By JIM MACLEAN
It was a championship celebration a year in the making, waiting for a chance to rewrite the ending, one point, one game at a time, fighting their way back to the championship game. The John Jay varsity volleyball team had made it to the finals last year and left the court crying. A year later the Wolves were back and this time they cried tears of joy celebrating as the Section 1 Class A champions.
John Jay was on a mission, earning the number one-seed for the tournament and advancing to the championship game Sunday at the Westchester County Center, where the Wolves would face number six-seed Lakeland in the final. The Wolves made sure it was a happy ending with a 3-0 sweep, defeating the Hornets 25-21, 28-26, 25-17, celebrating with their gold ball as sectional champs.
“Best feeling in the world, we worked so hard as a team for this all year long and we deserve it,” said senior captain Jaime Bartley-Cohen. “We really wanted it, after last year we didn’t want that feeling to happen again. We wanted to prove that we were better, it’s amazing, the best feeling in the world.”
Bartley-Cohen and fellow senior captain Yana Ahmetaj were both on the court last year when John Jay lost to Byram Hills in the title game. This year both of them have dominated as outside hitters, elevating their game and providing John Jay with a one-two punch at the net that is hard for other teams to match up against. On the court at the County Center, Ahmetaj reflected on last season and how much it has motivated them this season to make that celebration possible.
“It feels so great, so good to be here and feel this after last year,” admitted Ahmetaj. “Literally, the first day of the preseason we all got together and wrote down on a piece of paper what we want to do, and Section 1 finals champions was the first thing on the list for every one of us.”
John Jay won three playoff matches, surviving a five-set thriller over Ardsley in the semifinals, to advance to the title game. After defeating Lakeland, John Jay now stands at 17-2 overall as the Wolves move on to compete in the state tournament.
All season long. John Jay built the momentum one match at a time, showing the resolve and determination to rally back.
In the sectional title game against Lakeland, John Jay showed that resolve once again, rallying back from five points behind late in the second game to pull it out, and then dominating late in the third game to close it out and start the celebration.
“It means the world to us to be on this side, last year walking away from that, the day after we said next year we’re coming back and next year we’re winning, and here we are,” explained senior libero Olivia Casabona. “We knew what it feels like to lose and we didn’t want to feel that again, to be the team crying on the other side of the net. Once you know that feeling, a point, a game doesn’t matter, you can’t let it get to your head, you keep playing the next point, just keep playing our game, that was our mindset and that’s how we got here.”
In the title match, the first game went back and forth tied up at 14-14 when the Wolves took control with Bartley-Cohen recording a pair of kills and a block to build a 20-15 lead. Hellen Dollar served an ace, and Ahmetaj won the final point on a dink to close out the game at 25-21.
That set the stage for an intense second game as Lakeland tried to get back in the match. John Jay held a 16-15 lead when the Hornets went on a run scoring seven of the next eight points for a 21-17 lead.
However, the Wolves dug deep and answered back as Ahmetaj had a pair of kills and a block to cut the lead down to 23-21. Lakeland had four game points, but the Wolves would not give in, with Hanna Martinsen getting a roof block to even it up at 24-24. Riley Buckingham served an ace, and Bartley-Cohen had a kill and Ahmetaj closed it out with a kill at 28-26 for a commanding 2-0 lead.
“The fight in these girls, the heart is incredible, and they showed it in that second set,” said John Jay coach Tom Rizzotti. “They fight back and just keep fighting every point. It speaks of their heart and their passion. They found that next gear for that third set and just finished it off.”
With the 2-0 lead John Jay was in control and the Wolves were determined to close it out. Holding a 14-12 lead, John Jay reeled off seven-straight points to take control, and Megan McHugh served an ace to close it out at 25-17.
“After winning that second game, then we knew it was the final push and we just had to play John Jay volleyball to the end,” explained Ahmetaj. “We’ve all worked so hard, every single person plays a part on this team, everyone fulfills their role and I’m just so proud of this team.”
While Ahmetaj and Bartley-Cohen lead the way on the stat sheet along with Dollar as the setter, Rizzotti agrees with Ahmetaj that it is the team as a whole playing their roles that made it a championship season for John Jay.
“Yana and Jaime are amazing, and they didn’t even have their best match today,” Rizzotti said of Ahmetaj and Bartley-Cohen. “What Liv (Casabona) does in the back row is incredible. Hellen (Dollar) setting running the show, Hanna Martinsen stepped up today with blocks and kills, Julia Shepherd made plays, Riley Buckingham, Maria DeGaetano, Haley Hoskins, Megan McHugh with that game winning serve on sectional match point, as a team they played great and it was just incredible to watch.”
For John Jay, just getting to the finals would prove to be the hard part as the Wolves hosted number four-seed Ardsley in the semifinals Nov. 7. It would be a five-game marathon as John Jay rallied back to advance with a 25-21, 25-27, 24-26, 25-18, 15-7 victory.
Ahmetaj finished with 30 kills, while Bartley-Cohen had 23 kills for the Wolves. Casabona had 32 digs and nine assists, while Dollar had 43 assists and three aces.
“I’m just so proud of them, they never, ever give up, an amazing group of young women,” added Rizzotti, who is retiring this year after 16 years at the helm for John Jay. “I’m just thinking of these girls and what they are capable of doing and pushing on to the finish. We’re not done yet.”
John Jay now moves on to the New York State Class A tournament, where the Wolves were set to play in the regional finals Saturday, Nov. 16, at Yorktown High School.
Pictured clockwise from top, John Jay poses for a team photo with their championship hardware after winning the Section 1 Class a title on the court at the Westchester County Center. John Jay captains (l to r) Hellen Dollar, Yana Ahmetaj and Jaime Bartley-Cohen celebrate after claiming their gold ball as Section 1 champions. Jaime Bartley-Cohen slams one down for a point in the finals. Olivia Casabona digs one up for the Wolves.John Jay’s Julia Shepherd and Yana Ahmetaj team up for a block at the net. John Jay girls’ varsity volleyball players admire their gold ball after winning the Section 1 Class A championship. Photos by Jim MacLean.