Shen girls advance to 1st-ever state final
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » For the first time in the program’s history the Shenendehowa girls volleyball team will be in Glens Falls for the New York State Class AA state championships and they won’t have to buy a ticket to see it.
They punched their ticket Saturday afternoon with a 5-1 record in pool play and will face Section VIII’s Connetquot at 10 a.m.
“We knew going into yesterday at our practices, our scrimmages we knew that we had to be focused and all ready to play our best,” Shenendehowa senior Nicole Adams said. “We knew that as long as we were clicking, talking, communicating to each other we were going to be there to pick each other up if something bad happened and we knew what we had to do. I’m so excited that we came today and delivered and we’re going to make it to tomorrow.
The Plainsmen made quick work of Section IX’s Kingston, 257, 25-11 for a quick start, but knew that the second round against Section V’s Victor would be a key to advancing.
“We had lost to Victor at a tournament in October,” Shenen-
dehowa coach Lori Kessler said. “We made some adjustments and we knew we had to change some things and up the tempo of our game and take control, which they did. They got out there, both sets, maintained that.”
The Plainsmen swept Victor, 25-18 and then held off the Blue Devils, 25-22, to seal their positive fate and another date in Glens Falls on the floor of the Cool Insuring Arena.
“It’s just crazy to think that this has been a fouryear long process and every single year we’ve wanted to get further and further, to finally make it to the second day is so surreal,” Adams said. “To win that last point against Victor to secure our spot in tomorrow’s games was insane. It was like in slow motion and it was just crazy and we’re just so excited about it all.”
The Plainsmen finished with a preview of Sunday’s title match, splitting with Section VIII’s Connetquot, 12-25, 25-18.
“There is no pressure so that kind of takes a lot off of all of us,” Kessler said. “It’s good to be able to face that competition and know what you are up against going into the championship tomorrow.”
Shenendehowa learned a little about Connetquot and what they will need to do to be successful as throughout the day the competition was point after the point, the best in New York State.
“Even though we play really tough teams out in tournaments, here you know that there are going to be girls that are going to hit and pound the ball at you so you have to be smarter than them almost,” Adams said. “If you can’t pound the ball, you’ve got to be smart, you got to know where you’re going to go and be aware of what’s going on around you and you have to work smarter rather than harder.”
One significant difference for Sunday’s finale is the traditional best-of-five set format allowing both teams to size each other up at a more reasonable pace.
“You have to make adjustments fast, but not as fast as in this situation where you have two sets and you’re trying to prepare for three teams,” Kessler said. “At least now we’re only focusing on one team and if we drop as set we just have to answer immediately and come back in the next set stronger.”