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Haldane Spikes Reigning Class A State Champ Hen Hud
by Ray Gallagher
 | | Members of the Haldane High volleyball team pose with championship hardware after knocking off defending NYS Class A champion Hendrick Hudson in the finals of the Minisink Valley Volleyball Tournament last Saturday. |
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Repeating as Section 1 champions isn't as easy as the Yorktown High lacrosse program makes it look (26 of the last 28), and winning a state championship is 10 times as hard as winning the section. But from the looks of things over the weekend the Haldane volleyball program is well on its way toward procuring a sectional three-peat and representing Section 1 in the state tournament.
However, the Blue Devils will have to deal with the same thing a perennial power like the Yorktown lacrosse program does - having a bulls-eye on their collective backs.
First-year coach Joel Stanford watched his two-time defending Section 1 and 2006 NYS Class C runnerup Blue Devils roll out the red carpet last Saturday at the Minisink Volleyball Tournament where the Blue Devils outlasted defending NYS Class A champion Hen Hud (25-22, 25-23). With Ten players returning from a team that went 19-1 and made it to the state finals last season, hopes are obviously running high along the Cold Spring banks of the Hudson River. Many of the seniors have been to Glens Falls (home of the state championships), twice, only to see Randolph repeat as state champions.
This particular unit is a close-knit group that knows what the other one is thinking. They have to be hungry, considering two foiled trips upstate. The eight seniors on the team won't settle for anything less than the state plaque being hoisted this November and a win over a program as storied as Hen Hud (five consecutive Section 1 titles in Classes A and B) should get the Blue Devils on their way. Megan Lyons and Katie McConville each made the All-Tournament team and Dani Etta, who recently inked a deal to play for UCONN next fall, secured tournament MVP honors.
The Blue Devils followed the weekend up with a clean sweep of Valhalla Monday, out-pointing the Vikings 75-20 leaving Haldane with an unblemished 16-0 start to the season, including sweeps of perennial powers like North Rockland and Cornwall.
"We had a great day at the Minisink Valley tournament," Coach Stanford said. "The Hen Hud match was a veritable battle with both teams trading kills during long rallies that featured some amazing team defense on both sides of the net. Caitlin (Katie) McConville finished with 12 kills in the finals plus 3 aces and a block as she was named to the all-tournament team. Megan Lyons added 8 kills to finish with 53 (over a .400 average) on the day as she led all Haldane hitters and was also named to the all-tournament team. All of this fire power was made possible by the pin-point serve receive passing and amazing defense of University of Connecticut bound senior Danielle Etta, who was named the tournament MVP.
"We came out fired up and jumped to an early 12-4 lead on the strong left arm of McConville. She recorded a quick three kills to go with an ace and a solo block to get us going. Setter Rachel Flaherty was outstanding all day as she dished out more than 20 kills to four separate hitters (Lyons, McConville, Jen Lombardo, and Michelle Cotennec)."
In the Minisink tourney, McConville was on a mission that included 12 kills, three aces and a block while hitting at a .550 clip. Lyons led all hitters on the day with 53 kills (.408 hitting percentage), including eight in the sweep of the Sailors. Senior setter Rachel Flaherty was dishing the ball to all her weapons, including seniors Jen Lombardo and Michelle Cotennec, who each hit over .300 on the day. Etta was as steady as a rock on defense, digging serve after serve.
At one point in the first game against Valhalla, Lyons served 17 consecutive points, including 11 aces to blow the doors open during a 25-2 win. Lombardo and Cassie Barcavage each tacked on four aces. Lyons led the way at four kills while Avery Zuvic and Katie McConville each had three.
If, indeed, this is an indication of things to come, and I believe it to be just that, then the Haldane faithful had best book their hotel rooms in Glens Falls for the weekend of November 17 now.
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