Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Wantagh Lady Warriors looked like they were going to make quick work of South Side after taking the first two sets in their much-anticipated Nassau Conference A1 girls’ volleyball matchup last Saturday morning. But the Lady Cyclones refused to go down quietly and continued to stake a claim as a championship contender the rest of the season.
Wantagh stood firm on its home court and bested South Side 25-16, 25-15, 17-25, 26-24 for its fourth victory in five matches. The win gave the Lady Warriors a share of first place in the standings with Manhasset, a half-game ahead of the Lady Cyclones.
Wantagh appeared to be in control of the match after using a 15-6 run to close the second game, but South Side jumped to a shocking 8-0 lead thanks to several unforced errors by the Lady Warriors. Wantagh got as close as three points at 18-15 before South Side thwarted the comeback with two kills by senior outside hitter Stephanie Jackson and another by senior co-captain Allyson Rosenbaum.
“We came out on fire,” Wantagh coach Dan O’Shea said. “It was great to see them take a next step and take that leadership role and really come together in those first two games, but that third one, I couldn’t figure it out.”
The fourth set proved to be the most thrilling of the match. Wantagh grabbed a 21-19 lead before another kill by Jackson and one by senior Caroline Lanzillotta tied it up. The teams alternated the next six points before the Lady Warriors closed it out on Shannon Hagan’s tap point off a Cyclone pass attempt and a South Side volley that sailed over the end line.
“It took them a little bit long to relax.” South Side coach Cheryl Scalice said. “The third and fourth game, [they were] a ton better. I was happy for that.”
Hagan had 36 assists, seven digs and five kills and Grace Riddle added 11 kills and four blocks for the Lady Warriors. Jackson had three aces, six kills and 17 digs, Lanzillotta added 13 kills and junior libero Caroline LaMacchia recorded 27 digs for the Lady Cyclones.
Despite the loss, Scalice’s squad is off to another strong start at 4-2. Three of those victories came in straight sets over Floral Park, which eliminated them in last year’s playoffs, MacArthur and Mineola on Sept. 18.
Jackson is in her third year with the team after transferring from Hempstead’s Sacred Heart Academy and Scalice believes she is ready to take on an integral role with the team.
“Stephanie is a good all-around player both defensively and offensively,” she said. “She also has a strong serve. Just like everyone else, if she has consistent game, she does well. She’s a three-year starter and a leader on and off the court.”
Lanzillotta, who produced the four Lady Cyclone points that helped tie the fourth set at 24 on Saturday, is also a three-year member of the team and, when healthy, is a strong hitter from the right side.
“She’s a leader,” Scalice said. “Unfortunately, each of the last two seasons, an ankle injury kept her out for a good amount of time. She’s a big impact player both on and off the court.”
Scalice believes consistency will determine the fate of her team the rest of the season. “It can’t be in one game on Monday, and here we are on Saturday, [we] really didn’t pick up the pace until the third game, so it has to be starting out strong and staying strong,” she said.
