Volleyball: Lakeland captures first Section 1 Class A title with win over Horace Greeley
MAHOPAC - After a historic start to the season, Lakeland was determined for a historic finish.
The Hornets had never won a Section 1 volleyball title before, but that all changed on Saturday, when they defeated third-seeded Horace Greeley, 19-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-18, in the Class A finals.
"The whole season, we had this in mind, but we had to take it game-by-game," Lakeland senior Kayla Jennings said. "Don't get down, stay focused. We all had that goal in mind, it was just a matter of how we're gonna get there and, tonight, we pretty much just executed."
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The Hornets were unbeaten through their first 10 matches, their best start in program history. They took a couple of losses throughout the regular season to Section 1 Class B champ Hen Hud and runner-up Putnam Valley, but they can say they never lost to a Section 1 Class A opponent this fall.
Lakeland was frazzled in the beginning, with Horace Greeley starting strong and taking the first set to open.
The Hornets settled down, though, using a massive 10-1 run that allowed them to take control of the second set, but also propel them forward for the rest of the match.
After a couple of back-and-forth stretches in the third and fourth set, the Hornets gained separation and held off the Quakers each time to seal the victory.
"For them to win this and come back after that first game was awesome," Lakeland coach Steve Fallo said. "Greeley couldn't have played better and played a great match. Our kids are so resilient, they hung in there and believed in what we tell them with our philosophy in staying calm, not getting too high or low, and they did a great job. It's all on them."
As for the Quakers, their turnaround season comes to an end. After winning just eight matches over the last two seasons to rising up and reaching their first section finals in several decades, Horace Greeley is grateful for the year and hope it can springboard into future success from here.
"We beat the odds, everyone doubted us and thought we couldn't do it," Horace Greeley coach Daniela Castro said. "Everyone thought we were going to be poor, so every time they heard Horace Greeley, they thought, 'Oh, they suck, it's gonna be another win.' This year, we came out on fire. Looking forward, we're a young team, so hoping we're gonna be back here again. It's not over for us yet."
What it means
Lakeland gets a bye to the Class A state regional final at John Jay-Cross River on Friday, at 1:30 p.m., where the Hornets will face the Section 4 or Section 9 champion. It was the Hornets' first trip to the Section 1 finals since 1996.
Player of the game
Kayla Jennings, Lakeland: The senior hitter tallied 21 kills, 18 digs and three aces and was a complete catalyst in the win.
By the numbers
No. 1 Lakeland (20-3) — Kelly Mallon had 11 kills, 10 digs and an ace. Emma Dedushaj dished out 11 assists and 13 digs. Olivia Berkson had 13 assists, while Sarah Cahill had 34 digs.
No. 3 Horace Greeley (18-3) — Elizabeth Fallon tallied a team-high 19 kills, with 16 digs. Emma Rose had 41 assists and 10 digs. Hope Suh finished with 21 digs and one ace. Jaida Cekic had 10 kills, 15 digs and three aces. Ace Tillotson had three kills, two aces and 11 digs. Chloe Snyder chipped in nine kills.
They said it
"I'm gonna miss them, and I'm proud of them," Castro said of her seniors, who have been an instrumental group in the program's turnaround over the last couple of years. "The seniors were big parts of our team and will be missed, and hard to replace next year."
"They all did their job," Fallo said. "We don't have any superstars. We might not be the biggest team, but they play so well and they just believe. They never got out of character, they do what you ask them to do. This game was crazy, and they just kept their composure throughout."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Volleyball: Lakeland tops Greeley for first Section 1 title
