Port Jefferson girls volleyball advances in state tournament
Port Jefferson is joyful after beating Madrid-Waddington in the state Class C Southeast Regional girls volleyball final on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Credit: Howard Simmons
CROSS RIVER — Port Jefferson stocked its schedule with tough non-league volleyball opponents, preparing for all the different looks it could see during a deep playoff run. That forward-thinking has continued to pay off.
Port Jefferson defeated Madrid-Waddington (Section X), 25-7, 25-19, 25-8, in a state Class C Regional final on Saturday morning at John Jay Cross River.
McKayla Pollard had 12 kills and an ace and Sara Puopolo had eight kills and three aces.
The Royals scored the first 10 points of the match, as Pollard contributed four kills during the run. Ava Reilly’s block and Puopolo’s second kill of the set ended it.
Puopolo’s kill gave Port Jefferson a 16-8 lead in the second. The Yellow Jackets scored five straight to cut their deficit to 23-18. Kills from Anna Brown and Puopolo closed the set for the Royals.
“I think recently we’ve focused on the controlables,” Reilly said. “We’ve also been better at making quicker adjustments.”
Port Jefferson took a 10-2 lead in the third after blocks from Brown and Lina DeLeo. Puopolo had back-to-back kills to put the Royals ahead 22-5 and Thea Mangels ended the match with a kill.
“We’re a small team, so it always feels like we’re the underdog, like they aren’t expecting much from us,” Pollard said. "But we can jump, we’re quick, smart and play strong defense. Sometimes we catch opponents off guard.”
Port Jefferson played matches this season against Bayport-Blue Point, Connetquot, Islip and St. Anthony’s. Bayport and Connetquot each finished as county champions. Islip and St. Anthony’s each made appearances in a final.
“We tried to make the season as challenging as we thought we could ahead of time,” Port Jefferson coach CJ Hafner said. “I wanted the girls to see how hard they have to work for points and expose them to the type of things they could see later in the year.”
Port Jefferson (20-2) advances to the state pool play semifinal round beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday at Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls.
“It’s been three years since we’ve been there and I was so young then,” Reilly said. “It feels even more exciting this time around.”
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.
