South Side girls volleyball wins Nassau Class A title behind Cate Cammalleri, Abigail Magness and Amy Berenbroick
South Side wins the Nassau Class A girls volleyball championship in East Meadow on Monday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
South Side believed it had what it took to win a county championship a season ago, but Wantagh stood in its way. The Cyclones faced the same roadblock in this year's county final, only this time they used last year's defeat as extra motivation.
Cate Cammalleri had 17 kills and five blocks as No. 1 South Side defeated No. 2 Wantagh, 25-18, 25-19, 25-10, in the Nassau Class A championship on Monday afternoon at East Meadow High School.
Abigail Magness had 13 kills and five blocks, Amy Berenbroick had 37 assists and Keira Mullaney had six kills and two aces.
“Last year they beat us in the semis, so we wanted to really bring the energy today from first serve,” Magness said. “We wanted every point and every touch to have a purpose.”
South Side’s defense was on display early as Berenbroick scored the first point with a block. The Cyclones jumped out to a 17-11 lead after a kill and ace by Mullaney. Magness ended the first set with a kill.
“We were so connected out there, everyone played with so much energy,” Cammalleri said. “The sidelines, the crowd, everybody was just overwhelmed with excitement.”
Magness had a block to give South Side a 16-12 lead in the second set. Wantagh scored the next four points, aided by back-to-back kills from Jade Lembo. South Side took a timeout and scored four straight when play resumed. Cammalleri rose for an emphatic block on set point to give the Cyclones a 2-0 lead.
“We tried to work on simulating blocking Sadie Reich in practice,” Magness said. “We focused in on how they played by watching film.”
Reich is one of Nassau’s top hitters and has over 300 kills this season. On Monday, she finished with nine kills. Lembo had three and Skylar Mondelli had two blocks for Wantagh.
Wantagh grabbed an early 4-3 lead in the third set after a kill by Kylie Hoffman. South Side answered with a 14-3 run, capped off by a Cammalleri kill. Magness had a kill to bring South Side to match point and a Wantagh attack sailed out to give the Cyclones the win.
“We beat them in five and then they beat us in five, so we knew what kind of game this could be because they’re a great team,” Magness said. “We wanted it and we all put our hearts into this.”
South Side (16-1) and Wantagh split the regular season series 1-1, with each match going five sets and each team earning a win at home. Wantagh (14-4) won the most recent matchup after falling behind by two sets.
“This was the most well-rounded game they played all season,” South Side coach Steve Mariano said. “You could feel it from the bus. I told them they had to put together a complete match and they absolutely did.”
South Side will face Sayville at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Hauppauge High School in the Long Island Class A championship.
“I’m beyond excited for that game,” Cammalleri said. “Especially because we know Sayville has been in this spot before, so we’re definitely going to watch them and be prepared.”
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.