Mineola rallies to win Nassau Class A girls volleyball title in five-set thriller vs. Wantagh
Keira McCaffrey #13 of Mineola looks to spike against Wantagh during the Nassau County Class A girls volleyball championship at SUNY Old Westbury's Clark Athletic Center on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Credit: James Escher
Mineola’s Caitlin Kenney let loose a roar after she blocked shot after shot before powering down a kill in the fourth set tied at 24 against Wantagh. Without those plays Mineola’s season could’ve ended. Instead, the Mustangs are county champions.
No. 1 Mineola defeated No. 3 Wantagh, 12-25, 25-13, 25-27, 27-25, 15-11, in a wild five-set Nassau Class A final that kept providing highlight after highlight. Kenney’s blocks and overall dominance in the middle was a highlight, finishing with a team-high 16 kills.
“I was like, ‘We can’t lose. We can’t go out on that,’ ” Kenney said. “So I just have to keep going and not let them get that point so we can keep playing.”
Kenney shares a unique chemistry with one of her teammates — her twin sister, Elizabeth Kenney, who lofted set after set to her sister.
“It’s so amazing to play with my sister,” Caitlin said. “We play three sports together, and it’s just amazing to finish our senior volleyball season on an amazing note, and with my twin sister it’s just the best.”
Coach Hyunah Park echoed her player, praising the duo and the resiliency of the whole team to battle back after falling behind 2-1 in sets.
“Being that one’s a setter and one’s a hitter it’s so nice to have them out there together,” Park said. “They pick each other up when they’re down.”
Elizabeth also provided plenty of opportunities for senior captain Keira McCaffrey, who sits sixth in Nassau in kills (232) and added 14 more to that total. The hard-fought win was special for McCaffrey, who saw her Mineola squad eliminated a year ago in the Nassau semifinals.
“It was the best feeling in the world, especially being there with my teammates by my side,” McCaffrey said. “It’s just pure joy.”
Wantagh played extremely well, with junior Sadie Reich playing on an entirely different level. She sits second in kills on Long Island and finished with 17 kills and numerous aces to keep Wantagh neck and neck with its opponent. Mineola senior captain Maggie Duda and junior Alex Fernandez had several incredible digs to keep rallies alive.
Mineola (14-2) will try to keep that feeling going against Sayville — which also won its county final in a five-set thriller — in the Long Island Class A championship at 2 p.m. on Friday at SUNY-Old Westbury. Wantagh finishes its season 9-9.
