Baldwin outlasts East Meadow

Senior Ashley Boursiquot had 24 kills and junior Bianca Boursiquot added 16 to lead Baldwin to a thrilling 25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23 victory over host East Meadow in a Conference AA-I girls’ volleyball contest in front of a near capacity crowd last Friday night. Junior Becky Syers and senior Nicole Laneri had strong performances for the Jets in a losing effort. 

The match was part of The Side-Out Foundation’s nationwide “Dig Pink” program that takes place in gyms all over the country during the month of October to increase breast cancer awareness. The program is dedicated to making a significant difference in the lives of breast cancer patients and their families through the game of volleyball. 

Despite the loss, East Meadow coach Pat Burnside was very pleased with the magnitude of the event. “After seeing other teams host in past seasons, we decided we wanted to host,” Burnside said. “We set a goal of raising $1,500 through selling pink bracelets, holding car washes and bake sales, and raising money through raffle sales. So many people helped make this successful.”

Both teams came into the match with 5-4 records in conference play, riding modest two-game winning streaks. As expected, the sets were nip and tuck. In the opening set, thanks in part to excellent serving by senior Deanna Groth, the Lady Jets held a 21-20 lead. However, the Lady Bruins, who swept when the teams met earlier in the season, ran off five straight points to take the set. Bianca Boursiquot had two kills and a block during the run.

Behind Groth’s serving, and strong setting by senior Emily Hoffman, East Meadow ran out to a 14-2 lead in the second set, and then held off the Lady Bruins 25-20 to tie the match. Baldwin sophomore Alexa-Jill Ackerman kept the Lady Bruins alive with an outstanding game.

The third set was high school volleyball at its best. With freshman Jessica Pulis serving, Ashley Boursiquot opened with three consecutive kills to set the tone. The Lady Jets battled back, and seemed to be in control when a kill by Laneri gave them a 17-12 lead.