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(Cayleigh Griffin, a senior on the Trinity Catholic High School volleyball team, will be blogging about her experiences this season. This is her first entry)

By Cayleigh Griffin

Saying goodbye to summer tends to be hard for everyone, but it always seems to be especially difficult for me. I have just recently returned from spending two months in Long Beach Island, N.J., with family and friends from all over the country.

Upon arriving home, I was hit with the reality of having to move my best friend and former passing partner, Keelin Walsh, into college. To add to my stress level, I have been preparing for my college applications, essays and visits, SATs and ACTs, and the start of my senior year.

What could possibly be holding me together at this point? The answer is quite simple: volleyball.

Saturday marked the start of my stress reliever, and I could not have been more excited. Although many players from last year’s team did not return, everyone was pleasantly surprised to see about 20 new faces filing into the gym.

Seven seniors remain and we all know the big shoes we have to fill as leaders on and off the court. Every senior has already played role model at least once since tryouts started.

We have also added Mrs. E, Marge Eilertsen, a former player at our school and the University of Maryland, to our coaching staff. From day one, she has been able to fix and tweak our slightest mistakes to help us become more successful in the long run.

Every returning player has improved her game, especially Kelly Palma, who played for the CT Impact team during the winter and spring seasons. With four out of six returning starters, our FCIAC and state goals seem to be more achievable then ever.

As everyone tries to put together a lineup in their heads, Coach Pucci has been monitoring our every play and will determine which girls will complement each other best so we eventually end up with the win.

With scrimmages at King and Stamford High at the end of the week, I know I can speak for the whole team when I say that we are truly excited for this season and have so much that we want to accomplish.

So as I struggle through the college process and life without my best friend and the beach for a while, at least I have volleyball there to act as my glue that holds all the pieces of my fall season together.

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I wasn’t planning on updating the blog during my vacation until I got a text message earlier this evening from new guest blogger Cayleigh Griffin saying she had finished her first entry and is sending it tomorrow.

I was a little surprised because I planned on discussing things with Cayleigh, Khairi Fortt and Rick Lewis this coming week. I wasn’t surprised because Cayleigh is the type of person who would take the initiative and be proactive.

I have no idea what Cayleigh’s first entry is about, but have no doubt it will be interesting and the perfect start to a new season of guest bloggers.

Look for it tomorrow!.

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With the start of the high school season just 18 days, it is time for one last break before we kick things into high gear. So Overtime is taking one last summer break.

I’ll be back on Sept. 8 as we turn our attention to fall sports. That is five days shy of the first anniversary of this blog, which has grown exponentially since the first posting. There will be more commentary, more breaking news, more use of video, and the debut of guest bloggers Khairi Fortt, Cayleigh Griffin and Rick Lewis.

And, hopefully, more new features.

So enjoy your final days of summer and check back after Labor Day.

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There are few programs that have had greater success or are more respected in Connecticut than the Darien High School volleyball team. The Blue Wave have won 18 Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference and 14 state titles, and have become the paradigm for excellence in the state.

As the Blue Wave set out starting Saturday on the road that they hope will lead to their ninth straight league and state championships, one of the players they will be counting on is Colby Billhardt, their 6-foot-1 hitter. Billhardt has been working non-stop — literally — all summer to improve her game.

Billhardt, one of Darien’s tri-captains, will follow in a long line of outstanding hitters the program has produced. And she likely will eventually become the 23rd member of the team to go on to play in college.

Though she has always towered above her classmates, Billhardt does not spend the winter playing for the Darien girls basketball team, but for the school’s boys swimming team.

I caught up with Billhardt this morning to discuss what she has done to get ready for the new season and what she thinks of the team’s prospects.

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Due to the popularity of the work done by our guest bloggers last spring, I am happy to announce I have put together a lineup this fall that should be more than up to the task of continuing to blaze the trail established by Emily Powers, Bobby Horn and Sammi and Mike Nemchek in helping to take you inside the world of high school athletics.

This fall we are going to have one male and one female athlete, and one coach. And I am fortunate to have three of the best in Stamford.

The male athlete is going to be Khairi Fortt, who has quickly become a household name in the city. Fortt, a senior at Stamford High School, is one of the top rated scholastic linebackers in the nation and one of the most sought-after recruits. He will be able to offer an inside view into the process as he nears a decision, as well as an inner look into his final season with the Black Knights.

The female athlete will be Cayleigh Griffin, who will be one of the top hitters in the FCIAC this fall for the Trinity Catholic volleyball team. Griffin is also known for her play on the school’s girls basketball team, and will take us along for the ride as the Crusaders attempt to qualify for league and state playoff berths.

The coach is well known throughout swimming circles, Westhill’s Rick Lewis. About to begin his 32nd year with the Vikings, Lewis has built one of the top programs in the state and is respected for his work at all levels in the sport.

I am lucky that all three have agreed to contribute to this blog and I know their insights will prove compelling to readers.

Look for the first postings from Fortt, Griffin and Lewis soon.

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The fallout from the tragic death of Preston Hirten, the former Staples High School soccer player who collapsed during practice at Mary Washington University last week due to an enlarged heart, continues as his friends and family continue to deal with the loss of a person who touched so many lives.

There was a candlelight vigil at Albie Loeffler Field Friday night for soccer players, which included his teammates on the Mary Washington University team, which took two buses to attend the event, followed by an emotional memorial service the following day.

But with all that has been written about Hirten since the tragic incident, no words offer greater insight both into the type of person he was and the extent of his reach than the speech he gave during the Staples soccer banquet following the 2006 season. Hirten was not scheduled to speak, but asked if he could say a few words.

If you want to learn more about what made Hirten so special to so many, I strongly suggest you click on this link on the Staples soccer website, which has printed the speech, which is followed by the touching words spoken by Staples coach Dan Woog at Saturday’s service.

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Gavin McCullough’s six-month ordeal since learning that the University of Vermont was dropping its baseball program has landed him close to home.

McCullough, the Stamford High School graduate and former Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Player of the Year, received a partial scholarship nine days ago to play at Fairfield University.

“It was a long process but I’m happy the way it has turned out,” McCullough said. “I couldn’t be happier with my decision.”

McCullough played this summer for the Westhampton Aviators, helping them win the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League title. McCullough finished with a 4-1 record and a 2.48 earned run average.

McCullough was a freshman this past year at Vermont, which announced in February that it was dropping both its baseball and softball programs at the end of recently completed season.

There will be a complete story in tomorrow’s edition of The Advocate.

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Westhill graduate Cliff Louis, like the rest of the New York Giants, was reeling tonight after Saturday’s 17-3 preseason loss to the Bears. The entire team played poorly and, worse, defensive tackle Jay Alford sustained what could be a season-ending knee injury.

The Giants return to action to play the Jets Saturday night. After that come the first round of cuts.

I just finished talking to Louis on Facebook. Here are some of the highlights in a Q&A format:

Question: Was the team disappointed by last night’s loss?

Louis: Yeah, any loss is something you have to deal with professionally and logically.

Q: You only got in for the final two series. Were you disappointed you didn’t get to play a little more?

Louis: I know that my time will come. I learned humility at Morgan sitting on the bench for a few years even though I was a “practice All-American”…lol…I just knew my time would come. Even though the league is a little more career-ending then college, I know that they see something in me or else I’d be at home working a 9-5.

Q: You have the Jets on Saturday. What is your game plan for yourself between now and then?

Louis: I attack each game like I attack practice: know what you’re doing, do it to the best of your ability, be consistent and learn from the vets in front of you. After each series at practice or games, I go over to Tutan Reyes (10 year veteran) or Chris Snee (four year veteran and Pro Bowler) and ask them how’d the series look.

Q: After Saturday’s game with the Jets come the first round of cuts. Is that in the back of your mind?

Louis: Always. One thing about the league is, it’s temporary. There are some guys like Jeff Feagles, Adam Vinatieri and others who pass the 15 year mark, but those guys are few. Everyone has gotten cut, a free agent is just a person whose team doesn’t want them anymore so they’re free to sign with whomever. What difference is that with a person who gets cut from the practice squad? It boils down to dollars and cents…it’s a business. And I understand that, I’m blessed and fortunate to be approaching my 3rd year in this business.