Wantagh girls win Nassau 'A' volleyball title

For Jillian Graham, this was all about redemption.

The Wantagh girls volleyball team lost in last year's Nassau Class A final to South Side in five sets, but the top-seeded Warriors won the championship Wednesday night against No. 2 Long Beach in straight sets at SUNY Old Westbury.

"Last year we had a really heartbreaking loss in counties," said Graham, who finished with 12 kills. "It means a lot that we can redeem ourselves."

The Warriors were far from perfect, especially when it came to serving. Wantagh continually earned points and then hit the ensuing serve out, making it difficult to gain momentum.

The problem? It was a classic case of the jitters.

"I think they were trying to get the jitters out," coach Katie McKeefrey said. "At points we were beating up on ourselves. It was when they got excited that they started to settle in and play like themselves."

Wantagh (21-1) returned just six players from last year's squad, only four of which are seniors. The younger players were gaining experience on the fly, and it showed in spurts.

SEE PHOTOSNassau Class A girls volleyball finals: Wantagh vs. Long Beach

Wantagh never trailed in the opening set, winning 25-20, behind eight kills by Haley Labo, who finished with 12. Katie Hagan, who had 28 assists, was key in giving Labo chances.

The second and third sets showed Wantagh's resiliency, as the Warriors didn't lead until 13-12 in both. Coincidentally, each set ended 25-17.

The key for Wantagh was containing Long Beach's (12-5) Gabby Ayzenberg, a powerful hitter who had 15 kills. Nicole Hilton and Abigail Cullen brought pressure at the net, combining for 32 blocks. Olivia D'Antonio and Christina Weir totaled 30 digs, many of which came on Ayzenberg's attempts.

Wantagh will play the winner of Kings Park and Westhampton for the Long Island Class A title on Saturday at Brentwood's Suffolk Community College campus.