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October 29, 2004 Section:
Sports Page: 6C
CLASS AA
VOLLEYBALL Harold
Gutmann Staff The Journal
News
Ossining wins
rematch with Clarkstown
South
No. 1 RiverHawks get
revenge in showdown with No. 4 Vikings
Harold Gutmann
The Journal News
OSSINING - Ossining was competing
against the defending sectional champion yesterday, with
its first trip to the sectional finals at stake. But the
RiverHawks were unfazed, and they put together their
most complete performance of the season.
Top-seeded Ossining advanced to the Class
AA title game in dominating fashion with a 25-18, 25-21,
25-8 win over fourth-seeded Clarkstown South. The
RiverHawks (17-2) will play third-seeded John Jay (15-2)
tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Clarkstown South for the Class AA
title.
Any semifinal win would have been momentous for
the RiverHawks. But what made yesterday's feat even more
significant was that it came against the Vikings (16-4),
who defeated Ossining 3-2 in last year's
sectional semifinal and 3-1 to start this season.
"Since we lost to them in the beginning of the
season, we were fired up now more than ever," said
senior Melissa Awerdick, who had four digs and three
aces. "It was all adrenaline - we weren't nervous, and
we weren't intimidated."
The partying started early in the third game,
when Patricia Vernon went back to serve with an 11-6
lead. Ossining won the next 11 points, and each
one brought louder and louder cheers from the bench and
the home fans.
"Each point just got us closer and closer to what
we wanted to achieve, so every time we won a point, we
just went crazy," Vernon said. Vernon served four aces,
and fellow senior Devone Brownlee had three blocks and a
kill during the run.
The RiverHawks were in control from the outset.
South pulled within 20-17 in the first game and 23-21 in
the second game, but never evened the score.
"(Ossining) played extremely well,"
Clarkstown South coach John Pardy said. "Every single
thing they did today was working for them."
Clarkstown South standout Krystena Castro
finished with 13 kills and two blocks. Bridget Meade
added eight kills, and Meade and Mary Curran had 12
assists apiece.
Vernon finished with 16 kills, four aces and four
blocks, and Brownlee had six kills and five blocks.
Aisha Alami added 22 assists for Ossining, and
Jenna Cohen had six digs.
"It's a big relief - the kids have been working
hard since our loss last year to South," RiverHawks
coach Victor Olmedo said. "We knew we needed to improve
on certain things, and throughout the year, they kept
getting better and better."
Next up is John Jay, which last won a Section 1
title as a Class B school in 1987. The RiverHawks
defeated the Indians 3-0 on Sept. 23, but as yesterday
proved, the past doesn't guarantee anything.
Reach Harold Gutmann at
hgutmann@thejournalnews.gannett. com or 914-696-8568.
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