SJB Wins First Ever State Championship in Girls Volleyball

Sometimes there's just a different feeling when you know you have to win. The 2010 St. John the Baptist varsity girls volleyball team bent at times during the playoffs , but never broke.  One thing is for certain:  they  always came through when it mattered on its improbable run to their first ever NYSCHSAA State Class A Championship.

After a sub-.500 regular season, the Cougars won the Long Island CHSAA Championship as the No.5 seed and went undefeated in its first two matches of the state tournament. After winning the first two games of the semifinal matchup with No.3 St. Joseph Hill, it seemed to be too easy.

"Entering the playoffs we knew we were in a must win situation," head coach Linda Morrissey said. "For the past three years we got knocked out of the playoffs and five of the girls on the current team were on last years team and knew what it felt like to get knocked out and had their heart set on winning.

"We learned over the course of the season they seemed to thrive on the pressure. Instead of just sitting backing they knew they had to play their hardest each and every time."

Unfortunately, after winning eight straight games in a row, it was hard not to sit back. That's just what the Cougars did in the third game, losing 25-17. Fortunately, that's all it took for them to snap back into it, and with the help of Melissa McLaughlin's 15 kills and five blocks, finished off St. Joseph Hill with a 25-15 win in the fourth game to clinch a 3-1 victory.

"In the semifinals Melissa Mclaughlin had the game of her life," Morrissey said. "She took a lot of pressure on herself to play the same way in the finals."

A finals matchup with Cardinal Spellman was all that stood in the way of the Cougars and their first ever state title. The start of that match was a repeat of the semifinals, and after the Cougars took a 2-0 lead with wins of 25-13 and 25-15, they relaxed and lost the third game 25-14. Fortunately for the Cougars, once again that's all it took for the them to kick it back into gear as they won the fourth game 25-17 to clinch a 3-1 victory and their first ever state title. Colleen Degraff had 14 kills in the finals, while libero Gabriella Gilmartin had a whopping 39 digs.

"They knew they had to turn it on again to take home the title and did," Morrissey said. "It was just a very exciting time for us. It's a feat that only once in your lifetime can be your first, so it was an amazing run that they had. I knew they could do it all season. They're a young team…I lost ten seniors last year. We technically just had three starters returning and there were a lot of positions to be filled and they did a fantastic job."

While 2010 marked SJB's first ever state championship in girls volleyball, its second may not be very far away.

"We just lose our three seniors next year but we have a lot returning," Morrissey said. "We have six juniors on the team this year that will be back, three of whom have played together on this team the past three years. We hope to repeat."