Volleyball: Revitalized Rye Neck rolls past Hastings to Class B quarterfinals with 3-1 win
MAMARONECK - It's hard to say it's just another match, when the stakes are higher.
Rye Neck had looked forward to beginning its postseason journey and after initially getting caught up in the emotions that come with it, the Panthers regrouped and pulled away to defeat visiting Hastings in four sets, 25-18, 20-25, 25-16, 25-18, in Thursday's Section 1 Class B opening round showdown.
"It's our last season and growing up in the program, it's always been a big dream of ours to continue in sectionals and progress," Rye Neck senior Clementine Garnier said. "The first win is obviously a major, big stepping stone. The fact we're already here is great. We're such a big team, and we all love each other. We're a family and we're excited for what comes next, this is just the beginning."
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After Rye Neck won the first set, the Yellow Jackets settled in and were resilient. They regained their composure and gave Rye Neck a back-and-forth battle in the second set. Hastings cleaned things up defensively and capitalized on Panther errors, before closing out strong to even the match at one set apiece.
However, the Panthers got off to big leads in the third and fourth set in order to pull away. They've now won six of their last eight matches and hope to continue to build on their winning momentum.
"The fact that we learned how to grow as a team helped us," Rye Neck senior Armandine Le Bertre said. "Individually, we knew how to play volleyball, but we never knew how to really communicate and really play as a team. Across the season, we progressed in that and that's really how our season went."
After an up-and-down start to the year, it was actually a couple of losses that helped the Panthers realize their potential. They lost a close meeting with Class C title-contender Blind Brook, and eventually avenged that loss late in the regular season.
They also went the distance, twice, with a red-hot Pleasantville team that entered the playoffs with a 16-match winning streak. That's also who they will face in the next round, and they're hopeful that they'll come up with a better result.
"I'm excited to go against (Pleasantville) a third time," Rye Neck coach Allison Reynolds said. "Third time's the charm."
What it means
Rye Neck will take on second-seeded Pleasantville in the Section 1 Class B quarterfinals on Tuesday. The Panthers played Pleasantville tough in both regular season meetings, pushing Pleasantville to five sets on Oct. 1 and Oct. 19.
Player of the game
Clementine Garnier, Rye Neck: The senior setter covered a lot of ground on the court and facilitated for the Panthers. She didn't make many errors and chipped in across the board with 29 assists, nine digs, six kills and five aces.
By the numbers
No. 7 Rye Neck (10-9) — Payton Namaga served up eight aces, with nine digs and two kills. Sasha Reshnetyak added 15 kills and eight digs. Armandine Le Bertre had seven kills and an ace. Gabby Fasolino tallied 25 digs and four aces.
No. 10 Hastings (7-13) — The Yellow Jackets closed the second set on a 6-1 run to win it. Miranda Mosco had 10 kills and three aces
They said it
"They were like 'Wait, I don't want to lose,' and decided as a team to make a change," Reynolds said of the Panthers' turning point in the season. "They worked harder in practice, played harder, swing harder and just really capitalize on their strengths and use them to their advantage."
"The way we've grown as a team is really important," Le Bertre said. "We really enjoy playing with a lot of energy because that's when we play at our best."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rye Neck rolls past Hastings in Section 1 volleyball playoffs
