Massapequa tops Syosset to win Nassau Class AAA girls volleyball title
Massapequa players pile on the court after winning the Nassau Class AAA girls volleyball championship on Sunday at Farmingdale State College. Credit: Joe Orovitz
Massapequa took a few years off from winning county titles, but its girls volleyball team has rediscovered its form and returned to glory.
Top-seeded Massapequa defeated No. 3 Syosset, 25-19, 25-22, 25-17, in the Nassau Class AAA final on Sunday night at Farmingdale State for Massapequa's sixth county title over the past eight seasons.
Massapequa took a 3-0 lead in the first set on back-to-back aces from Maggie O’Brien and Keira Elfenbein’s block. Syosset took a 16-15 lead on Julia Tabackman’s kill, but Massapequa scored 10 of the final 13 points. Livia Mulhearn’s kill ended it.
“Having lost in the final the past two years really fueled us. It pushed us to get this win,” Mulhearn said. “We had this collective goal to get here and come out on top. We all had trust in each other and belief in ourselves."
Syosset (11-5) used a 5-1 run to take a 21-20 lead in the second set, after Aurelia Borkowski’s kill. Massapequa scored four of the next five points, with Emily DeSetto’s kill and Reese White’s ace earning it the win.
“We fell short the last two years, so we came into this season with the expectation that we aren’t losing,” DeSetto said. “We’re not going to have that feeling again. We knew coming into the season with seven seniors that we had something special.”
Elfenbein’s kill gave Massapequa a 5-1 lead in the third. Syosset tied it at 9 after Sabrina Curto’s block and Madeline Silvestri’s ace. Syosset took its first lead of the set at 13-12 after Anne Toth’s kill.
“We just kept reminding the girls to take care of the easy stuff. They were getting the tough points but missing on some of the basics,” Massapequa coach Amanda Del Giacco said. “We just had to center ourselves and focus on what really needed to be done.”
Massapequa grabbed a 17-14 lead on Lucia DiNello’s kill and closed out the match on an 11-3 run. During the run, it got two kills from DeSetto and Mulhearn and an ace from Katy Love.
“They pretty much came into tryouts saying that this is what they needed to accomplish,” Del Giacco said. “I told them if this is the goal, then I’m going to push you as much as you can take. They started a bit slow today, but they showed up.”
Massapequa (15-0) will face another team with a perfect record as it takes on Bay Shore (18-0) in the Long Island Class AAA championship and a state subregional at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Nassau Community College.
“Winning is great, especially being a senior and knowing that any of these games could be your last,” DeSetto said. “We knew we had to win and this feeling is indescribable. I’ve never been more excited.”
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.
