In a match they were already leading, the Pine Bush volleyball team gave up a large lead in the second set, letting the winless Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks take a lead when coach Mel Amelio called a timeout.

Immediately after, a kill by hitter Taylor Pannell tied the set, and a long service run by Taylor Jones restored Pine Bush’s lead.

“I think we just had to realize that we have to respect every opponent,” hitter Taylor Pannell said. “It doesn’t matter how good they are. We can’t slack off and let them come back and win it.”

Pine Bush went on a 6-1 run to take the second set on their way to a 3-0 win over the Goldbacks on Wednesday in their penultimate match of the regular season.

“We have to go in every day and respect every team and playing consistently,” Amelio said. “If anything, that’s been our struggled. We have the skill and the talent. We certainly have the heart. It’s just a matter of being consistent at the end of the day.”

Pine Bush won the match 25-10, 25-19, 25-15.
Pannell led with 18 kills and four aces, while Rileigh Meyer added 11 kills, an ace and three digs.

“I think our hitting was on from all our hitters,” Pannell said. “Sometimes we get a little distracted and joke around, but when we’re focused, we’re good.”

Pine Bush (13-2, 6-0 OCIAA-II) has run the table in Division II of the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association. Their only two losses of the season have been to Division I leader Monroe-Woodbury – 3-2 on Sept. 18 – and to Class A Minisink Valley – 3-2 on Sept. 9.
They rebounded to beat Monroe-Woodbury, 3-2, on Oct. 16 and needed a win on Monday over the Kingston Tigers to possibly clinch the top seed in the Section 9 Class AA tournament.

“Our focus is to win it all,” Pannell said. “We don’t think any team should be able to beat us if we play our hardest. We want to go back to states like we did last year. That’s our main goal.”