Half Hollow Hills West girls volleyball cruises through pool play to reach state Class AA final
Mary Wolcott, left, and Suki Dong make the block for Hills West on Friday, Nov 22, 2024. Credit: Stephen Weaver/Stephen Weaver
GLENS FALLS — Half Hollow Hills West marched into pool play at the girls volleyball state championships and quickly ensured it would be one of the two teams left standing.
The Colts swept their first two matches of state Class AA pool play in the championships at Cool Insuring Arena on Friday to reach Saturday’s championship match.
The Colts started slowly in their first match against Minisink Valley (Section IX), trailing 15-11. They scored seven of the next eight points after back-to-back kills from Alexis Pelis, to take an 18-16 lead. Minisink Valley got within 24-23, but the Colts took the set 25-23 after an Ella Corso kill.
“We try to come out fast and maybe we were a little bit too amped and made some errors we usually don’t,” coach Nils Haugen said. “They stuck to the plan, eliminated the errors and started to separate.”
Hills West used a 7-1 run in the second set to take a 15-7 lead after a Mary Wolcott block. The Colts would take the set 25-17. Pelis had 11 kills and three aces in the match and Wolcott had 15 assists and nine kills.
“We focus on one point at a time, so things don’t get too overwhelming,” Wolcott said. “ We trust each other and know we’re all on the same page.”
The Colts took the first set of their match against Brighton (Section V), 25-20. They led 23-20 in the second set, but Brighton scored four straight to take the lead. The Colts scored the next three, with Veronica Pelis getting the assist on Wolcott’s kill, to win the set 26-24.
“Our motto is to play for each other,” Wolcott said. “That’s what we wanted to do and we wanted to make sure we moved on right then and there.”
Hills West will face Fayetteville Manlius (Section III) in the state Class AA public schools championship at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“They were a confident bunch at the moment, certainly not nervous,” Haugen said. “They’ve done a great job all season of finding a way to get on the offensive and putting the ball on the floor.”
Ward Melville falls
Ward Melville played a tough win-or-go-home match against Shenendehowa (II) with a spot in the Class AAA championship on the line.
The Patriots trailed 13-6 in the first set before tying it at 17 after an Alexa Gandolfo kill. Ward Melville took the first set 26-24 after a Megan O’Donnell ace but dropped the second set 25-16 and the third 15-6.
The Patriots defeated John Jay East Fishkill (I) in their first match and were defeated by Fairport (V) in their second match.
“The first match was a serious confidence boost and what I’m most proud of is the girls' response in the first set of the final match,” Ward Melville coach Haley Blunt said. “It’s not easy to get beat how we did in the second match and come back. I’ll always remember how they responded.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.