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Sports

Volleyball: Sailors Overcome Panthers

Hen Hud wins battle of Cortlandt against Panas 3-1.

Hendrick Hudson (5-1) has won 11 straight Section 1 championships and beat its crosstown rivals, visiting Walter Panas (6-2), yesterday afternoon.

Trailing 18-11 in the fourth game, the Sailors rallied to win that game 25-23 and take the match 3-1.

Hen Hud had won the first game 25-16, Panas took the second 25-18 with the Sailors winning the third game 25-13.

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“We were more consistent than we have been playing, with power and good ball control and against tremendous height, you better have some adrenaline going to pick up the balls that they hit,” Hen Hud coach Diane Swertfager said. “They hit so hard too.”

Panas coach Joe Felipe thought his squad could have played a lot better.

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“We did not play up to our ability in at least two of the four games, it is a shame,” Felipe said.

“They gave us 12 errors in the first game and we manufactured only four points on our own. We just are not going to win a lot of games when you can only score four points, especially when you have a weapon like Vivian Burcescu (12 kills, three assists, once ace).”

But the Sailors were able to get off to a good start when they won the first game which was capped off by a spike from co-captain Stephanie Gmeiner, which drew a raucous ovation from the Sailor faithful.

Gmeiner, who had 17 kills and three blocks, had her best game of the year according to Swertfager.

Swertfager felt that her setters, Jessica Pelaccio (23 assists, 10 kills) and Jessica Sincero (six kills, 15 assists) were the keys to winning the first game.

“Our serves were being placed a lot better, which was effective against their defense,” Swertfager said. “The setting was more consistent. We have been really working with our two setters on putting the ball in spots where we can have a choice of where to hit so I thought the setting was a lot better.”

Panas played a lot better in the second game when a spike by Burcescu, who was named the Con Ed Scholar-Athlete of the Week last week, put the Panthers up 24-18 and she served the final point to give Panas the victory.

“We were a lot more in control of the ball in the second game,” Felipe said. “We protected the ball, we passed the ball. We were able to get a much quicker offense. We were able to get the ball to Vivian.”

Hen Hud though showed why it has a championship tradition when the Sailors scored 16 of the last 20 points in game three and outscored Panas 14-5 at the end of game four to secure the victory.

“This win had something to do with heart, probably a little tradition, we realized that we have done this before many games,” Swertfager said. “The kids work hard and when they are down they fight back. It’s in their nature.”

Clarice Mayo (18 digs) and co-captain Katie D’Ambrosio (four ace serves, seven kills, three assists, 13 digs) also were important factors in the Sailors’ victory.

Panas’ Brigitte Burcescu helped the Panthers' cause with eight kills, 17 assists and three aces.

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