Boys volleyball: Scarsdale, Clarkstown North fall in regionals

Unfortunately for Section 1 boys volleyball, its quest to finally get over the hump of the regional round in the state playoffs will resume for at least one more year. Section 1 Division I champion Scarsdale and Division II champion Clarkstown North had their unbeaten records broken on Wednesday night in their trips to Section 3.

Title-winners: Scarsdale, Clarkstown North capture Section 1 boys volleyball titles

Boys volleyball:2022 Section 1 tournament scoreboard, results, and more

Girls volleyball: 2022 Section 1 tournament scoreboard, results and more

Scarsdale falls to Fayetteville-Manlius

Section 3 champion Fayetteville-Manlius swept Scarsdale, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16.

"Four-hour bus ride and playing a volleyball game is tough," Scarsdale coach Jim Williams said. "We were pretty flat in the first half of the first game, woke up and eventually did OK. We were actually ahead, 12-10, in that first game, and then we just weren't passing well. We couldn't get the ball to our setter, setter couldn't get the ball to the hitters, but our blocking was pretty good. ... The level of volleyball outside of Section 1 is good, and you really have to play hard, and you have to play tight and make your passes."

Scarsdale got a taste of the tempo and skill that upstate teams possess when it played at the Burnt Hills tournament. It helped the Raiders improve and feel confident in knowing it was able to hang tight with some of those high-powered teams.

They were hoping those experiences would help them on Wednesday, but the Hornets were too tough to topple.

"We thought it would be a lot more competitive, maybe five games or four games, but they just came out and made so few mistakes," Williams said. "Maybe three or four service errors, half a dozen hitting errors and never a passing error. They just played well."

Scarsdale finishes match play with an 18-1 record. The Raiders are set to graduate 10 of 16 players on their roster at the end of the year.

"I was very proud of them, I told them this was the best the program's ever done," Williams said of his Raiders, who competed in their first state regional game in program history. "Be proud, be happy, it's tough to lose, but we played a good team. They beat us, there was no question they beat us."

Clarkstown North's perfect streak comes to an end against Jamesville-DeWitt

Clarkstown North's historic undefeated streak that included winning 51-straight sets has come to an end. Section 3 Division II champ Jamesville-DeWitt downed the Rams, 25-13, 25-17, 25-18.

"Super proud of my kids, they played hard and didn't give up," Clarkstown North coach Dan Gartshore said. "Our scores got better as we went along. They were just a super talented team. Physically, we matched up with them, but the pace of play up there is so much quicker than we're used to. To rattle off 51 in a row, undefeated section champs, you can't ask for more out of a volleyball season though."

For Clarkstown North, Chris Salerno had six kills and three blocks. Drew Ciganek had five kills and two blocks. Jefferson Overhue had three kills and a block.

The Rams conclude the season with a 17-1 record. Like Scarsdale, they will also graduate 10 seniors, including three starters.

Those who are returning are already hungry to try and do it all again next year, restart the streak of straight-set wins, go unbeaten, return to regionals, and possibly, finally break through at the state level.

Until then, the Rams reflect on a successful, historic season with pride, despite Wednesday's result.

"A lot of them said this was one of the best sports seasons they've ever had," Gartshore said. "At North, we don't win a ton of titles, I wouldn't call us title town by any means, and for these group of seniors now they have two section titles under their belt. This is something they're gonna remember for the rest of their lives. They don't realize now, how lucky they are to have two section titles coming out of high school, not many people get that opportunity."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Boys volleyball: Scarsdale, Clarkstown North fall in regionals