For the first time since the first week of the season, Preston is at full strength. Clare Donnelly, the Panthers’ 6-foot senior middle hitter, returned Friday from a wrist injury and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Her presence at the net was crucial for Preston in a 25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 28-26 win over rival Cardinal Spellman in the CHSAA New York Archdiocesan semifinals Friday night at home. The Panthers meet defending champion St. Catharine Academy in the title match Friday at 2 p.m., back at Preston
“Clare is back in action, so we have a really strong front line,” senior star outside hitter Kerri Johnson said. “She helped us out so much tonight. I was really impressed.”
Johnson had 20 kills and 24 digs to lead Preston (12-2), which lost in the semis to Spellman (9-5) last year and beat the Pilots in the finals in 2007. Laura Montalto had six kills, four aces and 39 digs for the Panthers.
Cari English had eight kills, five blocks and 12 digs, Caitlin Huber had 30 digs, Olivia O’Farrill chipped in five kills and Siobhan Flattery added four assists and four aces for Spellman. The Pilots face Maria Regina in a consolation match Sunday before the final. The winner will earn a berth in the CHSAA Class A state tournament, while the loser’s season is over.
“It was another immature loss on our part,” Spellman coach Jeri Faulkner said. “Hopefully, we can put it together for Sunday’s consolation game.”
Preston is ready to get revenge in the championship match against SCA, a club it lost to twice during the regular season.
“We need to practice really hard tomorrow and come out really strong in the first set,” Johnson said. “Our coaches are so encouraging and they have brought us to the championship, so to repay them we are going to work really hard to win that championship.”
St. Catharine 3, Maria Regina 0: Alessandra Rosso had nine kills and Lauren Paylor had 16 assists to lead SCA (14-0) to a 25-18, 25-17, 25-11 semifinal victory. Amarilda Shkoza had five kills and Charlayne Hurlington added three blocks for the Crusaders.
“We were a little slow in the beginning, a little sloppy,” St. Catharine coach Melissa Rosso said. “But we cleaned it up by the end.”
SCA has beaten Preston twice already this season and the coach said the strategy won’t change just because it’s the title match.
“We’re gonna do the same thing,” Melissa Rosso said. “Same old. My blockers have gotten better. My hitters have gotten smarter.”
Brearley, Spence meet again: No. 2 Brearley defeated No. 3 Horace Mann in three sets and No. 1 Spence swept No. 5 Poly Prep in the NYSAISAA semifinals Friday. Brearley upended Spence in the AAIS championship match last week after losing to its rival twice in the regular season, including once in tournament play. The final is set for Sunday at Manhattanville College at 4 p.m.