Baldwin's run ends in finals

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Baldwin rode into the Nassau Class AA girls’ volleyball championship round for the third time in four seasons Nov. 4 brimming with confidence after a semifinal sweep three days earlier.

But the second-seeded Lady Bruins (10-3 overall), matched up against their arch nemesis—top-seeded and unbeaten Massapequa (14-0)—fell in straight sets (25-16, 25-15, 25-16) as the Lady Chiefs won their 15th consecutive county championship.

Baldwin fought until the end, battling back in the third game to take a 14-13 lead after coach Luis Sepulveda tweaked his lineup, moving juniors Taylor Krucher and Allie Ahearne to outside hitter and sliding senior All-County Bridgette Walsh to the right side of the floor. Aherne and Taylor, who combined for nine of the team’s 11 kills in the series, totaled five alone during the Game 3 run, before Massapequa stormed back to take 12 of the final 14 points. “Massapequa played excellent defense,” Sepulveda said. “We didn’t do a good job establishing our middles early. They were camping out [at the net] waiting for our hitters to hit.”

After battling No. 3 Plainview JFK for a pair of five-set victories during the regular season, Baldwin put together its best performance of the season when the teams met in the semifinals at North Shore high school last Saturday. The Lady Bruins won all three games (25-10, 25-18, 25-23) with several players putting up big numbers. Walsh, who hit at a .330 rate during the season, nailed 19 kills on 40 swings, while Amber Dunbar and Aherne each had eight kills. “It was a total team effort,” Sepulveda said, noting that the team as a whole totaled 39 kills in the three games. “Everyone contributed. Everyone hit, we blocked and we played great defense.”

In Sepulveda’s first season, Walsh remained a key component of the team, with libero Erica Ackerman, who averaged nearly 20 digs per game, also taking home All-County honors. Senior setter Keira Knauer and Ahearne were named All-Class AA honorees. “[Bridgette] is a girl on the court that’s always upbeat,” Sepulveda said. “She’s always positive no matter what’s going on in the game. She has tremendous ups and hits the ball extremely hard. When she gets going people know because it’s a pleasure to watch.”

Several players made their varsity debut this season, including sophomore Isabella Lawrence and freshman Kemi Green, each of whom had an impact as they grew into their roles in the middle. And the team as a whole proved to be quick to learn, picking up Sepulveda’s fast-paced system while keeping the recent run of finals appearances intact. “I learned about the girls very early on,” he said. “They work hard and did everything I asked. We changed the style of play, and they played faster.

“All the things put in motion really took effect midway through the season. I’m pleased with the development of the group and their understanding of what we are trying to do.”