Thursday, October 26, 2017

WILLPOWER SERVES WIZARD'S VOLLEYBALL WELL

By TUCKER CERGOL

TUCKER CERGOL FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY
Unfortunately, the Wizard's volleyball team had their senior game and final match of their regular season against the Minisink Valley Warriors on Monday, October 23rd.  Throughout the entire season, the team had their ups and downs. This resulted in them being on the verge of playoff contention.  Beating the Warriors was crucial in order for the girls  to solidify a spot in the playoffs, thus continuing their season. 

In previous matches, it was evident some players stood out from the rest, one being captain, Sabrina Livolsi.  Livolsi has also been nominated for athlete of the month due to her phenomenal performances during the games and her leadership skills throughout the year.  Although the results aren’t in, Sabrina has a fair shot at winning  this honorable award.  Livolsi will continue her volleyball career at Scranton University in the fall of 2018.

Another honorable senior, Dilara Aslan, has been on varsity for two years and is also involved in the JROTC program at Washingtonville.  Dilara is one of the most high spirited people on the team and will make sure fans and players alike know that she is there with her presence always being a bright spot on the team. 

Sydney Fernandez has also been on the varsity team for two years and had a solid year on the court.  She is one of the team’s top servers as well as an excellent setter.  Sydney could also be labeled as one of the assistant leaders on the team.  When asked if there was anything to pass down to all the juniors and sophomores Sydney replied, “I believe they can keep the history going and make sections again to show how much our program has prospered over the years.”

Ariana Lajqi can be described as a very upbeat athlete, both on and off the floor.  She, not unlike Dilara,  makes her presence known when she’s on the court, which is evident in her statistics.  Although she is currently battling knee injuries, she is one of the top players on the team when it comes to blocking spikes along with being a great saver, saving balls that most players could not. 

Captain Alexa Kraiza has stepped up to the plate since coming back from injury early on in the season.  Coming into the season with a broken arm had her feeling down and distraught; however, with a speedy recover, she has come back stronger than ever.  Alexa is arguably the best setter on the team, especially when she is setting up for her best friend and co-captain, Sabrina.

A junior on the team, Celine Lewandowski, expressed, “I’m upset the seniors are leaving because they are all girls I’ve played with ever since middle school, and our team just has a close relationship as a whole."  When asked if underclassmen can fill the seniors shoes next season, she exclaimed, “I definitely think we have the potential to fill what they are leaving behind.  It’s our turn to step up and keep the skill level up.”

On Monday, all of the seniors were honored and recognized for their hardwork and dedication towards the Wizards volleyball program.  Afterwards, the Wizards played a fantastic game, unfortunately, ending in a heartbreaking fashion.

After losing 2-0 in the first two sets, the Wizards fought back and made it 2-2 going into the final set.  With an early 16-11 lead, momentum was completely on Washingtonville’s side and it looked good for the Zards to pull out a victory.  However, the Warriors began to rack up some points eventually taking the lead 18-17.  With a tough fight back, the Wizards were able to tie it up. 

Unfortunately, the Wizards couldn’t complete the comeback.  Losing by two brought some players to tears as they thought their season had just ended. Washingtonville put up a phenomenal fight and had tremendous pride until the final point, giving their fans an entertaining game.  A win would have resulted in the team making sections for the first time in years, but they thought their season had come to an end. 

Even though this brought the players to tears, they were later notified that they had made the section playoff and will, in fact, have a chance to compete for the championship. 

When senior Sydney Fernandez was asked to give Wizard nation a playoff outlook, she responded by saying, “We are going to go out there and give it our all against Monroe.  Not only because we want to go further in the playoffs but also because we have played them in the past and know their strengths and weaknesses.” 

For the first time in 29 years, the girl's Washingtonville volleyball team has made the section playoffs. Hopefully they can continue to play well and make history one serve at a time.

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