making it three straight in the postseason, Navarra and his Red Storm also achieved a pair of first-time accomplishments during the regular season with victories over both Peru and Beekmantown, two Class teams that have been the perennial powers in the CVAC during recent seasons.

Navarra said it’s been a rewarding experience helping turn a Saranac Lake volleyball program from one that rarely tasted victory into a team that is feared every time it steps on the court.

“It’s been a great experience working with the school district, and I think one of my favorite things coaching at Saranac Lake has been the student body,” Navarra said. “I can tell you, when I first started, not very many seats were filled. As we started winning, more of the student body started showing up, and an awareness started growing, opening our program up to the community. The word started to spread; ‘You should go see the volleyball team.’ Now, we’re bringing in people who don’t even have kids at the school.

“I don’t know what next year has in store, but I do fully expect we can contend for a fourth-straight championship,” he added. “If they stick with it, we’ll have sophomores and juniors from this past season back with varsity experience, and we have a lot of great players coming up from a junior varsity team that did really well.”