Bella Sallie leads Plainview Old Bethpage-JFK in Nassau Class AAA girls volleyball final
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK celebrates after winning a point in the fifth game of the Nassau Class AAA girls volleyball final against Massapequa on Monday at Farmingdale. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK needed a comeback in the county final against Massapequa for the second straight season. The Hawks needed someone to give them the edge and the strong swinging of Bella Sallie did just that.
Sallie had 18 kills as top-seeded Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK defeated second-seeded Massapequa, 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 16-25, 25-21, 15-10), in the Nassau Class AAA girls volleyball final on Monday night at Farmingdale High School.
“If I didn’t give my all, who knows what would happen?” Sallie said. “My setters gave me good passes and I did my best to swing through everything.”
The Hawks took an 11-8 lead in the fifth after kills from Addison Dove and Sallie and an ace from Jayden Tan. Massapequa scored the next two, but the Hawks closed out the game on a 4-0 run, with Sallie providing three kills, including the final point.
“We got down, but we knew we had to give it our all,” Sallie said. “It was our last shot, we either win or lose right here.”
The Hawks took a 17-9 lead in the fourth after Emery Witkes’ kill. Massapequa made a run to get within 19-18 after Victoria O’Neill’s kill. O’Neill had two more kills in the set, each time bringing Massapequa within two points. Sallie’s kill earned the Hawks a set point and Witkes’ stuff block sent the match to a fifth set.
“We worked hard just to get in this position,” libero Emily Layton said. “But once we got the momentum after the fourth, we knew we were going to win it.”
Massapequa (12-5) took a 19-12 lead in the third after a kill and block from Keira Elfenbein. Elfenbein’s next kill put Massapequa ahead 20-15 and it closed the set on a 5-1 run.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. No matter what we did, they would score points, but so would we,” Layton said. “We had to keep bouncing back and remembering we’d have to earn our points.”
The Hawks tied the second at 12 on Dylan Katz’s ace. Massapequa led 22-18 after Elfenbein’s kill, but kills from Sallie and Jayden Axelrod cut the lead to two. Massapequa ended the set on a 3-1 run, with Livia Mulhearn’s kill ending it.
Dove’s block gave the Hawks a 19-12 lead in the first. The Hawks earned a set point after blocks by Emily Novak and Katz.
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK (17-0) will face Connetquot at 4 p.m. on Thursday in the Long Island championship at Hauppauge High School.
“Everyone just trusted their individual abilities,” Hawks coach Brianne Knight said. “If we make a mistake, we won’t make that mistake twice in a row. Just trust that we’re capable of doing this and know the person beside you has your back.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
