South Side nips Wantagh for title

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Given the long-standing history between Wantagh and South Side, it came as no big surprise when the Nassau Class A girls’ volleyball final on Nov. 6 at SUNY Old Westbury saw countless momentum swings and needed the maximum five sets to determine a champion.

After staying alive with a resounding win in the fourth set, second-seeded South Side rode the serving of senior Ashley DeTullio to a seven-point outburst, including five aces, to open the fifth and never looked back in capturing its second county title in three years, 19-25, 25-19, 14-25, 25-12, 25-17.

“It’s overwhelming and the most amazing feeling ever,” said DeTullio, who had nine aces and 30 digs. “It was a back-and-forth match, and we needed to keep our spirits up after winning the fourth set. We wanted to start the fifth set strong and keep them down in the dumps.”

Senior Maya Shabbir had 35 kills and 14 digs, senior Sydney Gabriel had 38 assists and 16 digs, and senior Meghan Johnke added 29 digs for the Lady Cyclones (15-1), who defeated the Lady Warriors for the 2012 crown and also in last year’s semifinals.

“It’s wonderful and very exciting,” South Side coach Cheryl Scalice said. “I’ve coached here for 25 years and the rivalry with Wantagh goes back quite a ways before I arrived. Both teams have a lot of respect for one another, and it’s always an intense battle.”

Top-seeded Wantagh (13-2) got a balanced effort, led by senior Alyssa Ayala’s 18 assists, sophomore Christina Weir’s 10 digs, and senior Cathryn Semendinger’s six blocks and five kills. “We had a great season,” Lady Warriors coach Katie McKeffry said. “Every single point counts in rally scoring. We tried a bunch of different lineups. What worked in one set didn’t work in the next.”  

Wantagh, behind the serving of senior Shannon Hupert and passing of Ayala, had momentum on its side after a convincing performance in the third set, highlighted by a 15-3 run that included some unforced errors by South Side.

“We lost focus for whatever reason,” Scalice said. “We had a long talk before the fourth set about coming out super focused. Wantagh is outstanding. If we didn’t get that momentum back, they were going to run with it.”

Shabbir opened the fourth set with two kills, senior Isabel Sussman added one, and senior Sarah Mullooly blocked a point to send the Lady Cyclones on their way. They led 9-5 when junior Kate Keady provided a spark off the bench with a kill, a couple of digs, and an ace that upped the advantage to 13-6. DeTullio later enjoyed a service turn that resulted in seven points, culminating with a Shabbir smash to make it 23-10.

“We felt so much more confident heading into the last set,” Gabriel said. “We had each other’s backs the whole time. I knew we’d find a way to come out on top.”

South Side still had work to do after DeTullio staked it to a big lead in the decisive set. The margin was 13-4 when the teams switched sides, but the Lady Warriors would get no closer than five. Shabbir ended perhaps the longest rally of the match with a kill to make it 20-14, and she also provided the championship-clinching point.

“You never give up,” Shabbir said. “You never lose hope.”