By TONY BELLISSIMO
That was exactly the case in last week¹s Nassau Class AA girls¹ semifinal playoff match at Roslyn between second-seeded Long Beach and third-seeded East Meadow.
The Lady Jets came out flat and dropped the first two games, but they weren¹t prepared to raise the white flag. Instead they came alive late in the third game, scoring the last eight points on the way to a thrilling 12-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-21 victory. They would finish county runner-up to Massapequa, which won its eighth straight championship last Thursday at Hofstra.
³We were too tight and standing around too much in the first two games,² East Meadow coach Patricia Burnside said about the semifinal. ³We slowly got back to being as aggressive as we were all season.²
The Lady Jets¹ rally was sparked by seniors Emily Syers (18 digs, 12 assists) and Jamie Wilen (16 digs, 10 kills). Junior Alexa Borresen had nine kills and four blocks, and sophomore Hillary Hoffman chipped in 21 digs and nine assists. The Lady Marines were led by freshman Chelsea Braga¹s 16 kills and 25 digs.
³We put their backs against the wall, and they brought their game to another level,² Long Beach coach Jonathan Bloom said. ³Their defense was remarkable in the last three games. When momentum starts to snowball in the other direction, it¹s hard to get back.²
East Meadow (15-5 overall) built leads of 6-2 and 11-7 early in the third game, only to have Long Beach rally to tie it at 17. After a pair of aces by Hoffman put the Lady Jets back in front, Wilen made an incredible play from well behind the baseline that resulted in a crucial swing point. ³We practice saving points like that all the time,² Burnside said. ³Jamie never gives up on a play, so I wasn¹t too surprised.²
Syers got the ball to start the fourth game, and her service produced a 6-1 cushion that would only increase. The fifth game was 13-11 in favor of East Meadow when the teams switched sides, and serving proved the difference in crunch time with Long Beach committing three costly errors. Junior Diana Briody had consecutive kills to make it 22-14, and junior Angela Ruffini¹s defensive work in the back row was a key factor as well.
³I¹m very proud of our team, especially the four seniors who worked so hard and helped the program get to a high level,² said Burnside, pointing out Syers, Wilen, Katlyn Carlin and Nicole Zuccarello. ³They¹re great kids and students.²
East Meadow swept Calhoun in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs on Nov. 2, with Hoffman leading the way with 11 assists, six digs and four kills. Borresen contributed five kills and three aces.
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
