Tag Archives: High School Player

Jeana T. Roche

Posted on

Jeana’s love for volleyball started in 1991 at Darien High School. A freshman with no volleyball experience, she was invited by her good friend, Kim Henry, to give it a try. Jeana and Kim had played tennis together for years and Kim was then a senior outside hitter for the team. Kim suspected Jeana’s tennis serve would translate well into volleyball spikes and serves. Sure enough, it did!

Fast forward two years, and Jeana led Connecticut in service aces in both her junior and senior years. Jeana would often take over matches by rattling off ace after ace. In1994, during the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) State and Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) finals, Jeana closed out the matches with 5 and 9 aces respectively, clinching both titles.

Coached by legend Laurie LaRusso, a future Connecticut Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame member, Class of 2012 and multiple time Coach of the Year, Darien would end their 1993 season “perfectly”. The team went 25-0, never losing a set, and won both the CIAC State Championship and FCIAC Championships. Jeana earned All-State and All-FCIAC recognition and was named a CT Post All-Star. The taste of winning the championship in 1993 spurred Jean to do it all over again.

The following year was a repeat! In 1994 the team went 24-0, never dropping a set and again won both the CIAC State and FCIAC titles. For the second year in a row, Jeana earned All-State and All-FCIAC recognition, was also named a Mizuno All Star and was selected for the Nutmeg State Games South team, which went on to win the gold medal. Jeana was named the co-MVP of the Darien volleyball team in 1994 alongside her good friend and amazing setter Chaira Ghiardini.

A dynamic duo for sure.

In 1995, Jeana was named Captain of the Darien Tennis team and went on to be selected to the All-FCIAC East team, as Darien won the CIAC Class M State title. In addition, Jeana was named the 1995 Darien Veterans of Foreign War Female Athlete of the Year.

She earned a full scholarship to play volleyball at Fordham University and played 4 years for the Rams. While at Fordham, she was also recruited to play on the tennis team but declined because of her commitment to volleyball. Her college and high school teammates remain some of her closest friends to this day.

Fast forward to 2017 when Jeana was living back in Darien with her husband, Kevin, and three young children Jillian, Kevin and Joe, the recruiting started.

Former coach Laurie LaRusso reached out and the call was heard. Jeana managed to work into to her busy schedule the demands of coaching high school volleyball. She became Laurie’s assistant coach for the next 3 seasons, reliving so many of the memories from decades before.

A few short years later, in 2022, Jeana’s daughter Jillian was selected Senior Captain for the Darien High School volleyball team and what did they do? Twenty-nine years after first completing the task with Jeana, Laurie coached

Jillian’s team to another “perfect” season. The team again went 25-0, winning both the CIAC State Championship and FCIAC Championship. A surreal experience for all.

Tiffany Gancarz

Posted on

Tiffany began playing volleyball in middle school for Dodd Jr. High School in Cheshire, Connecticut. Playing both 7th and 8th grade, this natural leader was selected captain in 8th grade. Over the next 4 years, Cheshire High School under the coaching of Sue Bavone, a future Connecticut Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame member Class of 2021, the Rams would benefit from Tiffany’s talents. “These years are where my love of the sport really grew and are still considered some of the best years of my life” notes Tiffany.

As a first-year student, Tiffany played on Junior Varsity in the setter position, and had some playing time on varsity as a defensive specialist. In 1996, the Rams would capture the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship. During her sophomore year, she played on varsity rotating between the setter and defensive specialist positions. The team won the tough SCC Housatonic Division Championship, as well as the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class L State Championship.

In 1998 as a junior, Tiffany was selected Captain of the team and garnered the setter position. The Rams found a great fit, as the team would win both the SCC Championship and the CIAC Class L State Championship. She was once again named Captain of the team her senior year. The team would win the SCC Championship, and finish runner-up in the CIAC Class L State Tournament. Tiffany received accolades at the end of her senior campaign including,

New Haven Register All Area Team, First Team All-State selection, All- Housatonic Division, Scholar Athlete Award, Sports Page Player of the Month, Waterbury Republican Player of the Week, and was a participant in the Senior All-State Game. She completed her volleyball career at Cheshire High School with a remarkable record of 93-6.

Currently living in North Andover, Massachusetts Tiffany is a kindergarten special education teacher and is married to Chris Ross. They have two children, Carter (9) and Avery (7). “Over the years I have had many inspirations which have led me to where I am today. Both of my parents’ drive, energy, determination, and positive attitudes have helped me to become a successful educator. In addition, my two older sisters (April and Jackie) influenced much of my life by leading me as role models. They both were the reason I began playing volleyball and are the reason that I moved to Massachusetts where I now have a family. Coach Sue Bavone influenced me by always teaching me, encouraging me to excel, and providing me with a positive and happy environment during my volleyball career so that I built a strong foundation of teamwork. My husband and children inspire me every day to live a happy and healthy life”, Tiffany reflects.