Half Hollow Hills West girls volleyball triumphs in state Class AA championships
Half Hills Hollow West celebrates winning the state Class AA girls volleyball title in Glens Falls on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Credit: Stephen Weaver
GLENS FALLS — There were tense expressions on the faces of the Half Hollow Hills West crowd on various occasions. When the state champion was announced, those faces all were painted with unbridled excitement.
Hills West defeated Fayetteville Manlius (Section III), 25-17, 13-25, 25-27, 25-17, 16-14, in the state Class AA girls volleyball championship at Cool Insuring Arena on Saturday night.
“We’ve been here before. We’ve been down and in tough situations,” Mary Wolcott said. “We knew we had to fight and that’s what we did.”
With the Colts facing match point in the fifth set, trailing 14-13, Alexis Pelis had back-to-back kills each assisted by Wolcott. Now with their own match point, Wolcott faked a set and lofted the ball over the net, landing between four diving defenders to earn the win.
“That play is all about reading the blockers,” Wolcott said. “People aren’t expecting you to go for that move on game point, so I knew they weren’t ready for it.”
Mary’s younger sister, Morgan, had three kills in the final set. The younger Wolcott suffered an injury in the Long Island championship that she has played through.
“I’ve had so much help from everyone,” Morgan Wolcott said. “I was in a cast, in a wheelchair last week, but this team is why I play. I’m grateful to them and all the parents that helped me.”
“I knew she could push through it,” Mary Wolcott said. “She wanted to do this for us and there’s no one else I’d rather play with.”
Mary Wolcott finished with 22 assists and 16 kills. Emily Dantona had 12 kills, Alexis Pelis had 10, and Ella Corso eight.
The Colts looked to be in strong position, leading the third set 22-14, after splitting the first two. The Hornets went on a 13-1 run to take a 24-23 lead and won the set 27-25.
Hills West responded by jumping to a 21-10 lead after Pelis’ kill in the fourth set. The Colts took the set 25-17 to force a winner-take-all fifth set. Mary Wolcott had nine assists and two kills in the set. Veronica Pelis had an ace and anchored the defense keeping numerous attacks in play.
“I was just thinking this could be my last time playing with my sister (Alexis),” Veronica Pelis said. “I didn’t want this to be our last memory on the court, I wanted it to be positive.”
The Colts finished 21-0 with the program’s first Long Island and state championships since 2000.
“It feels great, we did this with family,” Morgan Wolcott said. “Everyone that came here, everyone back at home, they were all a part of this.”
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.