CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Friday, Oct. 16, John Jay hosted Ardsley for a volleyball showdown, and while the matchup wasn’t exactly Friday Night Lights, the fireworks didn’t stop. A five-set thriller could have only one winner, but the excitement sent no one home disappointed.
John Jay was the team that came up short, however, as Ardsley claimed the decisive fifth set, 15-9.
The night didn’t start as though it would leave the gym gasping. Ardsley jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the big yellow bus had even cooled down.
But the Wolves revved their own engine, beginning with Sophia Colandros going against the grain. A second-ball dink caught Ardsley by surprise, and before the visitors knew it, the score was tied at six. A kill up the middle by Layla Grassi, a pair of aces by Georgia Costa and a block by Audree Chong did the damage.
From there, the runs were much shorter. Euwen Chong knocked down an Ardsley bump that sailed long, Audree Chong blocked Cassandra Sassalos, and Grassi added two more kills. In between, Ardsley did its work, and the score stayed knotted at 10.
Unfortunately for Jay, a few errors left the Wolves trailing 14-10. But that separation was not to last. Costa dropped a dink, Emily Fulton served an ace, and Ardsley obliged with a few errors of its own.
Tied at 15, the teams were far from done with the back-and-forth action. John Jay jumped out to a 19-17 lead on an Euwen Chong dink, a kill by her sister, Audree, and a Grassi kill following a pair of ferocious digs by Maria DeGaetano.
Even so, Jay gave it right back with three misses. On the other hand, defense and deception brought the Wolves back to even. DeGaetano dug out another slam, and in the same sequence, Colandros' little push found the perfect spot between the front and back rows.
Tied at 20, Ardsley found its focus. After a prolonged rally, Sassalos finished with a kill, Edona Lumaj delivered an ace, and Maddison Polanco smoked a slam to give the Panthers a 23-20 lead.
Polanco then added an ace to bring her team within a point of victory.
Not so fast. Jay refused to give in. Anya Keany landed an off-speed spike, and Costa delivered a kill off the net to narrow the score to 24-23. Unfortunately for the Wolves, the ending proved anticlimactic when John Jay was called for a net violation, giving Ardsley a 25-23 win.
Moving on to the second set, Ardsley got off to another fast start. Jillian Bucci served an ace, Sassalos delivered a kill, and Claire Herrod added a kill and a block for a 6-2 lead.
The advantage grew to five following a miscommunication along John Jay's front line. Still, the Wolves weren't ready to retreat. Colandros executed a perfect short set in the middle, Euwen Chong dropped a dink, and Fulton blocked Katherine Cai to cut the deficit to 10-8.
Trading errors maintained the difference, as did a couple of well-executed plays. Herrod unleashed a powerful kill for a three-point lead, while another short set by Colandros found Audree Chong, who knocked it down to make it 12-10.
A mishit kill by Sassalos on the next point didn't come with an apology, and two straight aces by Sophia Pecora opened a 19-13 lead.
John Jay looked done. That is, until Rubin Quinn made a diving save, Fulton elbowed the ball over, and on the Ardsley return, the duo worked together again. Quinn set the ball, and Fulton dropped a dink to stop the run.
Sivan Ohana followed with an ace, Euwen Chong delivered a kill, and Fulton blocked Polanco to bring the gym to life.
With the score tied, Ardsley took its turn. The Panthers went up 23-20, and Jay appeared headed for déjà vu.
Not quite. Blake Axelrod rose for a block, followed with a kill from the middle and registered another block on the next point. With the rally kept alive, Audree Chong delivered the kill for a 23-23 tie.
An errant back-row spike gave Jay the lead, and Ardsley called timeout. The pause didn't quite do the trick. On Ohana's bump, Axelrod came charging in to meet Colandros' set, and the hitter slammed it home for a 25-23 win.
In the third set, the early action followed a familiar pattern. Ardsley raced out to a 14-6 lead, putting Jay in a serious hole.
But the Wolves dug in, and Fulton provided the spark. She served three aces and made a diving dig that helped Jay score seven straight points.
With the score 14-13, the back-and-forth battle resumed, and some amazing defense highlighted the action. First, DeGaetano's one-handed save traveled back past the end line. Ohana chased the ball down, and Colandros' bump landed between a group of stunned Panthers.
Colandros and Fulton teamed up next. Fulton charged another low set and knocked it down to keep Jay within one at 16-15.
Still, Ardsley kept its head up and its players close to the floor. Making multiple diving saves, the Panthers went ahead 21-18 when Costa hit wide.
Euwen Chong sent another shot wide, but the Wolves wouldn't give in. Fulton delivered a kill from the middle, Axelrod knocked down a long Ardsley bump that barely cleared the net, and Quinn's second-ball dink landed to give Jay a 23-22 lead.
Quinn did it again to put her team ahead 24-23, prompting an Ardsley timeout. This time, the respite worked. Kills by Polanco and Sassalos, followed by a winning ace from Polanco, gave the Panthers a 26-24 victory.
Ardsley had reason to feel good with a 2-1 lead, but not for long.
Kills by Costa and Axelrod got the Wolves off to a fast start in the fourth set, and Costa added four aces for a 10-1 lead. From there, the Panthers never got close, and Grassi delivered the final two kills to seal a 25-11 victory.
It was John Jay's turn to be happy, and an early lead in the fifth set maintained the mood. Two Ardsley errors and two more kills from the middle by Axelrod sent the home crowd into an uproar.
Trailing 4-1, Ardsley wasn't rattled by the noise. Aided by three Jay errors, Pecora made a diving save that led to a Cai kill and a 5-4 lead.
Still, John Jay kept it close. Audree Chong dropped a dink to pull the Wolves within one at 6-5.
But that was about as close as Jay would get. Ardsley began to pull away, with Polanco serving an ace that dropped off the net before Grassi's spike into the net gave the Panthers a 9-6 lead.
Fulton responded with a kill, and the 9-7 score still offered hope. Unfortunately for the Wolves, Ardsley scored four straight points, and the difference proved too much to overcome.
The Panthers closed out the 15-9 victory to take the match in five sets, leaving John Jay to settle for a hard-fought performance in an exciting contest.
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