Wheatley girls volleyball's Serena Sun, Abigail Eichner pave way for Nassau title
Wheatley players celebrate after winning the Nassau Class B girls volleyball championship over Locust Valley at Farmingdale High School on Saturday. Credit: Derrick Dingle
After back-to-back losses in the county final, Serena Sun and Abigail Eichner were hoping to provide their team with a postgame celebration this time around.
Sun had 10 kills and two aces and Eichner had six kills and four aces to lead second-seeded Wheatley over fourth-seeded Locust Valley, 25-23, 25-16, 25-12, in the girls volleyball Nassau Class B final on Saturday night at Farmingdale High School.
“This was all about our mindset and communication,” Eichner said. “This team has a lot of great girls who have worked hard every day. That’s why this year has been so successful.”
Amelia Yam had three aces and Georgiana Almiroudis had seven kills and a block for Wheatley. Gwen Velsor had 11 kills and three aces and Olivia Manning had six kills for Locust Valley.
Locust Valley got off to a strong start, grabbing a 14-9 lead on a Velsor kill. Wheatley used an 8-0 run to take a 20-16 lead, with Almiroudis having two kills and Yam having two aces during the run.
“A big part of getting us settled was our freshman Amelia Yam serving,” Sun said. “She showed a lot of confidence and that got us all to keep playing with confidence too.”
Locust Valley (5-7) tied it at 22 after Lily Minicozzi’s kill, but Wheatley scored the next two on Eichner’s kills and took the set on an error.
“We’ve spent all season digging ourselves out of holes to a point where we’re not uncomfortable in them,” first-year coach Christy Herring said. “It’s not ideal to get down like that, but I have confidence that they’ll be able to fight back.
Wheatley held a 17-8 advantage in the second after three straight aces from Eichner. Locust Valley cut the deficit to 18-13 after Lia Papadopolous’ ace. Sun closed out the set with a kill.
Almiroudis’ kill put Wheatley ahead 9-5 and was part of a 7-1 run in the third. Emma Barnett’s kill gave the Wildcats a 16-7 lead. Sun had two aces and two kills in the third set, with her last kill giving Wheatley a match point.
“I know it means a lot to them because they’ve been here before and suffered those losses,” Herring said. “I just tried to help them work hard and be prepared for these moments, but I can’t go out there and play. They have to do that job and they’ve done it well.”
Wheatley (17-2) will face Bayport-Blue Point at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Long Island Class B championship at Hauppauge High School.
“I’m so excited, this has been our dream since freshman year,” Sun said. “We’ve been saying, 'What are we going to do when we make it there?' Now we’re going to find out."
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.
