No. 5 Story of the Year: Mattituck girls volleyball’s amazing ride to Glens Falls
The Mattituck High School girls volleyball team might have surprised itself by making it to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships for the first time in team history. But then the Tuckers were perhaps taken aback by the caliber of competition they faced at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
The Class C teams they went up against in semifinal pool play — the Falconer Central Falcons, Thomas A. Edison Spartans and Voorheesville Blackbirds — were anything but slouches. Mattituck didn’t win a single game, losing to each of those teams twice and going 0-6.
But it was the experience that they treasured the most.
“I can’t really look at it in a bad way that we lost because we did so much to get here, so it’s not so disappointing,” outside hitter Jessica Boomer, one of Mattituck’s 10 seniors, said after her team’s last game. Mattituck defeated the Pierson/Bridgehampton Whalers in three games in the county final and then took down the Carle Place Frogs in four games in the Southeast Region final, bringing their record to 12-9.
After their final game in Glens Falls, the Tuckers and their coach, Frank Massa, received a standing ovation from their fans, who had made the trek upstate to support their team. Among the players, some tears were shed. They were tears of joy mixed with sadness. “I’m sad primarily because my volleyball career at Mattituck High School has to come to an end, but other than that, I’m so overwhelmingly proud of the team and myself for making it this far and playing so well,” Mattituck senior middle hitter Kim Krupski said. Mattituck senior outside hitter Lilly McCullough said, “It’s great to make history every once in a while.”
