Sally Tietjen leads Smithtown West to volleyball victory over Newfield

Sally Tietjen said she doesn’t want to push the boundaries. After all, she’s a sophomore in a prominent position on the Smithtown West girls volleyball team.

Instead, she pushed the envelope on Wednesday against host Newfield.

Tietjen had nine kills and three aces, leading the Bulls to a 25-8, 25-18, 25-17 Suffolk III win in a stifling hot gymnasium. The Bulls are 2-0.

“We have a young team, so we’re really working on a lot of little things,” Tietjen said. “I think these little victories that we have, they really help us.”

Playing in a modified heat alert levied by Section XI, Smithtown West battled both the temperature and the Wolverines to earn the win. Frequent timeouts allowed both teams to regroup and take much-needed water breaks.

Senior setter Danielle Zarcone set the tempo, distributing the ball to each of her hitters – Tietjen, Kasey Tietjen and Hannah Naja. That trio gave Smithtown West a sizable advantage in the first set, capped by three straight aces from Emma Rivers and a tip kill by Zarcone.

“Our offense was really, really tough today,” Zarcone said. “I think everyone had strong swings because no one’s really afraid … no one was tipping or rolling or afraid to take a full swing. Everyone’s really aggressive at it.”

After a back-and-forth second set, Smithtown West took a 15-3 lead in the third after Newfield’s hitting error. The Wolverines chipped into the deficit, but the Bulls finished the victory.

Serving was crucial in the outcome, as the Bulls recorded 16 aces. Young teams often struggle to not just serve with authority but serve in general. Still, the Bulls used low, powerful serves to their advantage.

Sally Tietjen said the goal is to compete for a county championship. Because the team is young, though, she recognizes that improvement is paramount at this stage.

“I want to go to counties, and I want to win, and everyone else does, but right now, we’re just making improvements on everything that we can,” she said.

If the Bulls can keep improving, maybe they can unlock some of their budding talents.

“We’re doing a good job, but there’s definitely more to come,” Tietjen said. “We have a lot more potential.”