Left to right, Jaime Bartley-Cohen slams one for a kill for the Wolves. Yana Ahmetaj leaps for a spike at the net in win over Nyack. Olivia Casabona digs one up for the Wolves. Jim MacLean Photos
By JIM MACLEAN
John Jay volleyball has put the target on its back. The Wolves earned the No. one-seed in the Section 1 Class A tournament and everyone is gunning for them, but the Wolves have been here before with a veteran group of five senior starters leading the way and they know what it means to play playoff volleyball.
Last year John Jay advanced to the championship game and tasted defeat, and the Wolves have been working hard all year for a chance to get back and rewrite the ending. The road to the finals started last week with two more victories as John Jay defeated Nyack in the first round Nov. 1, and then defeated Tappan Zee in the quarterfinals on Monday to advance to the semifinals.
“They have been super-focused, we talk about what it means to be part of a team, all of them on the same page, the same goal, and it has been pretty awesome to watch,” John Jay coach Tom Rizzotti said of his Wolves. “We’ve worked really hard to get to where we are, and we have a pretty awesome group of seniors leading the way who have taken it to heart to give their all and try to be as successful as possible.”
At home against Tappan Zee for the quarterfinals, John Jay got off to a fast start rolling to a 25-12 victory in the first game. Then suddenly the Wolves found out what it means to let up in the playoffs as the Dutchmen gained the momentum and took game two by the score of 25-22.
John Jay answered the challenge and rallied back to win the next two games 25-14, 25-17 to advance to the semifinals.
“Sometimes you have to get used to the pressure of the playoffs,” Rizzotti said of the Wolves dropping the second game. “Tappan Zee is a good team and they took that game. The girls refocused, came back strong, got back on track and took care of business.”
In the quarterfinal win over Tappan Zee, Yana Ahmetaj finished with 16 kills and a block for John Jay. Jaime Bartley-Cohen had 15 kills and two blocks. Olivia Casabona had 15 digs and six aces. Helen Dollar had 23 assists for the Wolves.
John Jay opened the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Nyack on Nov. 1, as the hosts Wolves came out strong and focused to earn the victory by the scores of 25-14, 25-19, 25-16. The two teams had met in the first match of the year and John Jay prevailed 3-2, so the Wolves were ready for a tough match and showed how far they have come this season rolling to the sweep.
Ahmetaj had 15 kills and Bartley-Cohen had 10 kills. Casabona had 13 digs, and Dollar had 25 assists. While those four continue to lead the way on the stat sheet, Rizzotti explains it has been the all-around team effort that has made the difference on the court.
“The success of this team is the total team with everybody playing their role,” explained Rizzotti. “Everybody knows our offense goes through Yana and Jaime on the outside and what they can do. Everybody knows Olivia is an amazing libero. Everybody knows Hellen Dollar is an incredible setter and a central part of our system, but it is really everybody doing their job to make it work.”
John Jay was scheduled to host Ardsley in the semifinals Thursday, Nov. 7. Both teams now have 17-2 records. The two teams met the last week of the regular season with John Jay pulling out a 3-2 victory at Ardsley, so the Wolves know what the Panthers are capable of doing on the court.
“No doubt falling short last year has played a huge part in their hunger this year, but there is nothing more important than the next game and they are completely focused on that,” said Rizzotti. “We know Ardsley is a very good team. We worked hard for the opportunity and we’re grateful for our success during the season to earn the right to play at home in the comfort of our own gym, and we have a tight focus on Ardsley.”
The winner of the semifinal match will advance to the Section 1 Class A championship game to be held at the Westchester County Center on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m.
It has already been a magical season for the Wolves and the five key seniors playing a major role all realize how important each game is that could be the final game of their high school career. And they know how important it is to their coach as Rizzotti has already told them that this will be his final season after 22 years as the coach at John Jay.
“This season has been beyond anything I could imagine working with an incredible group of young women hoping to have a little closure with a special year,” explained Rizzotti. “I realized at the end of last year that it’s become too emotionally exhausting, this team is much more than just a team I coach, it’s part of my life. The mental exhaustion caught me by surprise and I knew it was time, and we’re just hoping to finish strong.”