Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK girls volleyball beats Connetquot to win LI Class AAA title
The Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK team after defeating Connetquot to become the Long Island Class AAA girls volleyball champions on Thursday in Hauppauge. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK girls volleyball team’s motto came to life Thursday at Hauppauge High School. After a two-set lead over Connetquot slipped away, the Hawks regrouped and dominated the fifth, securing the program’s first Long Island Class AAA championship, 25-20, 25-16, 23-25, 14-25, 15-11 — just as their warmup shirts foreshadowed.
“When we were planning our merch this year, we were looking through designs, and there was one option that said ‘make history,’” coach Brianne Knight said. “Our captains looked at it and said, ‘We want that.’”
The Hawks made history in more than one way. They defeated No. 2 Massapequa on Monday to earn back-to-back county titles for the first time in history. They went undefeated at 17-0 this season.
“This is one of my biggest dreams come true,” senior captain Dylan Katz said. “We know everyone always doubts us, so it’s a great feeling to prove people wrong.”
But history had to be earned. The Hawks spent the first half of the opening set locked in a tight exchange before finally nudging ahead at 13-12 and holding on until the end.
The second set started the same way — point for point with the T-Birds — before Plainview created separation and pulled away for a 25-16 victory.
But the match swung quickly. After taking the first two sets, the Hawks struggled to keep their rhythm as Connetquot answered with wins in the third and fourth.
“We were playing way too tense; we weren’t relaxed,” senior Bella Sallie said. “We started making too many errors, and Connetquot wasn’t making any.”
When it was time for the fifth set, it was just 15 points between the Hawks and a trip to the state championship.
“We didn’t come this far to lose,” Katz said. “And especially being a senior, this was our last chance to win, so we had to come out with everything.”
Sallie finished the game with 15 kills and an ace, and Katz added seven kills and an ace.
“Bella is easily the most talented outside I’ve had the pleasure to work with,” Knight said. “And Dylan, she’s the most intense player, and the heart and soul of our team.”
This has been a long time coming for the Hawks. Two years ago, they fell in the county championship. Last year, after finally earning the Nassau title, they fell to Ward Melville in four sets.
“It honestly means even that much more to us coming from the loss in last year’s LIC,” Katz said. “We knew we had to come back stronger, and we knew that we could come back stronger.”
The Hawks advance to the pool play semifinal round beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls.
“We’re so excited to play up there,” Sallie said. “We’re excited to play some new faces, and hopefully, we’ll have a good shot at winning.”
