SSHS Volleyball Shutout by Kennedy

This year's Lady Cyclones volleyball team stood strong against a tough Conference III foe — Nassau County champs Kennedy High School — in an early test of their skill on Thursday afternoon in Bellmore. And while the team came out on the wrong end of a 0-3 match loss, there was reason to believe there will be success in their horizon. 

Coach Cheryl Scalice said that with few upperclassmen on her roster, her team still needs some seasoning.

"My team's not prepared yet," Scalice  said after the game. "There's a lot of rushing in our attempts to pass and to spike, and we need to find a rhythm. We're a young team, we've got some work to do." 

The Lady Cougars went into the conference matchup with a measure of confidence, having won the Mineola Tournament over the weekend for second consecutive year. The Kennedy girls established the tempo for the afternoon, coming back from a quick start by South Side to turn 0-3 and 3-6 disadvantages into a 9-6 lead, which they didn't relinquish for the rest of the first set.

Grace Healey made the best service run for South Side during the first set, notching three straight points early on. The Lady Cyclones exhibited a measure of success with hits from behind the attack line, earning winners with long, lobbing hits that seemed to confuse their opponents.

But it wasn't enough to counter the Lady Cougars' powerful front line, and a nice run from Kennedy server Heather Hulkower gave the Lady Cougars a 1-0 match advantage.

The second set was more of the same, despite South Side's early success. Building off strong serves from Healey and Emily Essig, the Cyclones had things knotted up against Kennedy at 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6 before a dramatic double block changed the momentum, and Kennedy pulled away with a run of eight straight service points. 

Kennedy went on to win the third set, completing a 3-0 win over South Side.

The Lady Cyclones will play next at Wantagh on Sept. 21 at 4:30 p.m.