John Jay’s Friday Night, Five Set Loss Still Lights up the Evening

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On October 16, John Jay hosted Ardsley for some volleyball, and while the get together wasn’t exactly Friday Night Lights, the fireworks didn’t stop. A five setter, only one could win, but the utter excitement sent no one home a loser.

Even so, John Jay was the team that came up short, and a 15-9 fifth set did the Wolves in.

The night didn’t start like it would leave the auditorium gasping, though. Ardsley jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the big yellow bus even cooled down. 

So the Wolves revved their own engine and it began with Sophia Colandros going against the grain. A second ball dink caught Ardsley by surprise, and before the visitors knew it, the score was tied at six. A center kill for Layla Grassi, a pair of aces by Georgia Costa and a block by Audree Chong did the damage.

Next, the runs were much shorter. Euwen Chong knocked down an Ardsley bump that sailed long, Audree Chong blocked Cassandra Sassalos, and Grassi added two more kills. In between, Ardsley did their work, and the score stayed knotted at ten.

Unfortunately, a few Jay errors later left the Wolves trailing 14-10. A separation that was not to last. Costa dropped a dink, Emily Fulton served an ace, and Ardsley obliged with a few of their own errors.

Tied at 15, the teams were far from done with the back and forth. John Jay jumped out to a 19-17 lead with a Euwen Chong dink, her sister’s kill, and after a pair of ferocious digs by Maria DeGaetano, Grassi killed for the two point difference. 

Even so, Jay gave right back with three misses. On the other hand, defense and deception gave the Wolves an even keel. DeGaetano took her shovel out on another slam, and in the same sequence, Colandros’ little push found the perfect spot between the back and front.

20-20, it was Ardsley that turned out to have tunnel vision.  After a prolonged rally, Sassalos finished with a kill, Edona Lumaj dealt an ace, and Maddison Polanco smoked a slam to give Ardsley a 23-20 lead.

She then added an ace to get her team one point away. Not so fast, Jay refused to give in. Anya Keany landed an off speed spike, and Costa killed off the net to narrow the score to 24-23. Unfortunately, the ending proved anticlimactic when John Jay was ruled in the net.

Onto game two, Ardsley got out fast again. Jillian Bucci aced, Sassalos killed, and Claire Herrod added a kill and a block for a 6-2 lead.

The lead grew to five on a miscommunicated set in the John Jay front line. Still, the Wolves weren’t ready to go to the rear. Colandros executed a perfect short set in the middle, Euwen Chong dropped a dink, and Fulton blocked Katherine Cai for a 10-8 deficit.

Trading errors maintained the difference and the same goes for a couple well executed plays. Herrod hit a whirlwind for a three point lead, while another short set by Colandros now had Audree Chong knocking it down for a 12-10 game.

A mishit kill on the next point by Sassalos didn’t come with an apology, and two straight aces by Sophia Pecora opened a 19-13 lead.

John Jay looked done. That is until Rubin Quinn made a diving save, Fulton elbowed the ball over, and on the Ardsley  return, the duo worked together again. Quinn set and Fulton dropped a dink to stop the run.

Sivan Ohana followed with an ace, Euwen Chong knocked a kill, and Fulton blocked Polanco to explode the gym. All tied, Ardsley took their turn. They went up 23-20, and Jay looked Deja Vu done. 

Not quite, Blake Axelrod got up for a block, she then killed from the middle and registered another block on the next point. Kept alive, Audree Chong got the kill for a 23-23 tie.

An errant back row spike gave Jay the lead, and Ardsley called for time. The pause didn’t quite do the trick. On the Ohana bump, Axelrod came charging in wait of Colandros’ set, and the hitter slammed away for the win.

Game three, the initial action followed suit. Big time, a 14-6 outburst puts Jay in a serious ditch. So the Wolves dug in, and Fulton provided the spark. The big served three aces and had a diving dig that helped Jay score seven straight.

14-13, the back and forth was on, and some amazing defense was the highlight of the night. First DeGaetano’s one handed save traveled back past the end line, Ohana chased the ball down, and Colandros' bump landed between a claw of stunned Panthers.

Calandros and Fulton teamed up next. Fulton charged another low set and the knock kept Jay within one at 16-15. Still Ardsley kept their heads up and did so on the ground. Making multiple diving saves, they went up 21-18 when Costa hit wide. 

One more, Euwen Chong went wide too, but the Wolves wouldn’t give in. Fulton killed from the middle, Axelrod knocked down a long Ardsley bump that just got over the net, and Quinn’s second ball dink landed to give Jay a 23-22 lead.

She did the same to give her team a 24-23 lead, and Ardsley took time. Coming back, the respite worked with kills by Polanco and Sassalos and a winning ace by Polanco.

So Ardsley felt pretty good with a 2-1 lead. Not for long, kills by Costa and Axelrod got the Wolves out fast and Costa added four aces for a 10-1 lead.  From there, the Panthers never got close, and Grassi had the last two knocks for a 25-11 victory.

John Jay’s turn to be happy, an early lead maintained the mood. Two Ardsley errors and two more kills from the middle by Axelrod had the home crowd explode in an uproar.  

4-1, Ardsley didn’t feel the noise. Aided by three Jay errors, Pecora’s diving save led to a Katherine Cai kill and a 5-4 lead. 

Still, John Jay kept it close. Audree Chong dinked to stay within one at 6-5. Mostly the end, Ardsley gained final separation. Polanco got an ace that dropped off the net and opened a 9-6 lead on Grassi’s spike into the net. 

Fulton did respond with a kill and the 9-7 score still held out hope. Unfortunately, Ardsley scored four straight, and the difference was too much. A 15-9 loss, the girls were forced to settle for an exciting, well played game to their credit.

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