Picture Perfect!

HILLS WEST GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM COMPLETES PERFECT SEASON WITH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WIN

HILLS WEST: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21 – The highly talented girls varsity volleyball team practices in the gym while the students of Hills West watch, preparing to compete for a title that any Hills West sports team hasn’t won in 21 years since the 2003 baseball team, a state championship. 

The quest for glory began months before the season commenced, as the girls worked hard on the floor and in the weight room, developing an unbreakable bond and a team that would be determined to make a long run. From their hard work and months of effort to become one of the best teams in the state, the Colts started their journey to a state championship with their first challenge: the Suffolk County Championship. The Colts quickly got the job done, claiming their first Suffolk County Championship of the decade with a 3-set-sweep of Harborfields. The second challenge was a week later, the highly anticipated Long Island Championship, a championship most recently won by the football team more than half a decade ago and in this 5 set thriller of a matchup, the Wolcott sisters, Emily Dantona and Alexis Pelis, stood out to propel Hills West over Mepham, 3-2. 

With a Long Island Championship victory secured, followed by a regional win, the Colts were set on their final mission, the state tournament. As the time for departure approaches, Dr. Catapano called all the students down for the sendoff of the girls’ volleyball team, as the team will make their final stretch of the season upstate. 

For any sport, winning the championship would not come easy; despite the large amount of talent on their roster, from the senior class to the freshly arrived 9th graders, the schools competing for a state crown come with as much preparation and skill as Hills West’s squad. However, fresh off a regional championship the previous week and a Long Island Championship two weeks prior, the girls looked to make the most of their eagerly anticipated 6-hour trip to Glens Falls and thrive in the state tournament. 

The first part of the state tournament was the pool play portion. Each of the four teams competing for the crown was set to play each other once, and the top two teams in the standings would be facing off in the championship game by the end of the day. After a long day of games, the Colts finished the pool play round with a strong 2-1 record, enough to propel them to the next state championship game.

The moment the girls were waiting for the state championship game had finally arrived. Their opponent, Fayetteville Manlius, from Manlius, NY (just East of Syracuse for those like me who don’t know upstate New York’s geography well). The Colts matched up well against the Hornets, and in the highly awaited championship game, both teams put up a great fight, showing why either could come away with the title. 

SET I

The Colts showed off their grit and determination, striking early in the state championship game and dominating during the first set. Fayetteville was shown early on why the Colts have dominated their opponents all year and felt the wrath as Hills West went up 1-0 quickly, with a 25-17 win in the first set.

SET II

After an 8 point win in the first set, the Colts were up and running, however, the Hornets were looking to show they’re not out of the game after the first set, and handed the Colts a 25-13 loss in the second set. 

SET III

Now, tied at one set a piece, a pivotal third set approached; a win in this set puts all the pressure on the school down 2-1. Both teams were determined to beat one another, knowing how hard it is to force a fifth set and win back-to-back sets to win the match. An exciting back-and-forth battle was during this set, with both teams leading throughout. However, after a 52-point set, the Colts found themselves down 2-1 in the game after an upsetting 27-25 loss. 

SET IV

With the perfect season, state championship, and volleyball careers on the line for some players, the Colts were forced to win back-to-back sets if they wanted to finish the job. With the pressure on, the Colts stayed cool, dominating the 4th set 25-17, forcing a do-or-die set 5.

SET V

For volleyball, when the two teams competing get to a 5th set, the number of points needed to win shrinks from 25 to 15. With a shorter set, both teams had to fight through their growing fatigue and against each other again to win the match. Both teams gave it their all in the season’s final set. This was another exciting set, where the win-by-two rule came into play in favor of the Colts. In a grueling battle between the two teams, the girls from Dix Hills completed their quest to journey, winning the final set 16-14, propelling themselves over Fayetteville, and securing Hills West’s first state title in over two decades.

I was lucky to speak with two newly victorious state champions, Georgina Moustakas and Mary Wolcott. In conversation with Moustakas, I asked how it felt to finally pull through and come away with a state championship win, to which she responded, “There’s no better feeling than winning […] with your family,” following this by saying how she’s ecstatic to experience this (especially) in her last year playing. “We worked so hard during the (pre and regular) season, and it brought us together and made us stronger as a team.” As for Wolcott, she expressed similar feelings, explaining how amazing it feels to win a championship finally, stating, “I’m so grateful to be a part of a team and program that has been so successful these past few years [and] we all put in so much hard work (the past few years) to get where we are now, and we are so happy it paid off.”

Another question asked was how it felt to have the final score for the team, to which Mary said,d “It was great, and I was glad to end my high school career that way,” crediting her teammates in addition to this statement explaining how they kept the other blockers wide so “it opened up the middle of the court so I knew the ‘dump’ would score.” It is a fitting ending to an outstanding season, with the captain closing it out. 

This Hills West girls’ volleyball team was a first-hand example of how players and entire teams are built during the offseason and how the bonds players form with each other are crucial to the team’s overall success. Talent is essential, but a team with better chemistry can always come out on top.

Once again, congratulations to the girls’ volleyball team for achieving an incredible feat and to the seniors on their excellent careers.