Interview with Isabella Kyriakopoulos (Class of 2024)

    Spending the first two years of high school in a global pandemic is not the ideal situation… But it was no sweat for Isabella Kyriakopoulos. I sat down with Isabella, or Bella, as everyone calls her, and asked her about playing high school basketball during her freshman year, and how she plans on preparing for the upcoming season, which begins in mid-November. 

How did it feel to be on Varsity Basketball in your freshman year?

    “Playing at such a high level in only Freshman year really helped prove that I was able to compete with people who are nearly three or four years older than me.” Bella plays against other Varsity teams, which mostly consist of Juniors and Seniors.

“Even though it was a shortened season, it gave me a glimpse into the world of high school basketball and how the game works at McClancy. It showed that I could keep up with the fast pace of the game.”

Do you plan on working hard to make Varsity again this year?

    “I one hundred percent plan on making the Varsity team before the season starts in November. It was an honor to play as a Freshman and it would be the same honor to play again this year.” Standing at only 5’1” Bella says, “Being short doesn’t define who I am as a player. It’s only motivated me to work harder and prove others wrong.”

She’s been training since last season ended and all summer working on making Varsity again. “I’ve been dedicating lots of my time to improve my overall game and get in even better shape than I was last year.” 

What was your favorite memory from last season?

    “Just being able to actually get playing time during Covid was so fun. I wasn’t sure if there would be a season, but there was and I’m so grateful for that.” 

Everyone seems very excited for the upcoming season to start. Good luck to Isabella, the rest of the Varsity team, and the Junior Varsity team as well!!

Champs

   The JV Volleyball team are the Brooklyn-Queens Junior Varsity Champions! The girls won their first and third sets securing the win over Christ the King. The game took place at St. Francis Prep and the McClancy community really came together and showed their support. However, the work is not over yet, because the girls are now looking to become the city champions. After the win, I spoke very briefly with the libero of the team, Juliette DiVittorio (2024). 

How awesome was it to be undefeated this season?

“It’s definitely pretty cool. All the girls on the team trained and practiced hard. Without a team effort, none of this success would be possible.”

Is it exciting to know that in your next game you’ll be playing for the city championship?   

    “It’s very exciting but also nerve-racking. We’ve worked super hard to get to this point today and need to keep working to get the city championship. We still don’t know what team we are playing or what our competition will be like, so it makes practice even more challenging.” 

Two weeks later, the JV girls are the City Champions! After a close game, McClancy beat Kennedy Catholic in 3 sets to secure the win. An amazing, UNDEFEATED, season comes to an incredible end. Congratulations JV Volleyball on all your accomplishments and championships this season!

The Varsity Volleyball team played as well but unfortunately lost and came in second for the Brooklyn-Queens Championship. Their season came to a close losing in four sets to Holy Cross. It was a hard-fought and well-played game. They had an amazing season but did not get the ultimate goal, which was winning a championship. This was four of our senior’s last game as a Crusader. It was a pretty emotional ending but we are still proud of this team and how they competed this season!