Ashley DeTullio, Maya Shabbir lead South Side to 'A' title
The South Side Cyclones cheer as they defeat the Wantagh Warriors in the Nassau Class A girls volleyball final at SUNY-Old Westbury on Nov. 6, 2014. Credit: Andrew Theodorakis
An incredulous Ashley DeTullio was smiling. Her seven service points, including five aces to open the fifth game of the Nassau Class A girls volleyball final Thursday night at SUNY-Old Westbury, had put South Side in position to beat Wantagh, and she could feel the celebration coming.
"It was amazing because that doesn't happen ever, seven serves in a row," DeTullio said. "It was crazy."
The No. 2 Cyclones (15-1) had the No. 1 Warriors (13-1) on their heels from that moment, and went on to win the match, 19-25, 25-19, 14-25, 25-12, 25-17, to capture the county title.
Every time South Side needed a kill, it seemed as if Maya Shabbir stepped up. The senior had 35 kills, 14 digs and four aces.
"We were so invested, and it really showed on the court," she said. "We're all high energy. If we made a mistake, nothing ever brought us down because we're a family and we play for each other."
The Cyclones made plenty of mistakes in the third set to give Wantagh a 2-1 lead. The Warriors, with only two starters on the court for the bulk of the game, used a 15-3 run to deflate the momentum South Side gained from a win in the second set.
Instead of fading toward another 3-1 loss -- like the one the Warriors dealt them on Sept. 22 -- South Side rallied and never trailed again. "It's just, you never give up," Shabbir said. "You never lose hope. Anyone can win in volleyball."
DeTullio had nine aces, nine kills and 30 assists. Sydney Gabriel, who led South Side in the Game 2 win, had 38 assists, 15 digs, eight aces and four kills.
Lynbrook takes 'B' crown.Lynbrook rebounded from a first-set loss to take the next three and win the Nassau B title, 27-29, 25-12, 25-14, 25-19.
After Tara Maloney's back-to-back kills gave No. 2 Mineola (17-2) the first-set victory, Lynbrook (18-1) opened the second set with a 7-1 spurt and finished on a 14-4 run to even the match. Shannon Wren made a pair of kills down the stretch and Mineola hit the final point into the net.
Lynbrook ended the third set on a 12-2 run. Morgan Smithwick's three aces and one kill led the Owls during that stretch.
The Mustangs rallied after falling into a 15-6 hole in the fourth set, getting as close as 21-17 before falling.
