South Side defeats Rye in state Class A Southeast Regional girls volleyball final
South Side (17-1) pulled out a dramatic 30-28 victory in the final set on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 and now moves on to the state semifinal round Friday in Glens Falls. Credit: Howard Simmons
CROSS RIVER — As match points came and went, South Side kept its composure and refused to be denied an opportunity to make it to Glens Falls.
South Side defeated Rye (Section I), 13-25, 25-22, 25-17, 30-28, in a state Class A Southeast Regional final on Saturday at John Jay Cross River.
The Cyclones earned a match point after Keira Mullaney’s kill made it 24-22 in the fourth. After tying it at 24, Mullaney had another kill and the teams exchanged the next eight points, resulting in Rye saving six match points. Lena Miller and Caitlin Ferrari had back-to-back kills to end it.
“We worked so hard just to get to that moment and I would’ve done anything to get that point,” Ferrari said. “It’s such a big accomplishment to get here and now to advance.”
Mullaney had 19 kills and Miller had 11 for South Side. Allie Fingleton had nine kills and Ferrari had seven kills and a block.
South Side jumped to an 8-2 lead in the third as Mullaney had five kills during the run. Mullaney had seven kills in the set and the Cyclones held their largest lead of the match at 19-10.
“I’ve never felt how I did during this match. It was a surreal moment to win it,” Mullaney said. “We shook everything off and didn’t let one mistake carry over into more.”
South Side took a 9-7 lead in the second after Mullaney’s ace. Rye tied it at 19, before Mullaney’s ace gave South Side another lead. Fingleton had back-to-back kills to end the second for South Side. Neither team led by more than three points in the set.
“We really picked up the energy and everyone took accountability,” Ferrari said. “We had to decide what we were really fighting for and we all decided to fight for each other. We all played for someone else and that drove us to victory.”
Mullaney had two kills to open the first set, but Rye went on a 13-4 run to take control. Rye continued to push the lead, with the first set's final margin of 25-13, being its largest advantage of the match.
The win was the second straight comeback victory for South Side. The Cyclones trailed Half Hollow Hills West 2-1 before earning a 15-5 fifth-set victory in the Long Island championship.
South Side (17-1) advanced to the state pool play semifinal round beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday at Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls.
“In my four years of being on this team, I don’t know if I ever really thought this time would come,” Mullaney said. “Now that it has, I’m just excited for the opportunity to keep it going.”
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.
