Varsity Girls Volleyball Advances to Next Playoffs Round

The East Hampton varsity girls volleyball team took down Deer Park in four sets at home on Friday evening in the first round of class A playoffs. The Bonackers are now 15 - 0 overall, went into the match with the only perfect record in League XI. However, the Falcons put a fight on defense, pushing the Bonackers into some errors.

Score: East Hampton 3, Deer Park 1

Records: East Hampton, 12-0, 14-0 overall; Deer Park, 6-6, 9-8 overall

The Hero: "We kind of rode on the back of Kelsi Thorsen today," Bonackers coach Kathy McGeehan said. Thorsen had two aces, 14 kills, and 10 digs. She explained, "We certainly didn't work the serve and pass game. Without that you're going to struggle everywhere else." Still, East Hampton won the first set 25 - 16 and dropped the second 25 - 19 but took the third 25-15 and fourth set 25-19 to claim the victory.

The Turning Point: Deer Park is "extremely dangerous -- they are either way up or way down," McGeehan said. "They are certainly formidable on defense. They are very scrappy." The Cardinals took the second match, 25 - 19. "They had a run, we couldn't get out," pushing the Bonackers into some errors.

But, middle blockers Sara Jordan and Kirsten Brierley rallied the team ahead in the fourth set. "I think their penetration to the net was the best all season."

The Quote: Brierley and the other seniors helped to keep the majority rookie team calm and confident throughout the match, McGeehan said. "Finding that balance between confidence and aggressiveness is key. If you serve them lollipops, they are going to come at you hard."

The Bottom Line: Brierley, who had eight kills, four blocks, and six digs, said the team persevered because, "We were not cocky, but tried to stay calm, but still aggressive and play smart." She added, "I think we were ready for what came at us. We didn't underestimate them, like sometimes we do with teams."

 Key Stat: Melanie Mackin had 25 service attempts and no errors, five kills,  24 service receptions, one assist eight digs.

 Who's Next? East Hampton will take on the winner of the Westhampton Beach/Rocky Point first-round action. East Hampton and Westhampton are old rivals and have come up against each other twice already this season. In the Oct. 7 matchup, East Hampton won 3 - 0. On Sept. 14, Bonackers inched out the win at 3  - 2.