Greeley Knocks off Brewster, Repeats as Class AA Champs

Lakeland, Valhalla Spiked in Class A, B Finals

By Tony Pinciaro

HORACE GREELEY found itself in a situation after two games of the Section 1 Class AA Volleyball Championship it had not experienced much of this season.

The top-seeded Quakers were even with upset-minded No.7 Brewster. The Bears had already eliminated No.2 Clarkstown South and No.3 Ossining, so they were looking for the trifecta Sunday at the Westchester County Center.

Greeley senior and captain Hope Suh and her teammates had a fruitful discussion between game 2 and game 3.

“We reflected on everything that brought us to the sectional stage – the countless tough matches, the intense training and the effort we all put in,” Suh said. “We emphasized that we needed to play at the level expected from the top seed and come out fighting in set three.”

The result was the Quakers taking the next two games in a 25-16, 17-25, 25-23, 25-16 victory over the Bears. It was the second consecutive Class AA championship for the Quakers and their 21st consecutive win.

Horace Greeley, 21-1, receives a bye into the regional final, noon, Saturday, 11/16, at Yorktown High School. The Quakers will play the Section 11-Section 8 winner.

The third set was back and forth, but Suh and her teammates maintained their composure. This led to the Quakers making quick work of Brewster in game four. Claire Fallon (39 assists, nine digs, two aces); Connie Tao (13 kills); Jaida Cekic (21 kills, four digs); Chloe Snyder (12 kills, three blocks) and Suh (10 digs) all posted prime numbers.

“After each close point or run, we went into huddles and reminded ourselves that we needed to keep calm and play our game,” Suh said. “I think that our ability to remain calm even in super-tight matches was tested during this set, but we ultimately drew upon that to close it out.

“I think we gained more composure and confidence that allowed us to come out on fire during the fourth set. During the fourth set we played a lot more cohesively, with momentum helping propel us forward and serve as motivation to take the win.”

The bye into the regional final works to the Quakers’ advantage as they are determined to improve on last year’s state showing.

“We lost a close match to Cornwall in the regional semifinals,” Suh said. “That loss served as motivation to make us work even harder to improve as a team and learn from that experience. We are determined to use that experience to push even farther this year and make it past regionals.”

LAKELAND Coach Steve Fallo witnessed his team coming together daily.

“We kept getting better throughout the season,” said the veteran coach. “We made adjustments right up into the sectional tournament. We also play a tough regular-season schedule. We finished with 21 bonus points, so we played very good competition from day one.”

The result was an 11-7 record and a No.6 seed heading into the Section 1 Class A Championship. However, the Hornets proved to be a dangerous sixth seed.

Lakeland opened with a sweep of No.11 Roosevelt then followed with five-set victories over No.3 Somers (quarterfinal) and 2023 Section 1 Class A champion Byram Hills (semifinal). Somers and Byram Hills were a combined 32-5.

The Hornets ran into a buzzsaw in top-seeded John Jay-Cross River and the 18-2 Wolves responded with a sweep at the Westchester County Center despite solid efforts from Kelly Mallon (13 kills 24 digs), Sophia Cruz (11 kills) and Tatiana Aquart (10 kills, 2 blocks.)

“John Jay made very few unforced errors,” Fallo said. “They were consistent throughout the match. They deserved to win.”

Even though the final result was not what Fallo wanted, it does not diminish what his team accomplished.

“I’m so proud of how we improved throughout the year and to get to the finals was very special for all of us,” Fallo said.

VALHALLA had an excellent regular season, going 16-2 and earning the No.1 seed in the Section 1 Class B Championships. The Vikings dispatched No. 9 Rye Neck and No. 4 Dobbs Ferry, both in four sets, setting up a third match with No.2 Blind Brook, also 16-2 during the regular season.

The Trojans’ two losses were to Valhalla, but they returned the favor in the final, surprising the Vikings with a sweep in the Class B final at the Westchester County Center.

“I think Blind Brook played a great game,” Valhalla Coach Tricia Ward said. “We went in prepared, knew it was going to be a good game and went in excited to play our best. Although we battled through in each set, it didn’t go in our favor.”

The Vikings finished with an 18-3 record. Ward will say goodbye to seven seniors at graduation next June, but their accomplishments will not be forgotten.

“I think we had an amazing season and we won’t let the loss take away from  the fact that we finished 16-2, won the league and finished second in two tournaments,” Ward said. “The girls worked hard all season and, as a team, accomplished many of the goals we set forth.

“There will be seven seniors leaving us this year. Each one of these girls put their whole heart into this program and I am extremely proud of each and every one of them.”

PUTNAM VALLEY had one of the finest seasons in program history, finishing with a 17-2 regular-season record.

Following a 2-2 start, Putnam Valley won 15 consecutive matches highlighted by a five-set victory over Section 1 Class A finalist Lakeland in its last match.

The Tigers earned the third seed in sectionals and won their quarterfinal match with No.6 Irvington in four sets. However, Class B champion and second-seeded Blind Brook beat the Tigers in four sets in a semifinal.

Putnam Valley Coach Samantha Fasce noted there were several milestones this season.

The Tigers won the league title without losing a set. Junior Izzy Picard became the first player in program history to achieve 1,000 kills and junior Alyssa Gambichler surpassed assistant coach Kristina Turner’s program-record for assists.

“We capped off the regular season with a huge win over Class A finalist Lakeland,” Fasce said. “During our game against Lakeland, we played some of our best volleyball all year, working as a team and playing aggressively on offense. Unfortunately, during our game against Blind Brook, though we pushed it to the full five sets, we felt we made too many unnecessary errors.

“Going to Blind Brook’s home court, where they were looking to avenge their section finals loss from last year, made it even more challenging,” the coach added. “As the game progressed, we made some rotational changes on the fly, and we’re proud of the team’s ability to adjust and pull out a win from behind in the fourth set to push the game to the distance. In the fifth set, we struggled to get the ball to our power outside, Izzy Picard, to help close out the match in our favor. Blind Brook played a strong match and pulled away from us early in the fifth. Though we felt we could have done more during the semifinals, we are proud of the team for fighting for every point in all five sets.

“This was an incredible season, without a doubt. With only two seniors graduating this year, we are hopeful about continuing Putnam Valley’s success next season.”

One year after reaching the state final four BYRAM HILLS was primed to make it two consecutive Section 1 Class A titles. The Bobcats won 15 of 17 regular-season matches and were seeded second in the Section 1 Class A Championship.

Byram Hills defeated No.15 Nanuet (four sets) and swept No.7 Rye, but No.6 Lakeland denied the Bobcats a berth in the final with a five-set victory.

BREWSTER limped into the Section 1 Class AA Championship losing four of its last five matches to finish the regular season at 10-8. Once sectionals began though, the seventh-seeded Bears rediscovered their game, running off three wins to reach the sectional finals.

Brewster overcame No.10 Scarsdale in five sets, then eliminated No.2 Clarkstown South, also in five sets. The Bears earned their berth in the final with a four-set win over No.3 Ossining in a semifinal.

The Bears magical run came to a close in the final as Horace Greeley made it consecutive sectional titles with a four-set victory.

 

DAVID TABER PHOTOS