Two days after capturing a Nassau County title against Mineola, the Seaford girls volleyball team's unbeaten 2012 season came to an end with a three-set loss to Elwood-John Glenn in the Long Island Class B championship match Tuesday.
It was the second year in a row Seaford fell to Glenn in the Long Island championship and a 12th straight title for the Knights. Set scores in the title match held at Roslyn High School were 25-16, 25-12 and 25-11.
Glenn co-captains Jackie Malusa and Stephanie Caputo had 20 kills and added 24 assists, respectively. Defense was key in Glenn's victory against Seaford, said Malusa.
“We practiced a lot of middle hitting defense so we could block the middle and really defend well against them," she said.
Caputo said her team was confident but didn't come into the game thinking they were going to win.
"We wanted to push for every point, we wanted to earn every point and basically we did," she said.
Seaford came with an improved game this year, according to Glenn Coach Kevin Harrington.
"They were much more competitive and I know their community got hammered [by Hurricane Sandy] two weeks ago. Most of our kids didn't have power until this past weekend, but these guys, what they went through, the fact that they're here still playing volleyball I can't even imagine."
Seaford Coach Marie Savage said all three games were an adrenaline rush for her team, and they just kept fighting back against Glenn's ferocious serves.
"Defense worked for a while, swinging harder would have been better," she said. "If you hand a hard-hitting team the ball, they're going to hit it back at you... I wish the girls didn't play as safe as they did but I understand why they did."
Glenn will defend their state title in Glens Falls Saturday, facing Pelham once again. Coach Harrington said his team has overcome a lot after graduating five starters from last year, including State Volleyball Player of the Year Melissa Rigo.
"I'm proud of the way that they improved every week of this season," he said. "We've beaten some of the top teams in the state up at tournaments and it's amazing. It's a testament to the kids on the team."
