By Joseph Staszewski
The St. Francis Prep girls’ volleyball team had been too close to a CHSAA Class AA state title in the last two seasons to let another one get away.
The Terriers, who have won seven straight Brooklyn/Queens crowns, lost in the last two state finals to St. Mary’s (Buffalo). They found extra motivation in getting a chance to face them again this time around at home in Fresh Meadows.
It made the moment that much more enthralling when St. Francis Prep swept the Lancers 25-23, 25-22, 26-24 Nov. 9 to clinch the school’s first state crown since it won three straight from 1984-86.
“We have been working for that as long as we have been on varsity and finally it was accomplished,” senior outside hitter Jaclyn LaForgia said. “It was a moment of just happiness. Even some girls cried.”
It was that desire that got the Terriers, who dropped one set the whole afternoon, to push through some adversity in the final. They held off a St. Mary’s rally in the first set and in the second got a match-changing dig from Jessica Vishnudat on a kill attempt by Lancers star Leigh Meyer, a Duke commit. The point would have given St. Mary’s a 24-22 lead. Instead the Terriers were able to tie it at 23-23 and go on to win the set.
“It completely moved our energy from a high level to an even higher level, her getting that dig,” LaForgia said.
She took her game to another level the final week of the season, too. LaForgia was dominant in a diocesan championship win over Fontbonne Hall. She carried that momentum into the state tournament. LaForgia recorded 58 kills on the day, including 16 in the final to go along with nine digs.
“We knew every time she set the ball there would be a big kill or a really big hit,” Johairy Rivadeneira said.
LaForgia may have been the star, but Colucci thought each of the players contributed. Setter Nicole Tong had 28 assists in the final. Rivadeneira and Kaila Berlovan each added 10 digs. Caroline Gorecki and Stephanie Sokolich added six kills apiece in the semifinal win over Kennedy Catholic. The players said they benefited from playing in front of a home crowd and want to defend their turf.
“They didn’t get frustrated the whole day, even when games got tight,” Colucci said.
That’s because after two trips to the state final they knew what it was going to take to get it done this time around. They were going to make sure of it.
“I think we just wanted it more,” Rivadeneira said. “It’s just all we wanted. We really wanted to end our senior year with this. For the past two years we were always this close, but never quiet there.”
Until now.
