Port Jefferson girls volleyball's McKayla Pollard helps lead sweep for another Long Island Class C championship

The trivial math of a sports dynasty is often awe-inspiring. Take this one as an example: en route to winning its third consecutive Long Island Class C championship, Port Jefferson girls volleyball did not lose a set this year.

You read that correctly. The Royals have swept all 18 of their matches so far this year, giving them 54 consecutive set victories. The most recent three victorious sets came on Wednesday night at Hauppauge High School, where they defeated Carle Place 25-15, 25-8, 25-8 to win the Class C Long Island championship for the third year in a row.

“I mean, 54 sets in a row on Long Island is pretty impressive,” Port Jeff head coach CJ Hafner said. “I give them a lot of credit for doing what they’re supposed to.”

Hafner believes that his players’ work ethic and film study habits have made them Long Island’s most indestructible team.

“They do everything that I could ask for and more,” Hafner said. “Almost all of these kids are on a club team. Almost all of these kids have some sort of a trainer that they go to, whether it’s just a strength and conditioning trainer or a volleyball trainer. They do lessons on top of the numerous hours of stuff we do in practice.

“They just love the sport. They help out with our seventh- and eighth grade teams. They watch film on the other teams when they hang out with each other on Friday nights. They come to me with exact timestamps to tell me about the other team’s players.”

One of the most instrumental players in this undefeated campaign has been junior outside hitter McKayla Pollard. The Royals’ co-captain led her squad with 16 kills in the win on Wednesday, helping extend the streak.

Not only do her skills make Port Jeff lethal on the outside, but her attitude embodies the soul of the program.

“It’s all about heart,” Pollard said. “I love volleyball so much. This is my first sport, and the girls just make it so much more fun to be around and play. I’m not the only one here who contributes; it’s everybody. We’re just a happy family, and I love these girls.”

Port Jeff’s invincibility this year has moved it into the company of other revered programs on Long Island, such as Garden City football and Ward Melville girls soccer — teams that have not lost in over 50 games. Though a set itself is not counted in the win-loss record, and others may think nothing of the Royals’ streak, Hafner knows this run is rather extreme.

“I think that it’s tough when you’re a small school like this because people overlook us, but we’ve beaten some big schools this year,” Hafner said. “We’ve been competing, and we’re good no matter what size we are. Other sports, I know how hard that is to do, especially over multiple seasons, so give those other teams the credit. But, I know how hard these girls have worked to win 54 straight sets this season.”

Now that the team is in the state tournament, Pollard and company are less focused on keeping the set streak alive. The goal now is solely to win the match.

“It’s just about winning the match from here on out,” Pollard said. “The sets are a bonus. 54 on Long Island — you’re not going to get any better than that. It’s just about winning the games, winning the points and coming back even stronger if we lose any of the sets.”

Other notable statlines from the win were senior setter Ava Reilly’s 28 assists and freshman defensive specialist Anneliese Rago’s seven service aces. Freshman Sara Puopolo led the defense with seven digs.

Carle Place finished the season 3-13.