By Mike Zummo
After taking the first set, the Pine Bush volleyball team trailed the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders by as many as six points in the second.
However, the top-seeded Bushmen rallied to win the second set on their way to a 3-0 sweep of the No. 2 Crusaders in Sunday’s Section 9 Class AA championship match at SUNY New Paltz.
Pine Bush won the match, 25-11, 26-24, 25-12, for their second straight section title.
“Amazing,” said senior captain Taylor Pannell, who finished with 18 kills, four blocks, three digs and two aces. “It feels great to win two times and a row and in senior year. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Pannell had some service difficulty early in the match, but she was at the back line in the second set when Pine Bush finally caught the Crusaders after initially falling behind 5-0.
Pannell’s ace tied the set (16-16) for the first time, and then she had a kill that tied the set again at 24.
Then with Taylor Jones at the service line, two Monroe-Woodbury hitting errors, sent the Bushmen to the third set with a 2-0 lead.
“It was a big shift in momentum toward our side and I think we really needed it,” Jones said.
Jones finished with 17 assists, 3 kills, 1 block, 4 aces and 8 digs.
“I knew we needed her to bring a sense of calmness to the court,” Pine Bush coach Mel Amelio said. “She’s a versatile player.”
Pine Bush split the season series with Monroe-Woodbury, losing the first, 3-2, on Sept. 18 and then pulling out a 3-2 win on Oct. 16. Jones, who missed the first six matches of the season due to injury, did not play in the Sept. 18 match.
The Oct. 16 win over Monroe-Woodbury was the last time Pine Bush lost a set.
“Winning in three sets makes me feel we pushed as hard as we could because I know how bad we wanted it and it showed,” Jones said.
Rileigh Meyer had 21 kills, two digs and an ace, while Riley Dimsey had 11 kills, and two blocks. Alandra Hasbrouck had 18 assists, 2 kills, 2 aces and 2 digs.
“Any game we play, we know we have to come in and play hard.,” Amelio said. “We have a young defensive team. I was a little nervous on how they feel in this type of game, and we pulled it off.”
Pine Bush will open the state tournament Wednesday against Section 1 champion Ossining at 5:30 p.m. at the Kate Walton Fieldhouse in Kingston.
Pine Bush faced Ossining on Oct. 12 at the Panas Tournament in Cortlandt, winning a set 25-20, but losing to Ossining, 2-0 in the semifinals, 29-27, 25-14.
“We faced them last year and they’re a great team,” Pannell said. “We’re also a great team and as long as we stay true to ourselves and play our game, we can do it.”
That’s the first step on the Bushmen’s ultimate goal: to return to the state finals on Nov. 23 and 24 at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.
“It’s an experience like no other,” Jones said. “I think that after we were there before, it makes us want to go back. Especially with all our new teammates. We want them to have the same experience before we go.”