Kings Park's magic volleyball run comes to an end
Kings Park's Jaclyn Wilton blasts up the middle during the New York State Public High School Athletic Association girls volleyball state Class A semifinals where Kings Park met Williamsville East in pool play at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, New York on Nov. 21, 2015. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
It wasn't the ideal result, but the Kings Park girls volleyball players made the most of the time they had together.
Kings Park won its first game in pool play, lost the next four and then won the final game at the girls volleyball state championships at Glen Falls Civic Center Saturday, ending what was a successful campaign for a team that came into its own as the season progressed.
"It was a fun season," coach Ed Manly said. "The kids grew immensely. It was definitely a team that we won't forget any time soon."
After taking the first game from Williamsville East, 25-22, in the opening match of pool play in Class A, Kings Park stumbled and dropped the next game, 25-15.
Jaclyn Wilton, who earned a spot on the all-tournament team, was the two-way star of the night, as she played consistently strong on the attack and was equally as reliable at the net as a blocker.
"It was funny, I pulled Jaclyn aside at practice the other day and I just gave her a hug and told her how proud of her I was," Manly recalled. "Watching her blossom from a 10th grader who was afraid of her own shadow on the court to a star player, it's great."
Wilton continued to play well in the following two games against Cortland Walter Panas, but not even her consistency could pace Kings Park. The team dropped both games (25-21, 25-20) and faced a steep climb to clinch a spot in the finals Sunday.
But before stepping on the court for the final test against Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Kings Park watched Walter Panas and Williamsville East split, moving Walter Panas' record to 3-3. Because of the head-to-head tiebreaker, even a sweep of Burnt Hills wouldn't propel Kings Park to the finals, effectively eliminating the Kingsmen.
Though there was mathematically nothing left to play for in the final matchup, the Kings Park players played for each other instead.
Kings Park (17-2) dropped the first game to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 25-17, before coming back to win the final game of the season, 25-21. While not pleased with the overall result, Wilton was happy with her final moments on the court.
"It's the last time going to be playing volleyball together," Wilton said. "We've gone through so much. We played CYO in fifth grade together until now. We just wanted to finish strong."
