The Huntington girls volleyball team is making a run at the playoffs. The Blue Devils are striving to secure a spot in post-season and a 3-0 victory this week over Half Hollow Hills East represents a giant step in the right direction.
The Blue Devils topped the visiting Thunderbirds, 25-11, 25-15 and 25-18 to capture a decisive win. To reach the Section XI playoffs, Huntington needs to continue playing well. There are no guaranteed victories at this point of the season.
Against Hills East, Kianna Criscuola tallied a career high 12 “kills” and Shannon Kehoe added 32 assists, six service aces, seven digs and four “kills.” Grace Stolfa contributed 14 digs.
(A “kill” is awarded whenever an attack isn’t returned by the opposition and is the direct cause of an opponent not returning the ball.”
“Having meaningful games this late into the season is absolutely amazing,” Kehoe said. “We are so close to playoffs, which is motivating us to finish strong. This team has worked so hard and it would make my high school career if I got to say I’ve made playoffs twice in four years.”
Everyone contributed to the crucial victory, including Kate Barba, who notched eight “kills” and a pair of assists. Megan Donaghy had four aces and six “kills.” Haileigh Smith added two aces.
“We have four wins as of now and we need six to make it to playoffs,” Stolfa said. “The team is very determined to make playoffs! Our team is working extremely hard this season and pushing through tough games so we get the opportunity to get to playoffs.”
Huntington has matches remaining with Connetquot, West Islip and North Babylon. The team feels good about where they stand right now.
“The season is going great,” Criscuola said. “As a team we have improved so much in both our playing and our confidence. We all get along very well and have become family. I am looking forward to the next couple of games and feeling optimistic about possibly making playoffs.”