Quinn helps Tuckers snag five-set volleyball thriller win
Grace Quinn was going in for the kill — again.
And she wasn’t about to miss.
With the score knotted up at 14-14 in the fifth and deciding set, the Mattituck senior saw the ball heading her way on the right side. She then left no doubt, spiking it to give the Tuckers the victory over host Greenport/Southold in a Suffolk County girls volleyball confrontation on Friday, Sept 26.
“I wanted to hit it as hard as I could,” she said. “Luckily, it went straight down to the right place.”
Quinn, who finished with a game-high 16 kills, put an exclamation point on one of the most memorable volleyball matchups between the two rivals.
The Porters won the first set, 25-22, before the Tuckers captured the next two, 25-21 and 25-18. The hosts came back to win the fourth set 25-18. Mattituck took the tie-breaker, 15-14.
“If you’re new to volleyball, or if you love volleyball, this is one of those games that can really dig into your skin and get you into the game,” said Greenport head coach Martin Maningo. “When you have two equally matched teams like this, it could go either way. Sets are determined by one or two plays. It’s just extremely entertaining.”
Just a little more entertaining for the Tuckers (4-3, 3-2) in the Suffolk County League VIII encounter against Greenport (3-3, 3-2).
“It definitely gives us a lot more motivation going into our next games,” Quinn said. “Winning the fifth set shows that we can really power through any deficit. It’s really motivational.”
Added Mattituck head coach Kelly Pickering: “There were a lot of moments where the girls had some nice hits, some nice plays, and you could just watch and smile. They did a good job. They came together. They played hard start to finish. The girls didn’t give up. I couldn’t be prouder of our team.”
Senior team captain Stella Tatarka, who finished with a team-high 28 assists, seven aces and four kills, called the win “big.”
“It had a big impact on us, because normally we do beat them, but they’ve gotten a lot better this year,” she said. “It was really a tough competition. It means a lot for us to push that hard in five sets.”
Both teams showed grit, resilience and flair for the dramatic in a match punctuated by comebacks.
In the first set, the Porters recorded the final seven points to overcome a 22-18 deficit. Junior co-captain Riley Whitecavage (eight kills, 10 digs) served six points, including the winner.
Mattituck held off a late charge in the second set before controlling the third. Greenport turned the tables in the fourth, winning five consecutive points while junior Lilou Zugmeyer (12 assists, 13 digs) served for a 14-6 advantage.
The first team to reach 15 points would be declared the winner in the tie-breaker. Greenport was one point away at 14-11 before Mattituck rallied.
With the Tuckers trailing, 14-13, and the match on the line, senior Claire McKenzie was serving.
“We were under pressure,” said McKenzie, who contributed nine kills. “I was definitely nervous. I was shaking, but honestly, I just had to take a deep breath and realize that it’ll all be OK in the end.
“I was going to make these serves, [or] I would have been really mad at myself.”
A Quinn spike leveled the tie-breaker at 14-14. Porters junior co-captain Abbi Bednoski crashed into the scorers’ table while attempting to save the point. Maningo said she was OK.
After a brief volley on the next serve, the ball came to Tatarka, who found Quinn for the dramatic spike.
“I just knew she was going to kill it the minute I set it,” Tatarka said.
Which Quinn did.
“It was just a lot of aggression,” she said. “I just really wanted to win.”
Quinn said kills were her specialty.
“It’s my favorite aspect,” she said. “Kills [are] definitely something I practice the most. I really just love doing it.”
And there was another emotion.
“It felt like a relief,” she said. “I was just so thankful that we finally got the win.”
Through seven matches, Quinn has a team-high 56 kills.
“It’s a lot of practice,” Quinn said. “Pick is a great coach, telling me where to go when I’m mid-air.”
Mattituck’s Brynn Pawlowski added eight kills. Riley Richert had five kills and nine assists. Lizzie Fohrkolb collected 10 digs.
For Greenport, Lyla Zablotny had 10 kills and three aces. Abbi Bednoski finished with nine kills and 26 digs. Sister and eighth-grader Lauryn Bednoski had 14 assists and five digs. Jessica Czeladko contributed 12 digs.
Despite the defeat, Maningo was encouraged by the performance.
“There’s so many positives we can take away,” he said. “Our defense has improved. It really showed in the last game. Just fighting back after being down sets, continuing to work hard, continuing to build a lot of energy. It’s really paying off in what we’ve put into our practices.”
