Girls Volleyball Avenges Loss to Susan Wagner, Makes Quarterfinals

The girls huddle before their game at the Seward Park tournament. *Photo: Kadon Lai*

By DILAN BELOW and MALAK ABDELMAGED

Dilan Below is a member of the Girls Varsity Volleyball team.

After ending last season with a loss to Susan Wagner at the quarterfinals, the Girls Volleyball team came back stronger than ever this year, defeating them in round two of the playoffs on Wednesday, November 13 in the G-gym.

“We beat them in the past, and we wanted to redeem ourselves after last year’s loss,” said middle blocker Avani Vietro ‘26.

The Hornets dominated Susan Wagner with a score of 26-24 in the first set and 25-22 in the second set. The team’s offense was outstanding, with seniors Rena Kremer and Folasade Olosunde owning the court through a combined total of 15 kills.

“I felt that we put up a strong fight against Wagner,” said Penney Chen ‘25, a libero. “Despite having our downs at some points during the game, we came back stronger and returned with even greater determination for every single point.”

While the victory propelled the team forward, the girls were defeated by John Jay in the quarterfinals on November 15 at John Jay Campus, with the final score standing at 2-0.

“I’m disappointed that we lost, but I also feel proud of how well we played and the effort we put in,” said libero Valerie Yakhnin ‘25.

The first set ended at 25-9, but the team showed remarkable improvement in the second, finishing 25-18, with three service runs from Alice Kalenchuk ‘28, Yakhnin, and Kremer towards the end.

“It was a tough game playing against the top seed. We know that they are a more physical and skilled team,” said Coach Tommy Ma. “We played great defense and some quality offense. I believe we gave everything we could on the court.”

Throughout the regular season, the girls faced John Jay twice and lost both matches, their only two losses of the year.

Overall, the girls worked exceptionally hard to make it into the playoffs, with an impressive record of 8-2. “The team put endless hours into training for playoffs. We targeted our weak areas to fill in the blanks,” said Ulyana Shakhlevich ‘28. “There’s been a lot of improvement since the start of the season.”

The team practices six times a week, staying three hours after school every day along with occasional tournaments on the weekends and weekly games. “At practice, we do dynamic warmups, and then we go into serving and we serve to different seams and different spots. At the end of practice, we usually scrimmage,” said Vietro.

“We worked really hard,” added Nicole Chen ‘26. “We trained a lot on weekends, and our hard work paid off.”

Despite having a successful season, the team had to overcome many obstacles. Setter Monica Fan and outside hitter Rena Kremer both suffered ankle injuries, keeping them from playing in multiple games. With gaps in the starting lineup, the team had to quickly modify their strategy.

“This season taught me the importance of leadership,” said Fan. “I learned that as an upperclassman, fostering an environment where freshmen and sophomores can look up to you is crucial for a successful team.”

Fan and Kremer both showed up to practices and games to offer support, even when they weren’t cleared to compete. “It was hard not being able to play, but once we got back on our feet, it came back naturally,” said Kremer.

In the girls' final league game against Brooklyn Tech, both players bounced back with impressive performances—Fan racking up 20 assists and Kremer contributing 6 kills—leading the team to the playoffs.

Key victories over teams like Susan Wagner and Brooklyn Tech have showcased the team’s ability to adapt and rise to the occasion. “I feel our team has built a great chemistry,” said Chen. “Good harmony in a team is key to a win. We have shown an immense amount of improvement since the beginning of the season.”

With six seniors graduating, this season has been an emotional one. To honor them, the underclassmen organized a heartfelt Senior Night on October 29, right before a scrimmage against Scholars Academy. This included individualized posters, custom gifts, and baked goods to celebrate.

“This being my last year, I feel grateful that I was able to support the team,” said Chen. “Although it’s been a relatively short time, I was taught the value of hard work, and it feels uplifting to bring my experience to the team alongside the other starters.”

Although the team will be losing these six players, they have a talented group of ten freshmen who have already made significant contributions and look set to improve even further under Mr. Ma's coaching next year.