On Oct. 19, Stratford coach Lisa Buccieri was honored before a game against Kolbe to celebrate her 25 years of coaching volleyball.

Buccieri said she was thrilled.

“It was a wonderful night,” the coach said. “I was shocked and surprised at the same time.”

The coach began in at Law in 1987. She became the Red Devils’ coach in 1995 and led them to a 9-9 record and a win over her former school, Law, in the first round of the Class M tournament.

Buccieri said she appreciated the ceremony and it also helped her out a bit.

 “It meant the world to me,” she said. “People ask me, ‘how many years have you been coaching,’ and I tell them, ‘I don’t know, about 16 or 17. I lost track of it. I didn’t realize that I was at 25 years.”

Through it all, Buccieri said she is appreciative that she had the chance to meet so many great people.

“I’ve met a lot of good people, family members and great players throughout the 25 years,” Buccieri said. “To this day I’ll see kids in the mall and they’ll still come by and say hello. It’s just hard to put it in words. I never expected to still be coaching and I love every minute of it.”