Kingston poised for AA regional final
Reigning Section 9 champion Tigers poised to play in Class AA regional final on Sunday
For the first time this century, Kingston High’s volleyball team is in regional play.
After winning the Section 9, Class AA title, the (15-2) Tigers find themselves a win away from the state final four as they compete in a regional final 10 a.m. Sunday at SUNY New Paltz. Kingston takes on New Rochelle of Section 1 or Section 4’s Binghamton, which played in a semifinal Wednesday night.
The Tigers had not won a section championship since 1999.
“Not a single one of my players was even born yet,” said Tigers coach Nicole Molinaro. “We’ve been preparing ever since, even since I was on the team. We haven’t been able to do it, This was the year. I made sure I was back for it.”
It’s been a busy season for Molinaro, who gave birth to son Dray Mathew on Sept. 14 and was back at practice five days later.
“I knew I had to get right back there, because if any team was going to do it, it was going to be this team,” she said. “We’ve worked hard enough. It was well deserved. They’re extremely passionate and that’s one of the things that I push for.
“I always say that I might not know the most about volleyball, but I’m a sense of calmness on the court for them and positivity and they do the rest.”
“I’m really excited, because that’s what I’ve always looked forward to,” said Tori Boulay about regionals. “Since I’ve been playing, I always thought states was so far away, that we might never get there, but it’s really close now. It’s just one win away.”
In the sectional title win over Warwick, Boulay broke a record that has stood since
that 1999 championship season. The sophomore setter dished out 40 assists and, with it, broke the career mark of 1,404 established by Jessica Roeber. Roeber later returned to coach the Tigers.
“When I was in seventh grade, I got moved up to varsity at the end of that season. I didn’t play,” Boulay explained. “At the (postseason) banquet, we all got a booklet that has the records and I saw the assist record. I was like, ‘Wow!’ I really want to beat that and the record-holder was one of my coaches at my school. I thought, ‘Oh my God, that would be so cool to beat that record.’
“It has always been something in the back of my mind. I didn’t think it was going to be in my sophomore year. I thought
it would be my senior year but, as our team got really good and we got to keep playing past the regular season, I got more opportunities to keep getting more assists.”
“Tori Boulay is a wonderful player,” Molinaro said.
“I remember the first day that she ever came to workouts. She told me that she was going to play modified volleyball and I almost laughed, because she’s so skilled. She’s hands-down a better setter than I ever was. She surpassed my record as a ninth-grader.
“I moved her up in seventh grade and she’s been our setter ever since. First year was more of mentoring. She knew exactly what she needed to do for such a young lady. She’s extremely mature and confident.
“She knows what she’s doing and she has complete control of the court.”
There’s a kinship between Boulay and Molinaro, who was a setter for
the Tigers. She graduated in 2010 and returned four years later to take over the team.
“I’ll be the first to say that setters do not get enough credit for what they do,” Molinaro said. “I feel like I have a special place in my heart for Tori, because that was me, too. As soon as something happens, she always looks at me and we always have that kind of connection, being setters.
“It wouldn’t be possible without the pass to get that set up. We have amazing hitters who are going to get her those assists. She’s extremely thankful and grateful for those hitters.”
“I think there’s a lot of responsibility as a setter,” Boulay acknowledged. “You have to know what’s going on with your offense, but also with the other team’s offense and defense and you have to know when to keep feeding your hitters. If you have an ‘on’ hitter, usually mine is Jade (Harrell). I go
to her a lot.
“I have to know when they’re ready to block her, because sometimes teams will want to take out one hitter and I have other people that I have to set. You have to kind of know what’s happening on both sides of the court.”
Tori’s older sister, Suzy, graduated Kingston this past spring as the Tigers’ all-time leader in digs.
“They’re extremely passionate, both of the girls,” Molinaro said. “They know they are able to set goals and achieve them. They both know what they want and they’re going to get after it.”
The team is excited about playing Sunday.
“It’s just an awesome experience and so many of them have not even won a championship,” Molinaro added. “That was enough as it is. We’re just going into this continuing to be passionate, having a good time, having fun and show what we got.”