Glens Falls - The Shelter Island girls volleyball team knew that it wasn't unbeatable, even if the sparkling lossless record that it boasted might have suggested so. The Lady Indians had been taken to five games by Stony Brook, put to the test by Haldane, but most of all, previous trips to the state tournament in Glens Falls previewed them on the type of talent they'd undoubtedly cross paths with when the Class D field was down to four.

The dream season eventually had to come to an end, for better or worse. SI went toe to toe with three high-caliber squads on Saturday, and although it came away empty-handed, it hardly tarnishes what had been the best season in school history.

Shelter Island middle blocker Stephanie Vecchio is one of four starters who will return for the 2010 season.

"I'm very proud of the team," Head Coach Cindy Belt said. "It was a disappointing day, but overall, it was a fabulous experience to get up there. You can't take that away from the girls."

Despite losing six key seniors to graduation in June, Shelter Island rolled to its first outright league championship in school history, doing so without losing a single match. It continued on by beating Stony Brook for the Class D title and reserved their spot up north by upending Section I champ Haldane in four games at the regional level. Even though the Lady Indians had higher hopes at Glens Falls, every step of their run was a thrill, said Belt.

"Originally, even getting to states wasn't even on my radar screen quite frankly," Belt said. "We were expecting it to be a rebuilding year, but we just built it quickly. Getting up there was a huge accomplishment, and personally speaking for the girls, getting up to that level and the experience of being there and seeing the teams that are there, it's an eye-opening experience. Only the best of the best get up there."

The first game in the round-robin, for which Shelter Island had to rise early in the morning to play, set the tone for what transpired thereafter. SI jumped out to a 9-5 lead on Cattaraugus-Little Valley. The Lady Indians had prepared to face a hard-hitting eighth grader, and CLV's Sara Crandall lived up to the hype and then some. Behind their young hitter, the Lady Timberwolves chipped away and drew even at 15. They then went on to tally 10 of the next 11 points and win game one, 25-16.

"They weren't a terribly tall team, but she was a very powerful hitter," Belt said. "She was their main hitter, but the other kids could hit very well, [Crandall] would hit down the line to a corner, and that's a spot we never had to defend against a hard hit all year. We weren't able to do that. Sometimes teams just can't adjust in that short period of time."

Next fall, Haley Willumsen will assume the majority of the setting duties with the graduation of Claire Read.

Unfortunately, their goal of winning a game upstate for the first time ever was never fulfilled. Cattaraugus continued its momentum into game two, taking it 25-14. Part of the challenge after suffering two defeats early was regrouping to face two other viable opponents.

"After they saw that level of competition, I think the kids had a little less confidence in what they could do," Belt said. "It was hard for me as a coach to not be able to give them a magic pill and have something work."

With the support of its devoted fan base made up of parents and students, Shelter Island stayed in the match as long as it could with Edison, the eventual state champion, falling 25-15, 25-7, before putting its pride on the line against Chateaugay, which it had battled to a 25-19 result in 2007. Each team had been eliminated from the race for two spots in the state final. The Section X champs proved to be too powerful, winning 25-12, 25-10, for their first wins on the day.

The trip to states punctuated the careers of Claire Read and Shelby Willumsen, the Lady Indians lone seniors. More than any statistics the duo put up, Belt said her team will most miss their leadership.

"We have a lot of big guns still in place, but it will be interesting to see who of that core group steps up into that leadership role," Belt said. "Just like last year with that big group of seniors, Claire and Shelby stepped up. I feel that we have a good number of good players; I still don't know who it's going to be [who will step up] – they have different kinds of personalities – but it's going to happen."

Belt said she'll try to prepare the team better for the higher level of competition at states by scheduling stronger non-league matches as well as more competitive tournaments later in the season. In the meantime, a large chunk of the Lady Indians roster will stay fresh by playing club ball and look to rekindle the magic next season.

"Because we have that level of athleticism after Claire and Shelby leave, I feel very good that we'll still be quite strong within the league," Belt said. "I expect that we'll be able to win counties next year."

Shelter Island won 16 matches this year, including a 3-1 defeat of Stony Brook to win its sixth straight Class D county championship.