John Jay Plays with Full Deck in Victory Over Fox Lane

On Tuesday September 8, John Jay traveled to Fox Lane, and at 20-20, Evangeline Santos served three aces to propel the home team to a 25-20 set one victory. But the next three games had the Wolves making sure there was plenty of separation at the outset of each.

John Jay took the early leads and the games by scores of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-18.

Anya Keaney began game two with a kill, and her teammates didn’t let up. Kiera Goffey followed with an ace, while Euwen Chong and Audree Chong gladly took some help from the net. Euwen on the serve and Audree on the kill line, both balls dropped, and the John Jay led 5-1.

Maria DeGaetano was off on the next point with an errant bump, but she definitely made up for the miscue. The libero served two straight aces, and the Chong’s kept making matters worse for Fox Lane. On a tight set, Audree Chong dropped a dink, and Euwen Chong got a block and a kill to open a 13-3 lead.

Fox Lane fought back nonetheless. Jordyn Forlenza stopped the run with an ace, Ottilie Kimmel added a pair of aces, and Alexa DeMartino stood tall on the block to make it a 15-10 game.

Now it was John Jay’s turn to shift momentum, and DeGaetano did so with defense. She made a diving save, and on the up, Keaney knocked the kill. 

DeGaetano wasn’t done either.  Another diving save among her 30 digs, this time the elevation teed up Sivan Ohana for a back row spike, and she connected.

19-13, the Wolves didn’t let up. Goffey ate up a pair of short middle sets for a 21-16 lead, and Nalaia Nosworthy swung from the outside for another.

Three points to go, Sophia Calandros spread it around. Layla Grassi and Goffey scored with the heat, and the setter surprised with a second ball dink.

All tied at one, John Jay took a little time to separate.  After Blake Axelrod blocked, Euwen Chong killed Calandros’ saving dig, and Calandros went second ball again, it didn’t stay status quo for long.  Five straight points included a Nosworthy block and two more DeGaetano aces.

8-3, Fox Lane scored the next two, but the Wolves weren’t impressed. DeGaetano did more dirty work on the ground, and Euwen Chong responded by painting the line wth another kill.

Calandros then made it 11-6 on ace, and next, Euwen Chong made Fox Lane see double. She hit the line again, and the lead extended to seven on Keaney’s first ball slam.

Fox Lane fought back to 13-10 so John Jay went straight up the middle. Calandros put up two perfect short sets, and Nosworthy and Axelrod swung the middle kills for a 15-10 game. 

Two more kills on the way for Axelrod, and Fox Lane called for time. A minute later, Ohana served out, and Ava Rose killed to keep the Foxes in range. 

Keaney negated the momentum, though. Her deep dink found an open spot in the back corner, and the six point lead had Ruby Quinn teeing a teammate up this time,. Short set and Axelrod had another blast from center field.

Time out again for Fox Lane, the home team responded with another pair of points. Not good enough, Axelrod killed, Keaney aced and Euwen Chong’s dink paved the way for Audree Chong to close the game with one of her 5 kills.

Onto the fourth, John Jay jumped out on the strength of Keaney.  Two kills and two aces  among ten and four respectively, the Wolves led 7-1.

Fox Lane stayed in proximity, though.  A winning dink by Aliana Modi stopped the run, and Forlenza added a pair of blocks to narrow the lead to 10-7.

The Foxes eventually eventually got within two on a DeMartino ace, but then John Jay threw the rest of the deck at their opponents. Axelrod took another short set down the middle, Goffey dinked a winner, Keaney dropped an ace and Quinn set up Axelrod for the last of her eight kills.

19-13, John Jay broke it open with a Keaney kill from the left and an ace, and Euwen Chong and Grassi sealed the deal with an ace and kill respectively.

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