Cali Addeo and Jane Tierney lead Islip to 5-set victory
Jane Tierney, right, and Cali Addeo of Islip look to return the serve from Westhampton on Wednesday. Credit: Dawn McCormick
With the power-hitting duo of Cali Addeo and Jane Tierney, there isn’t any goal that feels unattainable for Islip.
So when the Buccaneers needed a comeback, facing an opponent they’ve lost five straight matches to, the team’s confidence was still high.
Tierney had 25 kills and Addeo had 21 as host Islip defeated Westhampton, 3-2 (25-16, 23-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-11), on Wednesday night.
“We haven’t beaten them in a while, so this win was super important,” Tierney said. “Everyone worked well together and it just felt like a win we all really wanted.”
Tierney’s kill put Islip ahead 10-6 in the fifth set before Westhampton responded with a 4-0 run, with an ace from Emma O’Came tying the score.
Islip scored five of the next six points, with three kills coming from Tierney during the run and Jami Sullivan’s stuff block ending the match. “When everyone’s having a good day and working together, that brings up the energy,” Tierney said. “I always say that it starts with a pass. A pass leads to a hit and those hits win you the match.”
Riley Haynes had 51 assists for Islip (10-3). Katie Burke had 15 kills and three aces and Jasmine Taylor had 11 kills and a block for Westhampton (8-4).
Tierney had seven kills in the fourth set. The junior had a block and an ace on back-to-back plays to put Islip ahead 23-15.
“Jane Tierney was unstoppable,” Islip coach Michael Schober said. “She gets like that for long spurts and when she goes on those runs, you can’t stop her.”
Addeo’s kill brought Islip within 22-21 in the third set. Westhampton answered with a kill and block from O’Came, followed by Lila Davin’s ace to end the set.
Tierney had kills to tie the second set at 20 and 21. Westhampton took a 23-21 lead on Burke’s kill, but Islip scored the next two points to tie it. Taylor’s kill gave the Hurricanes back-to-back points to take the set.
“Cali and Jane are vital to our team. They’re our big threats,” Schober said. “They’re only juniors, so they’re going to get even better.”
Olivia Wade’s kill tied the first set at 15 and Jadyn Zink followed with three straight aces as part of a 10-0 run by Islip. Addeo had four kills during the run and had another to close out the opening set.
“My focus was just on hitting the ball hard,” Addeo said. “Everyone locked in and focused on doing what we needed to pick up the win.”
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.
