Defending sectional champion Yorktown overcame a first-set loss to defeat visiting Eastchester 3-2 (23-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-27, 15-9) in the Section 1 Division 2 quarterfinals on Nov. 5.
The win sends the Huskers (16-4) to the sectional semifinals for a fifth consecutive season and evens their postseason series with Eastchester at 2-2 — the fourth time in five years the teams have met in the sectionals.
Yorktown dropped the opening set 25-23 but responded with a 6-0 start in the second, riding an energetic student section known as “The Crop.”
“I know a lot of those kids personally, they are my friends,” said junior captain Sid Shenoy, who finished with 20 kills. “It just shows how big our program has gotten recently. Their energy and support, it gave us such a big advantage.”
Sophomore Cooper McGowan added 18 assists, junior Christiano Rodrigues had 10 kills and 10 digs, and junior captain Xavier Guzman contributed 12 kills and 10 digs.
Guzman served five consecutive points in the decisive fifth set to put Yorktown ahead 10-3, and the Huskers never looked back, winning 15-9.
“Getting those points was really big, as you saw it got the crowd riled up and it really brought our team together,” Guzman said. “We really fought for that win.”
Guzman also served the final points of the second set. “The last three points, I was thinking of doing my own job, forcing them to make the mistakes, putting the ball where I needed to put it, and really dialing down on how to keep the team together,” he said.
“The energy was definitely on our side tonight,” said Yorktown coach TJ Pufahl. “Our guys played with and to the energy and they just wanted to show everybody what power we have and what kind of volleyball we can actually play.”
“Coming out of set one, we understood that they’re a good team but we didn’t let that lower our spirits, we knew how good of a team we were, and we didn’t let losing set one affect us at all mentally,” Shenoy said. “So we just came with the same intensity and made sure that we played fast.”
“Those are all of our friends, we got them to come out and support us in our very important playoff game against a very tough team,” Guzman said. “We actually lost to them during the regular season but with the support and energy that we had, it enabled us to bring it together.”
Yorktown is scheduled to face No. 2 Clarkstown North on the road in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9.
What was the final score of the Yorktown-Eastchester match? Yorktown won 3-2, with set scores of 23-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-27 and 15-9.
Who led Yorktown in the win? Junior captain Sid Shenoy led with 20 kills, supported by Xavier Guzman’s 12 kills, Christiano Rodrigues’ 10 kills and Cooper McGowan’s 18 assists.
When and where is Yorktown’s next game? The Huskers face No. 2 Clarkstown North on the road at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, in the sectional semifinals.
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