Volleyball: Mamaroneck wins 13th straight with sweep of Scarsdale
MAMARONECK - Mamaroneck had reached the Section 1 finals in each of the last two seasons, including a regional title win in the spring of 2021. Despite returning a majority of its team from last season's run, it received an early reminder that winning is not a birthright.
"Honestly, it was really good for us," Mamaroneck senior Sam Vetere said of the Tigers' five-set season-opening road loss at Arlington. "It gave us a wake up call. We started off the season with a loss and then from there, we just kept going. That motivated us to not lose again. We hated that feeling and we don't want that again."
The Tigers haven't tasted defeat since. They extended their winning streak to 13 matches after sweeping league rival Scarsdale on Thursday, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21.
"Our mental toughness has gotten a lot stronger," Mamaroneck junior Sophie Fisher said. "I think we're better at dealing with bigger games and tougher games than we were last year."
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Scarsdale didn't make it easy to start the first couple of sets, hanging with the Tigers, until they pulled away late in the first two sets. The Raiders tried to string one last rally in the final set, but Mamaroneck held off their rivals.
"We've been hampered by (injury and sickness) this week, but also Mamaroneck played really well," Scarsdale coach Ann Marie Nee said, who recently got her full team back. "They hit really well, and I think they served more consistently than we did. We made a lot of mistakes, so we'll practice hard tomorrow to correct a lot of mistakes."
Mamaroneck has high aspirations once again, and it aims to go all the way but come away with the title in Class AA, which it knows is very competitive.
"We're feeling confident, but I don't think we take anything for granted," Mamaroneck coach Stacey Riter said. "We talk a lot about how there's a target on our back and everybody wants to come out and play their hardest against us, and they do. Before every game, we talk about what we need to do to just win the next one."
What it means
After completing the regular-season series sweep, the Tigers stay in the driver's seat for a league title. They have yet to lose a game in league play and have now won 13 straight matches.
Player of the game
Sophie Fisher, Mamaroneck: She had 10 kills with no hitting errors, and had a dig and a block. Her height and reach gave Scarsdale some fits in the front row.
By the numbers
Mamaroneck (13-1) − Sam Vetere dished out 30 assists, with 11 digs, a kill and an ace. Harper Chinn added 11 kills, five digs and two aces. Liv Conte tallied seven kills and 14 digs. Addie Dorfman had six kills, while Ellie Bucchino made 15 digs and an ace.
Scarsdale (6-3) − Ellena Amidor had eight kills. Gali Brass tallied 21 digs, three kills and an ace. Isabelle Goldban had six kills and two blocks. Karina Cheng dished out 24 assists and 10 digs. Julianna Joyce had five kills, while Serena Li had four kills.
They said it
"They were playing very cautious (in that Arlington loss), so we just focused on always playing hard and not being fearful," Riter said. "That's what they're doing. They're so coachable and any adjustments I make, they take it in, so that to me has been one of the best parts about this season. They're constantly improving and wanting to improve every practice."
"We still have room to grow, and this just lights a fire under our bellies for the postseason and for the rest of our season," Nee said. "We still have plenty of good games coming up."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Section 1 volleyball: Mamaroneck tops Scarsdale, extends streak
