Lady Rocks win L.I. title
Senior captain Jalisa Barnes had 19 kills and five aces to lead the East Rockaway Lady Rocks to a 25-9, 25-22, 25-23 sweep of Hampton Bays in the Long Island Class C girls’ volleyball championship/Southeast Regional final at St. Joseph’s College last Saturday.
With the victory, the Lady Rocks, who improved to 13-4, earned their second straight appearance in the state tournament to be played this weekend in Glens Falls.
East Rockaway was dominant in the opening game of the match, but Hampton Bays, which advanced to the L.I. championship with playoff victories over Port Jefferson and Mattituck, was no easy opponent.
The Lady Baymen, who finished with a record of 13-7, rallied back from an early deficit in the second set, and took a 13-12 lead. But strong play by Barnes and seniors Danielle Balder and Kaitlyn McCann gave East Rockaway six consecutive points. Barnes finished the set off with a kill.
The Lady Rocks appeared to have the third set in hand, running out to a quick 6-0 lead. But again Hampton Bays made a run and looked to have momentum after scoring seven of the next 10 points. East Rockaway, which has often gone into lengthy funks during matches, would not be denied. The Lady Rocks never lost the lead during the climactic third set.
East Rockaway will compete in a pool-play format with Loudonville Christian (Albany), Tioga (Elmira area) and City Honors (Buffalo) at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
The Lady Rocks beat Carle Place in the Nassau Class C final, 25-13, 25-18, 28-26 on Nov. 10 at C.W. Post. McCann (10) and Alanna Lapollo combined for 16 service points in the first set, Barnes had six kills in the second set and Katie Barto six assists, and Barnes capped a hard-fought third set with a kill point and service ace.
“We go as Jalisa goes,” Coach Gus Baco said. “She’s even better than she was last year and we’ll ride her talent until we derail.”
The Lady Rocks enjoyed their most success at the state tournament in program history a year ago and will try to make a splash again. “We won a couple of games at the state tournament last year and we’re looking forward to going back,” Baco said.
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