Grace Riddle's 15 kills lead Wantagh past Mineola in semis
Grace Riddle of Wantagh goes for the spike against Mineola at the Nassau Class A girls volleyball semifinals played in Levittown on Monday, November 5, 2018. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
It seems like an eternity goes by from the time Grace Riddle leaves her feet to the time she lands.
The senior outside hitter for the Wantagh girls volleyball team elevates and then hangs, waiting for the perfect time to unleash a swing. Defenses often can’t keep up.
She had 15 kills on Monday night, as second-seeded Wantagh defeated third-seeded Mineola, 25-22, 25-14, 25-17, in a Nassau Class A semifinal played in front of a roaring crowd at Island Trees High School.
“I know as soon as she gets the ball, she’s going to put it down,” said libero Jill Laino, whose 23 digs ignited the Warriors’ offense. “As soon as she goes up, there’s no doubt. We’re getting the point.”
Wantagh plays the winner of No. 1 South Side and No. 4 Lynbrook in the Nassau Class A final on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. at Farmingdale State.
Riddle’s impact was needed after a sluggish start for Wantagh (16-1). Colette Maloney, Meghan Heckelman and Meaghan McCaffrey played with high energy in the beginning for Mineola (10-5), putting the Mustangs ahead 8-1.
A timeout by Wantagh coach Dan O’Shea calmed the Warriors. The message?
“We can’t have any fear,” Laino said. “From there one, we just weren’t scared of anything.”
The result was a flurry of long rallies, with Wantagh chipping away to eventually tie the set at 21. Emily Van O’Linda delivered the deciding kill.
“Once you go on a run, you just feel this power to keep going,” Riddle said.
The Warriors kept up the momentum in the second set, going ahead 14-6 on Tori Spencer’s kill through the back row. Katie Steele’s ace made it 24-13 before a net violation on Mineola later sealed the set at 25-14.
Riddle had six of her kills in the third set, several of which had O’Shea shaking his head in amusement. Her success allowed Spencer (five kills) and Julia Pugliese (five) to balance out the attack. Van O’Linda had three kills.
Wantagh defeated Mineola twice during the regular season (3-1 on Sept. 13 and 3-2 on Oct. 5), and given the history between two rivals of Nassau A-I, the student sections came to support.
The atmosphere was befitting of the stakes, and Laino said it took some time to adjust to the capacity crowd’s volume.
Said Laino: “For everything to finally come together, it’s really indescribable.”
