Volleyball: Yorktown Finishes Second in Own Tournament

Yorktown hosted its annual volleyball tournament Saturday, Sept. 11, which Walter Panas won, and the Huskers finishing in second.

The Huskers, who won nine of their 11 matches in the tourney, played a competitive game in the title contest against highly regarded Panas before losing 25-17.

Besides Panas and Yorktown, Lakeland, New Rochelle, Somers, Putnam Valley, Clarkstown North, Mamaroneck and Croton-Harmon also competed in the tourney.

"I was very proud of the way my team played," Yorktown coach Katy Sherwood said. "A lot of people underestimate us and I think my team gained some respect."

Both Sherwood and Lakeland coach Steve Fallo were happy that their teams could take part in the tournament.

"This tournament has been going on, I don't even know for how many years probably almost as long as I have been born," Sherwood said. "I am just excited to start the year off with the tournament."

The tournament is an important one for Fallo because it gives him a chance to experiment with different lineups.

"We are trying to feel out where people go, we are putting people in different positions, trying out our middles, our backs," Fallo said. "This tournament I use as our scrimmage. All day long it's a scrimmage where people are just coming in and out, you try different things. It's just to get ready for the season."

The two local teams started the tournament playing against each other just after 9 a.m., with Yorktown winning 25-11. Fallo said playing so early in the morning wasn't a problem for his squad.

"Obviously we play all of our games in the afternoon, so to do a tournament like this, it's just back-to-back, you got to be ready to play," Fallo said. "Yorktown played very well but like I said, this is our scrimmage type of situation."

Yorktown wasn't affected by the early starting time either according to Sherwood.

"We have been having practices every morning at 8 a.m. they are use to it and school starts at 7:19 a.m. so they have to get used to it now," Sherwood said.

Standing out for Lakeland was sophomore Alaina Kravitz, who made some big blocks at the net against the Huskers.

"One of her strengths right now is to be able to block at the net," Fallo said.

Sherwood said she was happy with how her team played against the Hornets.

"We didn't give up a lot of points on serve receive which was our main goal during this tournament and all season long so I am very happy with that," Sherwood said. "I thought my setters did an awesome job, Sam Strebel and Heather Raniolo, of communicating. Everybody just played as a team and that's our whole focus this year."

Fallo feels having his team play in this tournament gives his team a better chance to have a good year.

"It's great because you get to see eight or nine different teams play," Fallo said. "It gives us different looks, what teams do differently offensively. It gives us a good idea on what we need to work on for the year."