Hills West girls volleyball 'wasn't going to be denied' en route to state title, perfect season
Half Hills Hollow West the Class AA girls volleyball New York State champions after defeating Fayetteville Manlius at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, NY on Friday, November 23, 2024. Credit: Stephen Weaver
If the Half Hollow Hills West girls volleyball team had stopped at winning the Suffolk Class AA championship, it would’ve been a satisfying way to rectify back-to-back losses in the county final.
But the Colts had their eyes on bigger prizes.
Hills West won a five-set thriller over Mepham in the Long Island AA championship and earned a four-set victory over Horace Greeley in the Southeast Regional final to advance to the state tournament.
“This group wasn’t going to be denied this year,” coach Nils Haugen said. “We practiced in the spring and had summer workouts. The amount of work and effort the girls put in this season was unbelievable.”
Two pool-play victories and an escape from the brink of defeat in the state final resulted in the Colts holding a state championship banner for the first time since 2000.
The journey did not come without some adversity.
Hills West relinquished a 22-14 lead in the third set of the state final against Fayetteville-Manlius and trailed two sets to one. Its response was a 25-17 win in the fourth set.
The Colts trailed 8-5 in the fifth set and faced match point at 14-13 before responding with three straight points to claim the state title.
“We were all feeling the nerves, knowing one wrong move could result in the season being over,” libero Veronica Pelis said. “We let each other know how much trust we have in high-intensity situations. We all wanted to have that positive ending.”
Many teams say they're a family, but that sentiment rings a bit truer for Hills West. Senior Mary Wolcott is the team’s most important piece, an accurate setter who can become a powerful outside hitter in an instant. Her younger sister, Morgan Wolcott, pushed through an injury suffered in the Long Island championship to make an impact throughout the state tournament.
“Morgan is an absolute trooper,” Haugen said. “She’s one of the toughest competitors I’ve ever met and she was not going to be held off that court.”
Alexis Pelis had 10 kills in the state final and her younger sister, Veronica, anchored the defense.
“We’re all doing this together and this is my last year with her,” Alexis said. “If we make mistakes, we take ownership and we’ve figured out how to not get angry about it. In the end, I love her, she loves me.”
Twenty-one wins without a loss didn’t just rest on the shoulders of those players. Senior Georgina Moustakas, junior Suki Dong, sophomore Emily Dantona and freshman Ella Corso each played pivotal roles in a historic season.
“This has been a goal of the program for a long time,” Mary Wolcott said. “There’s no other group of girls I would’ve rather have done this with.”
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.