Ilibassi, Pennino spark unbeaten Wantagh
Mary McDonagh of Long Beach tries to spike the ball over Wantagh's Lauren Pennino. (Oct. 3, 2011) Credit: Andrew J. Hyatt
There is little more Wantagh girls volleyball can prove at this point.
The defending Class A Long Island champion is among Long Island's elite programs, and it plays with a swagger befitting that status.
So against an injury-ridden Long Beach team, anything but a sweep would have seemed unsatisfactory. But a win is a win and despite dropping the second set, Wantagh maintained its undefeated record, 25-21, 23-25, 25-15, 25-14, in Nassau Conference A-I.
Jenny Ilibassi had 15 kills and 10 digs and Lauren Pennino 12 kills and seven blocks in the victory.
"We were a little rusty, and finally when our bodies remembered how to play, we started playing as a team again," Ilibassi said.
In the first set, three early Wantagh service faults kept Long Beach within striking distance. The Marines (2-4) took the lead at 21-20 before Wantagh regained possession. Carly Simeone had four straight service points to help the Warriors (6-0) escape.
If facing one of Long Island's top teams was not difficult enough, Long Beach's season has been stalled by injuries. Senior captain Haley Crane has missed the entire season with an ankle injury, and co-captain Patricia Murphy has been limited with a damaged rotator cuff.
The Marines, however, took control of the second set and were facing Wantagh's serve up 24-18. Five consecutive service points shrunk the lead to one, and although Long Beach rebounded to win the set, the Warriors regained the momentum heading into the third.
"Despite not getting the win, this was a win for us in many different ways," Long Beach coach Kerri Rehnback said.
But Wantagh earned the victory and showed, if nothing else, that the road to undefeated is not always smooth sailing.
