Ward Melville girls volleyball wins Suffolk Class AAA title as Emma Bradshaw leads the way with 21 kills
Patriots' Alexa Gandolfo, left, and Emma Bradshaw after a kill against Commack during Suffolk Class AAA girls volleyball final on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Credit: David Meisenholder
Ward Melville believes it is the best team on the court regardless of the opponent. It didn’t take long for Emma Bradshaw and the Patriots to prove that in the county final.
Bradshaw had 12 of her 21 kills in the first set, as No. 2 Ward Melville defeated No. 1 Commack, 25-20, 25-23, 25-15, in the Suffolk Class AAA championship on Thursday night at Hauppauge.
Alexa Gandolfo had 15 kills and Ava Saunders had seven for Ward Melville.
“We believed in ourselves to get to this point,” Bradshaw said. “We didn’t care who was on the other side of the net. Every point we played for each other.”
Bradshaw had kills on three of Ward Melville’s first five points and her ace later made it 15-11 in favor of the Patriots. With Ward Melville ahead 19-17, Bradshaw had kills for Ward Melville’s next five points. Gandolfo netted the final kill to take the first set.
“We have a very strong culture and everyone on this team puts in the work, every day,” Bradshaw said. “We know how good Commack is and how good some of their players are, but we believe our defense can handle any offense.”
Gandolfo tallied a kill to put Ward Melville ahead 14-5 early in the second set. Things quickly shifted as Commack scored 11 of the next 12 points. Kaitlin Curran was a big factor for Commack (18-1) earning eight of her 15 kills in the set.
The Patriots would eventually find themselves down 22-20, but they scored five of the next six points, with Gandolfo again spiking home a kill on set point.
“It came down to confidence and making sure we swung away on every point.” Bradshaw said.
“We all took three big breaths,” Gandolfo said. “We know what we can do and just had to execute it. It all ended up coming together.”
Bradshaw had three kills within Ward Melville’s first four points in the third set. Gandolfo took over from there with nine kills in the set, including a string of four in a row. Izzy Ruehle had a kill for the game’s final point.
Ward Melville (19-0) has dropped only four sets this season and will face the Nassau representative at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 at Wantagh in the Long Island Class AAA championship.
“This is the best season I’ve had being a part of this team. There are no bad days with these girls,” Gandolfo said. “We’re going to go out next match and play our hardest, that’s what’s gotten us here.”
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.