No. 3 Sports Story of the Year: An ‘amazing’ volleyball season
In recent years, another high school girls volleyball season has come to mean another trip to Glens Falls for the state tournament for Mattituck. It’s something the Tuckers have done four times in five years, but this latest adventure was anything but ho-hum.
Losers of four of their last five regular-season matches, the Tuckers petitioned their way into the playoffs. They were seeded third in Suffolk County Class C, but that didn’t stop them from beating Greenport/Southold to reach the county final for the 10th time in 12 years — and then take down Babylon for their fifth county championship.
It got better from there. The Tuckers, behind Emilie Reimer’s big hitting, defeated East Rockaway in the Long Island region final, securing their ticket upstate.
Although they came close in a couple of games, the Tuckers lost all six of their games in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships semifinal pool. Their all-time record in state semifinals is 0-24.
“It’s a lot tougher to win a [state semifinal game] than it is to get here, I can tell you that much,” said Mattituck coach Frank Massa.
Reimer, a senior outside hitter, was all smiles afterward at the Glens Falls Civic Center. “I couldn’t be happier to be here,” she said. “Even with our losses, it was an amazing season.”
Top 10 sports stories
No. 10: A tennis tournament’s decline
No. 9: So close to Middletown
No. 8: The Christy era ends in Mattituck
No. 7: A coaching legend passes on
No. 6: A deep playoff run for Mattituck baseball team
No. 5: Ailing Porters end season early
No. 4: Golden age of Tuckers wrestling
