Half Hollow Hills boys volleyball downed in state final

CICERO, N.Y. - The Half Hollow Hills boys volleyball team was not used to this sort of thing. Down 2-1 in games, Hills had fallen behind 5-0 in Game 4 to McQuaid Jesuit.

Sensing ensuing victory, McQuaid's fan section let out a big roar. For the first time all season, the previously undefeated Thundercolts found themselves on the ropes.

There would be no against-all-odds comeback to cap a remarkable season, as the Long Island champs would be bested, 18-25, 25-21, 21-25, 20-25, in the final of the first-ever Division I state championship.

When the final point was scored, many Hills players collapsed to the floor. They had dominated Long Island with an iron fist, never having been pushed to a fifth game. But in a gym near Syracuse, they finally met their equals.

"In the kids' eyes, it's a disappointment," Hills coach Craig Berini said. "But I think when they have a minute to collect themselves and understand what just took place today, I think they will be very happy with their performance."

Afterward, the Hills players had difficulty putting its season in perspective. They came upstate for the sole purpose of winning and fell two games short.

"I don't know how long this loss will sting," said Chris Kaimis, who had 19 kills and six blocks. "Obviously, when you put in so much work, execute and another team is better . . . it happens."

Hills (18-1) earned its spot in the finals after surviving a four-team round robin tournament that featured every team playing one another in two-game mini matches.

Jesuit swept Hills in the final pool play match, but the Thundercolts split two games with Cicero-North Syracuse and swept Bethlehem to qualify for the finals.

After dropping the first game of the finals, Hills answered in the second, extending their lead to 23-20 on a Kaimis' block. At 23-21, a McQuaid service fault gave Hills game point. Remy Janco's block evened the match at a game apiece. Janco, the senior setter, had a team-high 45 assists.

In a tight third game, McQuaid pulled away late, clinching the 2-1 advantage on Steve O'Dell's kill off a Kaimis return.

Hills made a run after the early fourth-game deficit, tying the score at 18. McQuaid answered back with three straight points and Hills never got any closer.

"It's just a matter of a couple of points, a couple of runs," Kaimis said. "That separates teams."

Added Kaimis: "Maybe if we played them again, we would get the better of them. It was two evenly matched teams. Someone had to win, and someone had to go home as disappointed as ever."

After conquering Long Island, the Thundercolts got to match its skills against the best the state had to offer.

And just one team proved its superiority.

"This was the elite of the elite," Janco said.

"We put our hearts out on the court, and as coach Berini said, 'you couldn't ask for anything more.' "