NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - For the first time since 1995, North Salem’s volleyball team has brought home the section championship.
In addition to ending the 30-year drought, the win was all the sweeter as it came over Tuckahoe — the squad that dashed North Salem’s hopes at the Westchester County Center a year ago.
For Coach Toni Fiore and the Tigers, the moment was a year in the making.
In a preseason interview with North Salem News, Fiore explained how the previous run to the section finals enabled the team to enter the season with renewed confidence.
From opening day, the squad had their eyes on the prize.
Throughout the fall, the Tigers mowed down opponents and captured their first league title since 2002. After a sweep over Haldane in the semifinals, they were set for another showdown with Tuckahoe.
Once again, the Tigers shined under the bright lights of the County Center, but their rivals also refused to back down from the challenge.
Tuckahoe claimed the first set 25-19 before North Salem unleashed a flurry of offense to even things up with a 25-16 counterpunch in the second.
Tuckahoe would take the third set 25-19, before North Salem dug deep and pulled out a 25-23 tally in the fourth.
"Going into the game, we spoke about how pressure was going to be something they’d face and how this wouldn’t be an easy game, but also how the team was well-equipped to handle the battle," explained Fiore. "Some of our core values are positivity, confidence, and family, so to overcome an early Tuckahoe lead, we just had to stick to our values. Volleyball is such a great sport in the sense that there is no running clock, so anything can shift the momentum of the game and anyone can come back from a deficit and win."
With the game — and the sectional crown — coming down to the decisive fifth set, the Tigers would not be denied.
With the cohesion and poise they have displayed all season, North Salem took the final set 15-10, starting the celebration and etching their names into the history books.
The win came as a result of a total team effort, with Addy Moia (24 kills, 2 aces, 3 assists, 1 block, 20 digs) Sadie Matt (4 kills, 2 aces, 40 assists, 34 digs), Ally Maza-(14 kills, 3 aces, 2 blocks, 11 digs), Cora Kennedy (4 aces, 16 digs), Sophia Miller (5 assists, 8 digs), Allie Bartels (2 kills, 1 assist, 2 blocks), Sophia Aqeel (2 kills, 1 block, 8 digs), Scarlett Tornambe (1 assist, 3 digs), and Bella Jones (4 kills, 1 dig) leaving it all on the court.
Captains Sadie Matt, Cora Kennedy and Addie Moia were presented with the section trophy, and they joined with their teammates to hoist it as champions.
After the win, Coach Fiore weighed in further on what the accomplishment means to her and the squad.
"Proud doesn’t even feeling like a strong enough word to describe how I feel about returning and finally achieve our goal," Fiore said. "After losing in the section finals last year, it really sparked new determination, and that determination was very apparent yesterday. It feels awesome to win with this team as many of the girls who played in the game yesterday, also played in the game a year ago and were particularly motivated. It made everything worth it, every open gym, every team lift, and every night watching film instead of sleeping."
The Tigers will now advance to the regional semifinals against Port Jefferson on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m. at John Jay High School.
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