Baldwin's run ends in semifinals

The future looks bright for the Baldwin girls’ volleyball program, which wrapped up the 2015 campaign by advancing to the semifinals of the Nassau Class AA playoffs. Seeded No. 3 after finishing the regular season 11-6, the Lady Bruins fell to No. 2 Plainview JFK (25-14, 25-18, 25-16) in straight sets playing without their two top setters who missed the match due to injuries.

“Plainview has tremendous hitters on the outside and their setters are good,” Baldwin coach Luis Sepulveda said.

Baldwin entered the semifinal battle riding a three-match winning streak that included a five-set win (25-21, 18-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-9) over No. 6 East Meadow in the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 4. Junior setter Kiyanna Wiggins, who was injured in the first game, missed part of the second game and all of the third getting her thumb iced and taped up. Sophomore Ashley Kwok filled in for Wiggins and played well. When Wiggins returned, she had an instant impact in the fourth game that carried over to the fifth where Baldwin jumped out to a quick 11-4 lead and cruised to the 16-point victory. She totaled 21 assists and four aces. “She’s quick to get to the ball and is assertive running the offense,” Sepulveda said.

After running to the finals last season, Baldwin had to replace four starters that included a pair of All-County and All-Conference players. Among those stepping up was Allie Ahearne, who entered her senior season coming off an All-Class AA campaign. She piled up 21 digs and four aces in the playoff win over the Lady Jets and controlled the defensive side of the floor all season as the libero. “She leads on defense,” Sepulveda said. “She always leads us in digs and is a great passer. She’s everything [a coach] can ask for in a player and played every position [for us].”

Junior middle hitters Isabelle Lawrence and sophomore Kemi Green, along with senior outside hitter Taylor Krucher, also played key roles in helping Baldwin bounce back for the five-set win. “Our middle hitters dominated,” Sepulveda said. “East Meadow knows we run the middle and just couldn’t stop it. They tried to double our middle hitters, but everything they did we countered. [Kemi] is super quick and a great blocker, and she’s a great hitter.”

As Baldwin gained valuable experience on the court and continued its recent run of postseason success, the team was boosted by the play of a number of players, including sophomore Summer Coleman, who saw time behind Ahearne at libero, sophomore outside hitter Meagan Espert and freshman Cindy Petrizzo. Sophomore Sarah Henry, a 5-10 right side hitter, also turned some heads on the court.

“The future’s bright and we have other good big, exceptional players with a lot of skill [in the program],” Sepulveda said.