Girls Volleyball: SWR has its moments, but Glenn takes the match
If the Shoreham-Wading River High School girls volleyball team wants a souvenir to remember its 2015 season by, it might want to consider creating a T-shirt.
It could proudly be emblazoned with the words, “We Caused Elwood/John Glenn To Call a Timeout.”
Glenn is a bonafide dynasty in Suffolk County, cranking out talented players and teams, year in, year out, like a volleyball factory. The Knights have won 14 straight Long Island championships and 17 county titles. They excel in all facets of the game and have no perceivable weaknesses.
So, imagine the delight the Wildcats must have felt Thursday when they not only hung with Glenn for much of the first game of their Suffolk Class B Tournament semifinal, but took the lead three times. After a block by Anna Scarpinito gave the Wildcats a 13-11 edge, Glenn’s coach, Kevin Harrington, called a timeout to pull his team together. His counterpart, Megan Johnson, later said she felt as if she was dreaming at the time.
The natural order was restored to the volleyball universe, at least as far as the top-seeded Knights saw it, soon after. With two kills each by seniors Grace Cergol and Alexis Groark down the stretch, Glenn scored 10 of the game’s last 11 points to wrap up the game, 25-16. The next two games were won in more typical fashion by the defending Long Island champions, 25-8, 25-10, in their gym in East Northport.
Undefeated Glenn (13-0) will face No. 2 Bayport-Blue Point or No. 3 Hampton Bays in the county final next Thursday at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood.
For the fourth-seeded Wildcats (6-11), their first playoff match in five years was a tough assignment, to say the least. They were twice swept in three games in their two regular-season matches against League VI champion Glenn. They knew what they were up against.
Glenn has some fierce hitters, such as Cergol (12 kills) and Groark (11 kills). As a team, Glenn put down 29 kills to Shoreham’s five.
Mia Cergol, Glenn’s freshman setter, finished with 23 assists and four service aces.
Glenn was back to its usual self in the second game, blasting out to a commanding 17-4 lead. The Knights took a 17-7 lead in the third game.
Photo: Shoreham-Wading River’s Sarah Fabian goes far out of bounds to keep the ball in play during the third game. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)
