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October 31, 2004 Section:
Sports Page: 15C
CLASS AA
VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP Harold
Gutmann Staff The Journal
News
Ossining sweeps
past John Jay
Vernon provides
inspiration for No. 1 RiverHawks
Harold Gutmann
The Journal News
WEST NYACK - Ossining was just three
points from its first sectional title, but a stubborn
John Jay team wasn't going away quietly, and the
RiverHawks' star player, middle hitter Patricia Vernon,
was lying on the court.
RiverHawks coach Victor Olmedo called a timeout,
and Vernon made it to the bench, where she pounded her
fist down and declared: "We're not losing this game."
Sure enough, Vernon came through on the next
point with her 27th kill of the match to break a 22-22
tie. Top-seeded Ossining won three of the last
four points after the timeout, putting the finishing
touches on a 25-19, 25-17, 25-23 win over No. 3 John Jay
in the Class AA final yesterday at Clarkstown South High
School. The RiverHawks face the Section 9 champion -
Pine Bush is the overwhelming favorite - in the regional
final on Saturday at 5 p.m. at John Jay.
"I was out of breath and hyperventilating because
of all the drama and frustration," said the Temple-bound
Vernon. "But we called the timeout to cool down and say,
`We need to focus and get these last couple points to
win the game.' "
Ossining (18-2) became the first school
from outside Rockland County in 13 years to win the
large-school classification, following an 11-year streak
by North Rockland and a championship last year by South.
"It's overwhelming. We're just so proud of
ourselves," said senior Melissa Awerdick, who had eight
aces in the first two games. "We want to just keep going
forward, and we're going to take it one game at a time."
It was fitting that the RiverHawks won its
first-ever championship at South. After losing to the
host Vikings last year in the sectional semifinals,
Ossining made winning the title its goal for this
year. The team had an immediate chance for redemption in
the season opener, but the RiverHawks lost to the
Vikings 3-1 in what coach Victor Olmedo said was
Ossining's worst performance of the season.
"After our loss to South I did not think we were
going to do this," Vernon said. "But my team proved me
wrong and I'm proud of them. Everyone on my team really
wanted it, and they gave everything they had."
John Jay (15-3), which lost to Ossining
3-0 earlier this season, was without one of its best
players, Ali Gardiner, who was attending a softball
showcase in Florida. Still the Indians' spectacular
defense, led by seniors Sarah Collins and Claire Cooper,
kept them in the match.
"It's a tough loss because we have eight
seniors," John Jay coach Missy Larzelere said. "It's an
emotional loss, but my kids played wonderfully. I'm so
proud of the way they played.
"Patricia Vernon was just hitting bullets. We
were playing great on defense, it was just her offense,
she's very overwhelming. She's a wonderful player, she
has a great cast of characters around her, and I commend
them for how they played."
One of those characters was junior Aisha Alami,
the Ossining setter who joined the team with
Vernon four years ago. She laughed at the thought of how
far they have gotten.
"When we came to practice the first day neither
one of us knew what we were doing," Alami said. "We were
both horrible, and four years later we're sectional
champs and we're going to regionals."
Reach Harold Gutmann at hgutmann@thejournalnews.
gannett.com or 914-696-8568.
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