B.B. girls’ volleyball makes history for the second time in three years
November 13, 2024 at 10:43 p.m.
The Blind Brook Trojans beat Westlake in the first round of volleyball playoffs just over a week ago. From there they were slated to play against Putnam Valley and then the winner of the game between Valhalla and Dobbs Ferry. After playing Westlake in a 3-1 win, Blind Brook was feeling good going into a holiday weekend with a five-hour practice on a day off from school to prepare them for what was to come.
This team was taking no chances with the anticipation that they'd be playing Valhalla, the only team they had lost to the entire season, in the finals. Before the finals, however, they had to get through the semifinals against Putnam Valley, the team they had not played at any point during the season. The Blue Tigers were ranked the number three seed and Blind Brook was the number two seed, so it was expected to be a very close game.
Blind Brook was feeling confident going into the semifinals against Putnam Valley despite having never played them because the competition they faced during the season was not nearly as difficult as what Blind Brook has faced. As the higher seed with the game being played on their home court, the Trojans had the advantage of so many fans from the school coming out to support the team in their last home game of the season because after the semi-finals all games are played at a neutral location. It was a very tight match in the end going to five sets but ultimately ending in a 3-2 victory for Blind Brook. The scores of the sets were: 25-23, 16-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9. Fernanda Julian had 38 assists, Ella Rosenfeld had 13 kills and three blocks, Oriah Rosenfeld had 25 kills and 15 digs, Maria Gracia Leyva had 14 digs, and Georgianna Haas had five aces. After this tight victory, the Trojans knew they'd be playing at the county center which was the neutral location chosen for all section championship games.
This game took place on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. So many fans turned up to support the girls—from teachers to student athletes on other fall sports teams. Everyone was there for the highly anticipated rematch between Blind Brook and Valhalla. Blind Brook had two losses the entire season and both were to Valhalla, so the team knew they needed to play their best game if they wanted to win. They fought extremely hard, keeping in mind that there were three seniors on the team who had given years to the program. Each player kept that in mind when they walked out on the court for this game, knowing it could very well be their last. So they played their best game and won the Class B section championship. The final score was 3-0, sweeping Valhalla for the first time this year. The scores of the sets were: 25-21, 28-26 and 25-19. Julian had 42 assists, Ella Rosenfeld had 15 kills, three blocks and nine digs, Oriah Rosenfeld had 19 kills and 10 digs, Madeline Hirsch had four kills and two blocks, Gracia Leyva had 22 digs, and Haas had 16 digs. Blind Brook pulled off an underdog victory in a game that was anticipated to be a win for Valhalla based on previous matchups.
On their win against Valhalla, senior captain Fernanda Julian said, "Winning sectionals was a goal we’ve been working towards all season. We lost the league title to Valhalla, so that further motivated this win. We keep reminding each other that we are here to play for each other, not ourselves, and we’ve been working a lot on our mindset going into games. The feeling of winning Sectionals for the second time was just amazing, and I couldn’t contain myself when that last ball hit the floor. I’m just so glad that I get to continue playing with my girls for at least one more game.”
Junior Ella Rosenfeld attacks the ball to send it over the net in Blind Brook’s 3-2 victory over Putnam Valley in the sectional semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 6 at home.By Joseph DeCarlo
Senior captain Madeline Hirsch also had a strong reaction. “After two losses to Valhalla earlier this season, we knew going into the final we would have to put our all into the game and leave everything we had on the court,” she said. “We played with so much energy and heart, so winning the game Saturday was such an amazing feeling. All of our hard work leading up to that moment paid off. Winning the title surrounded by the most amazing family of teammates and coaches was such a special moment—especially as a senior.”
Senior captain Maria Gracia Leyva was equally thrilled with the Trojans’ performance. “Having been close to winning the section last year has shown us that we are capable of achieving anything we set our minds to, and this victory is a testament to that growth. To me, this win is a reminder that our commitment to this sport doesn’t end here; it’s all about continuing to strive for excellence and having fun as we move forward. Like we like to say, we’re all family.”
Coach Gina Carlone had some great things to say about this team as well. “I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to coach such an outstanding group of young women,” she said. “They have worked so hard and have made many sacrifices to get to where they are to prove that the first title was not a fluke. Two section titles is a great accomplishment.” Coach Carlone added that she was so grateful to her assistant coaches Samantha Yannuzzi, Max Brock and Joseph Teves and Blind Brook Athletic Director Kimberly Saxton.
From here the Blind Brook volleyball team will move on to the regional finals. They received a bye in the regional semifinals, so their next game will be played Saturday, Nov. 16 at Yorktown High School, another neutral site, starting at 4:30 p.m. Their opponent will be Ichabod Crane High School in Columbia County. Just two years ago the Trojans won the Section One Class C title and lost their first game in the regionals. These girls are on a mission to make sure that does not happen again. They are working on gathering support for the game to make it feel as much like their home court as possible with a fan bus to take students and anyone who would like to go to the game at Yorktown High School on Saturday. They are looking to make a run at the state title, and the entire Blind Brook community is rooting for them to pull it off.
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