Sports
A Point From Defeat, Five Times Over, Kennedy Volleyball Pulls Off Stunning Win to Advance to County Finals
Facing a 2-1 deficit against Jericho yesterday in the Class B semifinals, Kennedy fought off five match points to take the game, 34-32. A decisive game five win then gave them the miraculous victory.
For the first time in two years, Kennedy found themselves in an unfamiliar position.
A point away from ending their season.
Five times, in fact. Down two games to one against visiting Jericho yesterday in the Class B semifinals, Kennedy faced match points on five different occasions in game four, and managed to fight each of them off until finally taking the game, 34-32.
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It was an incredible effort, and after that the Cougars took game five to win the match and send themselves into the county championship game.
"In the huddle we told them to stay true to themselves, play hard, and show the intensity," coach Allen Ma said. "They believed in each other, and that's what we've tried to teach them all along. It was one of the most incredible final fours I've ever experienced in 10 years of coaching,"
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Brian O'Gorman broke his own school record with 16 blocks. Brendan Mills had 21 kills, and Ben Hirschler contributed ten kills of his own.
"They played great and we didn't the first couple of games," O'Gorman said. "But at the end we started coming back together as a team and realized what we can do when we stick together. When we come together as a team there's no stopping us."
An ace from Jesse Forman gave the Cougars a 7-5 lead in game one, but Jericho took the lead back at 14-11 after an ace by Michael Kitay. A kill by Jon Meshnick brought Kennedy within four at 21-17, but Jericho took the game 25-20 after a kill by Dan Alon.
"We didn't come out ready to play," Mills said. "Next game we've got to have our heads in from the beginning and take it in three games."
In game two, a block by O'Gorman tied the game at seven apiece. A kill by Mills kept the game tied at 13, but Jericho took a 20-18 lead after a kill by Kitay.
However, a kill from Meshnick and two more kills by Mills helped the Cougars take the game 25-22 to even the match.
In game three, Jericho jumped to an early 11-7 lead after a kill by Joe Choi. Matt Lawner served an ace to cut the Cougars' deficit to 15-11, but Jericho held on and would take the game 25-22 after a block by Alon.
Heading into game four, Kennedy knew it was either win or go home.
The score remained close all game as Jericho held a 17-15 lead late. A kill from Jacob Tabman tied it back up at 18, but it was Jericho that took a 24-23 lead and had an opportunity to serve for the match.
"It's definitely nerve-racking," said Hirschler on facing match-point. "But you just have to stay confident and pretend like every point is match point."
A kill from Hirschler tied it back up at 24, and Kennedy went on to fight off four more match points to stay alive. After that, the Cougars had three match points of their own but Jericho was able to fight them off.
Finally, with the score tied at 32, Meshnick put away a kill to give the Cougars yet another match point. After a long volley, a kill from O'Gorman gave the Cougars the win at 34-32 and forced a decisive game five.
"It was a great comeback," Andrew Hirsch said. "We trailed in each of the first four games but we kept playing and came back and were able to take it to a fifth game."
With the momentum on their side, the Cougars cruised to a 9-3 lead after a kill by Hirsch off a set from Ryan Pastuch. A block from O'Gorman made it 18-13, and kills by Hirschler and Mills along with solid back-row play by libero Dylan simonson would secure the game and the match as the Cougars won 25-21 to advance to their second consecutive county championship.
"It was a heartbreaker," Jericho coach Peter Okulski. "Both teams played as hard as humanly possible. We had them down 2-1 and we should have gotten it done in the fourth game."
The championship will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at Adelphi University, when the Cougars take on West Hempstead. Kennedy split the regular season series, at a game a piece, against West Hempstead.
