The run had to end eventually.

The Pine Bush Bushmen, the longtime defending Section 9 volleyball champions, were denied a return trip to the championship game when the rising third-seeded Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks swept them, 3-0, in Thursday’s Section 9 Class AAA semifinal at Pine Bush High School.

The Goldbacks went on to face the top-seeded Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders on Saturday morning at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh.

The Bushmen swept the Goldbacks during their two regular season meetings in Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association play.

The Bushmen, a young team, with only four seniors, the rest are juniors and sophomores and one freshman – Madeline Doyle – which leaves coach Melyssa Klempner-Amelio excited for what the Bushmen can accomplish in the future.

The two teams battled back and forth in the first set, before the Goldbacks outlasted them, 25-23.
The Bushmen looked to even things in the second set and were one point away from doing so with a 24-20 lead. They were unable to close out the Goldbacks, who rallied on a strong service run by Carmen Burgarelli to take a 25-24 lead.

Then on the next play, the Goldbacks were unable to close out the Bushmen and the teams battled back and forth until a short hit by Pine Bush’s Alyssa Magsamen gave the Goldbacks a 29-27 win in the set and a 2-0 lead.

The Goldbacks, who had the Bushmen on their heels, now opened an 11-3 lead in the third set. The Bushmen closed the gap to 16-13 on an ace by Kayla Dec, but another strong service run by Burgarelli opened the lead and the Goldbacks went on to close out Pine Bush’s season with a 25-19 win to finish the sweep.

The Bushmen finished the season with a 10-5 record.

Wallkill eliminated by Cornwall in Class A semifinals
The Wallkill Panthers ran into their old sectional nemesis, the Cornwall Dragons, on Wednesday, and were eliminated from the Section 9 Class A semifinals by a 3-1 loss at Cornwall High School.

Gianna Allessandro had 13 digs and 10 kills to lead the Panthers. Ava O’Flaherty had 12 digs, and eight kills and Emma LaRocco had five kills and four blocks. Ella Parker had eight kills and Kimmy Merrill had 30 assists.
Anna Sonko led the Dragons, who won the match, 25-23, 20-25, 25-16, 25-21, with 12 kills, eight blocks and two digs.

The Panthers opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over the No. 5 Marlboro Dukes in the quarterfinals on Nov. 4 at Wallkill High School.

The Panthers won the match, 25-17, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23.

O’Flaherty led the Panthers with 18 kills and two blocks, while Merrill had three kills and 30 assists. LaRocco had six kills and three blocks and Allessandro had five kills, four digs and three aces. Parker had four kills.
Sadie Casella led Marlboro with 37 digs and five assists and Gianna Fiore had 21 kills and 12 digs. Emily Hite had seven kills, six blocks, five digs and two assists. Emma Jackson had 20 digs, seven kills and three blocks.

VC falls to FDR in Class AA semis

The No. 3 Valley Central Vikings were beaten, 3-0, by the FDR Presidents in the Section 9 Class AA semifinals at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Staatsburg.
The Presidents won the match, 25-15, 25-21, 25-18.

Sanaiya Whitted had 11 kills, three blocks and eight digs and Defina Berisha had 10 kills, four aces, 15 service points and 11 digs. Jordyn Jones had six kills, two blocks and two aces and 13 service points, and Emily Conniff had five kills and two blocks. Kiera Bove had 32 assists, five digs and an ace, and Abbey Greenspan had three aces, 15 service points and 13 digs.

The Vikings finished the season with a 10-6 record.