Blind Brook volleyball team plays their final game: a sectionals recap

Lady Trojans were defeated by Putnam Valley in the section finals

November 9, 2023 at 12:08 a.m.

The Blind Brook High School volleyball team jumps for joy after winning a point off a kill from Oriah Rosenfeld in the sectional final game against Putnam Valley on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Mahopac High School. They would go on to lose the contest 1-3. (Courtesy photo of Courtesy of Dave Taber)

Blind Brook Volleyball was looking to repeat history this year by winning back-to-back section titles, but they fell just short of their goal. They finished the season with 13 wins and 5 losses, and going into the playoffs they had built momentum after winning their final four games all in one week. They then had a week off from competition where they practiced hard while waiting to find out if they were going to play the six seed Irvington or the 13 seed Hastings in their first playoff game. On Oct. 26 sectionals started for most teams but not Blind Brook. They were seeded third in the league, so they had a bye for the first round of the playoffs.

Their first game ended up being against Irvington after they beat Hastings 3-2. Since the Lady Trojans were the higher seed, they played each other at Blind Brook  on Oct. 30. There were no signs of weakness during any of the sets and the Lady Trojans were controlling the whole game. They won the sets 25-19, 25-14 and 25-12 with the final score being 3-0. Oriah Rosenfeld had 16 kills and 12 digs, Ella Rosenfeld had 10 kills and 11 digs, Madeline Hirsch had three blocks and Fernanda Julian had 26 assists.

Their next game was set to be on Nov. 1 against Dobbs Ferry, which was seeded in the second spot, so Blind Brook had to travel to play them, but that didn’t matter. The Lady Trojans came out ready to play and it showed in the results of the game. They beat a team that was supposed to be better than them and proved that the seeds do not tell how the game will go. They beat the Eagles 3-1, with set scores of 25-17, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-19. This was an intense game with a few close sets, but the Lady Trojans stayed strong. Julian had 33 assists and 12 digs, Oriah Rosenfeld had seven kills and six blocks, Hirsch had four kills and one block, Zaara Suhail has three aces, Maria Leyva Pereyra had five digs and Georgina Haas had 13 digs and two kills. This was the semi-final game and now that they had won, they were off to the finals.

All section finals are played at a neutral location for both teams, so when they took on Putman Valley, they played the game at Mahopac High School. The championship game was at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4. Many students from Blind Brook High School came out to support the team including other fall sports teams even though their seasons were over. The Lady Trojans fought hard in this game and the parents and students were supporting them all the way, cheering for them even when they were down. They unfortunately lost to the Tigers 1-3 which meant their season was over. The scores of the sets were 25-14, 17-25, 24-26 and 19-25. Julian had 26 assists, Oriah Rosenfeld had 15 kills and 20 digs, Ella Rosenfeld had nine kills and five blocks and Haas had 10 digs.

Although the Blind Brook team didn’t reach their goal, they still had a successful season. They finished with a significant winning record of 15-6, and they were participants in the section finals for two consecutive years.

Regarding the close of the season, Coach Gina Carlone said, “It was not the outcome we wanted, but losing is a part of sports. Next year will be the year; we have a young team that will be hungry for more. As I tell all my players, keep playing.”