Atlantic Cape Buccaneers Women’s Volleyball Team to Count on Sophomore Student Athletes Experience in 2024

MAYS LANDING — With five returning sophomores on Head Coach Karla Maisto’s roster in 2024, the Atlantic Cape Community College Buccaneers Women’s Volleyball team will be relying upon their collective experience and leadership to guide the squad this year.

After overcoming a 1-7 start to their 2023 season, the Buccaneers gelled as a group and, thanks to a late-September five-game winning streak, finished with an 11-15 record while riding a wave of momentum into the Region 19 playoffs where they unfortunately fell to Northampton Community College in the first round.

The Buccaneers opened their season on Wednesday, September 4 with a 3-0 loss at Ocean County College. They begin the home portion of their schedule on Thursday, September 5 against Middlesex College at 6:30 p.m. in Jonathan Pitney Hall Gymnasium on the Mays Landing campus.

Sophomores McKenna Weber (left), Alexandra Montoya (below right), Sarah Flath (below left), Maria Alejandra Ceballos and returnee Gianna Cox, who last played in 2022, will anchor the team’s experienced core. Yet, despite this advantage, the Buccaneers come into this season lacking setters and ball control as well as height in the middle of the court.

“I hope to get the team to buy into trying different things this year, such as different defensive strategies, rotations and positions,” said Maisto, who has led the Buccaneers Women’s Volleyball team since 2019 alongside Assistant Coach Josh Concepcion.

Victoria Bollo, a freshman who is originally from Chile, but now resides in Egg Harbor Township, will be heavily relied upon, at 5' 6”, in the middle of the court to provide hitting and blocking.

Weber, who is from Egg Harbor Township, will be counted on at the critically-important setter position this year after playing opposite hitter in 2023. Maisto praised Weber for her “incredible hustle and improvement with each practice.”

Montoya, the Galloway, N.J. native who is considered by Maisto to be one of the team’s most well-rounded athletes, will accompany Weber as the team’s second setter despite being a natural libero (a defensive specialist that plays only on the back row and is noticeable by the different color of their jersey).

Flath, who is from Dorothy, N.J., will be counted on to provide offense, which Maisto said “has improved 10-fold since last season.” Flath competed competitively over the summer and finished in 1st place in the Women’s A category during Great American Volleyball’s Serve My Partner Smackdown Tournament on August 24 at Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. with partner Jessica Naylor.

Ceballos, who is from Egg Harbor Township, fell in love with the game last year and, despite struggling lately with staying healthy, she has continued to show much improvement while playing during the offseason.

Cox, who is from Galloway, N.J., is returning to the Buccaneers as a full-time student athlete after taking a break during the 2023 school year. She will be counted on to provide a presence thanks to her front and back row skills.

The roster is rounded out with six freshmen student athletes who bring youthful exuberance and energy to the team:

• Kaitlynn O’Keefe, who is from Stratford, N.J., transferred to Atlantic Cape from Kean University to attend the Academy of Culinary Arts program, comes to the Buccaneers with a strong athletic background in field hockey, lacrosse and recreational volleyball.
• Radiyyah Reynolds, who is from Galloway, N.J., is a new athlete to the game of volleyball.
• Renata Riesenberg (below right), who is from Villas, N.J., is the tallest player on the team and will provide a presence in the middle of the court at the net.
• Lily Robert, who is from Woodbine, N.J., brings two years of volleyball experience from Ocean City High School. Her quickness and ball control will see her manning the libero position this year.
• Chuck (Lilly) Taylor, who is from North Wildwood, N.J., will hold down the defensive specialist position while she learns the ins-and-outs of the college game.

To help expedite the learning process of her squad, Maisto is planning on having the women’s team informally practice once a week with the men’s team, which she and Concepcion coach as well, in mixed open-gym sessions.

Like all successful teams, leadership will play a key role this season in helping the Buccaneers overcome positional shortcomings and inexperience. Maisto is counting on Flath, Montoya and Weber to lead by example, demonstrate tremendous sportsmanship and seamlessly step up into the “sophomore” role this year.

Visit atlanticcape.edu/womensvolleyball for roster, coaches and schedule information.

About Atlantic Cape Community College

Atlantic Cape Community College is a Middle States accredited, 2022 Achieving the Dream Leader College and Hispanic Serving Institution proudly serving the residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties. As a comprehensive, two-year community college, Atlantic Cape offers 47 undergraduate degree programs, and 33 certificate and professional series programs at its Mays Landing, Atlantic City and Cape May campuses. Atlantic Cape is home to the renowned Academy of Culinary Arts, rated the top culinary school in New Jersey, and for more than 50 years, our highly-acclaimed Nursing program. Atlantic Cape also partners with more than 30 colleges and four-year universities to offer students the opportunity to seamlessly earn a bachelor’s degree upon graduation.