Half Hollow Hills West girls volleyball wins Suffolk Class AA title in straight sets
Half Hollow Hills West celebrates winning the Suffolk Class AA girls volleyball final on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Half Hollow Hills West had felt the sting of defeat in the county final the past two seasons. Their sister-led attack ensured that the team’s fortunes would change this time.
Mary Wolcott had 22 assists, nine kills and an ace to lead No. 1 Half Hollow Hills West over No. 3 Harborfields, 25-18, 25-16, 25-23, in the Suffolk Class AA championship on Wednesday night at Hauppauge. Her younger sister, Morgan, had 13 kills, nine digs and two aces.
“Words can’t even describe this feeling. We’ve worked so hard these past three years,” Mary Wolcott said. “I love being able to play with my best friend, she’s the best teammate.”
“It feels great, it’s her senior year, so I really wanted to do this for her,” Morgan Wolcott said.
Alexis Pelis earned a kill to put the Colts ahead 17-15 in the first set, which sparked a 9-3 run to end the first set. Her younger sister, Veronica, was crucial to the run, setting the tone with strong defense. Alexis Pelis finished with 10 kills and Veronica Pelis had 20 digs
Two kills by Mary Wolcott and two aces by Veronica Pelis gave the Colts an early 11-5 lead in the second set. Mary Wolcott finished the set with four kills.
The third set saw neither team lead by more than three points. Peyton Elward had four of her 10 kills in the set for Harborfields. With the score tied at 23-23, Ella Corso and Emily Dantona earned back-to-back kills to put the match away for the Colts.
Corso finished with four kills and Dantona had seven. Morgan Wolcott, who had five kills in the third set, was named tournament MVP.
“We’ve had a very good team for a number of years now, but we kept falling a bit short,” coach Nils Haugen said. “They knew this was their time and they wouldn't be denied.”
Harborfields (16-3) enjoyed a strong season, finishing with 14 more wins than a season ago. Its only losses came to Half Hollow Hills West (18-0).
“We wanted to pretend that we hadn’t beat them before,” Morgan Wolcott said. “We played as hard as we could because anyone can have their best day in a championship match.”
Half Hollow Hills West will face Nassau’s Class AA champion in the Long Island Class AA championship at 7 p.m. on Nov. 14 at East Meadow High School.
“We’re so excited to get the opportunity,” Mary Wolcott said. “This has always been a dream of ours.”
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.