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Sports

Vikings Volleyball Falls in Fifth Set in County Final

Schreiber varsity volleyball rallies from down two games to none, but falls to Massapequa, 25-23, in the fifth and deciding set of the Nassau Class A title game.

It was the match that the No. 3 Schreiber Vikings varsity volleyball team had been working towards all year: a final meeting with the top-seeded Massapequa Chiefs for the Nassau County Class A title. When it was over, after five grueling sets played at Adelphi University on Thursday night, the Chiefs were crowned champions.

But just barely, winning in 25-23, 25-22, 16-25, 19-25 and 25-23.

"Massapequa lost one set the whole year, and we took them to game five, 25-23," coach Maria Giamanco said. "Our team played great. They did everything they were supposed to do."

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From the early going of game one, right up to match point in game five, Schreiber matched heavily-favored Massapequa with intensity, skill and guts. After dropping the first two sets, the Vikings regrouped and accomplished something no other team had done all season — take two sets from Massapequa to force a deciding game.

That deciding game was back and forth throughout. It started with the Chiefs going up 4-1. Then Port went on a 6-1 run to take the lead at 7-5. The Vikings would increase their lead to 16-12, but back came the Chiefs, getting within one at 18-17. Then with Schreiber hanging on to a 19-17 lead, the Chiefs went on a four-point run to gain a two-point advantage at 21-19 — their first lead since the early stages of the game.

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Even as the Chiefs moved dangerously close to match point at 23-21, the Vikings kept battling. Two successive points tied the set at 23. On the Vikings' next serve, everything changed. The referee immediately whistled the play dead, calling Port on a rotation error that awarded the point to the Chiefs, and setting up match point.

Giamanco and senior tri-captain Adam Epstein desperately argued the call, but to no avail. "We weren't out of rotation," Giamanco said. "It was the wrong call."

Throughout the evening, the Vikings had battled through many challenges, including other questionable officiating calls that went the Chiefs way. But awarding Massapequa the point that put them up 24-23 in the deciding game was one blow too many.

The Chiefs served — and the ball never made it back over the net. The Vikings put the ball in play with a bump to Sung Kim, who did what he does best: set the ball up for a teammate. But this time, the kill never came. Daniel Chu's spike attempt went into the net, and the Vikings' season was over.

"This is the second year in a row we've been in the fifth game in the finals," junior Ben Adler said following the match. "It's a bit frustrating."

But his face quickly brightened, though, as he added, "But next year we're going to have a good team with all the JV players we're bringing up." He paused, his expression turning serious. "Next year, if we meet them again in the finals, we know who's winning."

That crucial call in the fifth set wasn't the first call of the evening that hurt the Vikings. Set point of the first game was awarded to the Chiefs when the referee whistled a Port attacker for being in the net on the serve — a call hotly disputed by the Vikings' coach and the players on the court.

"Those are judgment calls by the officials and unfortunately they worked against us," Giamanco said.

The Vikings players were disappointed following the loss, but many are already looking toward next season. "Next year, we'll make sure we win it," said junior Michael Murphy. "It's too much heartache."

Murphy added, "I really feel sorry for the seniors. I really felt deep down in my heart that we would win it."

Epstein, one of those seniors, had nothing to say after the loss, but his mother, Debra, did. "I thought they played phenomenally," she said of the Vikings, who finished the season with a 14-4 record. "They never gave up. They were tenacious.  To come back from two games down against this team that had only lost one set in the whole season is a major, major accomplishment. I'm very proud of this team. Port will be back."

Later in the evening, after the awards had been awarded and the shock had started to subside, Giamanco gathered her team together for their last on-court meeting of the 2010 season.

"Listen," she said, "from day one, this was our goal — to make it to this game. And you took these finals all the way to 25-23 in the fifth set. You should be damn proud of yourselves."

Her players nodded silently. Their pain was still palpable.

"Everybody in this arena was completely impressed with what they saw from this team," she added. "And what they saw was championship volleyball."

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