Bronx Science’s Mary Platt (6) will try to help her team make its first semifinals in many years. (Brit Worgan)
Colette Littell of BrooklynTech will be expected to block early and often against MIdwood. (An Rong Xu)
NYPost.com girls volleyball beat writer Marc Raimondi takes an in-depth look at the PSAL Class A girls volleyball quarterfinals set for Wednesday.
SCHEDULE (All matches begin at 5 p.m.)
No. 9 John F. Kennedy @ No. 1 Francis Lewis
No. 7 Stuyvesant @ No. 2 Cardozo
No. 6 Brooklyn Tech @ No. 3 Midwood
No. 5 Susan Wagner @ No. 4 Bronx Science
No. 1 Francis Lewis Patriots
Head coach: Arnie Rosenbaum
Record: 11-0
Player to watch: OH Paulina Jobczyk
No. 9 John F. Kennedy Knights
Head coach: Iris Bromfield
Record: 12-2
Player to watch: S Jessica Gonzalez
Outlook: Francis Lewis is still the best team in the PSAL, but the Patriots are not as dominant as they have been in recent years. Rosenbaum deserves a lot of credit for keeping the squad at an elite level after losing seven key seniors and the lone returning starters, Alexandra Persaud, to a torn ACL last month. Middles Lisa Camargo and Anibela Kolenovic have done a solid job filling in for Persaud and the outside hitter combination of Jobczyk and precocious freshman Ragina Anthony is one of the best in the city.
If Kennedy brings its ‘A’ game, though, the Knights can push Lewis. At their best, the Knights are scrappy, pass well and have a variety of hitters. Junior outside Ashley Herrera has emerged late in the season as someone who can really put the ball down. Junior outside Doruntina Zariqi excels at all aspects of the game and senior Jessica Gonzalez is super athletic with great hands. Beating Tottenville in a thriller Monday in the second round was a significant victory for a team that has had an up and down season.
No. 2 Cardozo Judges
Head coach: Danny Scarola
Record: 9-2
Player to watch: OH Martina Vaglia
No. 7 Stuyvesant Vixens
Head coach: Phil Fisher
Record: 14-0
Player to watch: L Clarey Hung
Outlook: Even though Cardozo took Francis Lewis to the absolute brink last week, Scarola saw some things he didn’t like, some mental lapses, some sloppy passing. That could end up being a positive – the Judges almost beat the best team in the league without even playing their best volleyball. The addition of Italian import Martina Vaglia is going to be a big help. Cardozo needed someone besides junior outside hitter Ashley Grubler who can put the ball down. Defense, as it usually is with Scarola’s teams, has become a strength.
If Stuyvesant has an advantage it’s that the Vixens know the Judges pretty well. They’ve played three times during the season in tournaments and scrimmages. Though Cardozo beat Stuy each time, that familiarity usually benefits the underdog. Fisher has already started preparing for the quarterfinals matchup and if his defense, led by Clarey Hung and springy outside hitter Melissa Chin, can get the job done the Vixens can be in the match.
No. 3 Midwood Hornets
Head coach: Thomasina Lenzi
Record: 11-0
Player to watch: S Elizabet Genis
No. 6 Brooklyn Tech Engineers
Head coach: Rosanne D’Augusta
Record: 11-0
Player to watch: MH Colette Littell
Outlook: Midwood is looking to make its second straight semifinals, but beating a very familiar Brooklyn Tech team will not be easy. The two squads went back and forth this season in tournaments and scrimmages and this could be an incredibly tight matchup. Freshman setter Elizabet Genis has been up to the challenge all year and she has star senior middle hitter Shannon Appel to lean on. Senior outside hitter Desarie Torres had almost made the Hornets forget about the loss of Pei Ling Chen (torn ACL).
Brooklyn Tech surely cannot wait for this matchup. The Engineers stack up pretty well with their Brooklyn rivals. They have a strong middle in Colette Littell just like Midwood does. They also have the extremely versatile Amy Ye on the outside as well as Diana Laham, who can put balls down and bother teams with a strong serve. Defense, though, is going to be the key – and that’s just fine with Tech. Larissa Ho and Jessica Mai are steady in the back row.
No. 4 Bronx Science Wolverines
Head coach: Jeremy Bass
Record: 13-0
Player to watch: MH Mary Platt
No. 5 Susan Wagner Falcons
Head coach: Marco Altieri
Record: 13-0
Player to watch: OH Emily Burke
Outlook: This is Bronx Science’s chance to solidify itself as one of the PSAL’s elite teams, to show that it’s seeding was just. Wagner is two-time semifinalist and the Wolverines have not made the final four on the girls side in a long time. Bass has done a fantastic job this season with a core of freshmen and sophomores – freshman setter Elissa Shiau, sophomore middle hitter/right side Dominique Watt and Platt, a sophomore. That youth has made for an up and down season. But when Science is up, it’s very hard to beat and good in just about every aspect of the game.
Last season, Wagner was one of the most talented on paper in the PSAL with players like outside hitter Karolina Wisniewski and setter Amanda Fiore, who was recently named CUNYAC Rookie of the Year at Brooklyn College. The Falcons this year are relying heavily on Burke, the 6-foot-3 Hofstra-bound star. As good as she is, she cannot do it alone on offense. Altieri will need a secondary hitter – someone like senior Pola Poskrobko, sophomore Kristine Ciurcina or junior middle Julia Bogdan – to make it to the next round.