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Post by rhinovb14 on Nov 21, 2021 10:42:16 GMT -5
Anyone see what ESM did yesterday at state finals?? 🤯 No, but I heard. Man did I miss the mark on that one. Having played Spencerport I didn’t see that coming. Also their ability to take down top level D1 teams in WNY. Hats off to ESM. My players bought the pass to watch and said they were just defensive monsters. That’s an impressive win. That team must be something really special. D2 was very strong this year statewide, from Buffalo down to the Island. |
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Post by tangentalone on Nov 22, 2021 15:04:42 GMT -5
The state finals were held on Saturday.
Division 1 was between Columbia, smithtown west and penfield. During pool play they were moments when it seemed any of these three teams had a shot to win it all. In the end, it was smithtown west and Penfield advancing to the state championship match. Penfield won 3-1, even though smithtown west fought hard and were in every set. Congrats to Penfield, the 2021 NYS Division 1 champions!
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Post by tangentalone on Nov 22, 2021 15:44:45 GMT -5
In Division II, it was between Living Word, Spencerport, and ESM. It became apparent quite quickly that this was going to be a two-team race. The ESM and Spencerport final matchup seemed inevitable as pool play kicked off. In pool play both teams beat Living Word 2-0, then met up against each other in the third match of pool play.
If you size the two teams up, and you watch hitting lines, it looked like this could be a mismatch as Spencerport checks all the boxes. Whereas, ESM lacks size, with four starters 6 foot or below and the other two 6' 3" setter and 6'4" MB.
Then, the match begins... in pool play it was total domination! ESM won both sets 25-16 (Granted 2nd set was played with all subs for both teams). ESM played as one, so smooth, never letting balls hit the floor and never letting Spencerport gain any momentum, which I am guessing they are used to doing. Pool play ended with ESM 4-0, Spencerport 2-2, Living Word 0-4. The State Championship match was set for ESM vs. Spencerport.
The match was much more competitive, both teams playing excellent, high quality volleyball. It's debatable, but I would argue these were the two best teams at the state tournament regardless of school size and division. In the end, ESM simply would not lose. They won 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 in a straight set victory to become NYS division II state champions. Jake Deslauriers (OH) was incredible. He finished with 17 kills, but even more impressive 17 digs. He was flying all over the gym, simply refusing to let the ball hit the floor. The other OH, Mark Porcelli was steady and strong as well, manufacturing points by smashing the ball and touch shots and intelligent plays. Their Setter/RS Christian Herr ran the offense so well, a huge block on the right side and contributed to the offense regularly. Hank Foglia (MB), or "Hank the Tank", as the live stream kept calling him was dominant at the net. Danny Teidemann, the other MB, had some debilitating kills in the biggest spots of the match. Including game point at the first set when Spencerport seemed to be getting a bit of momentum. And to round out the six, was their insane 9th grader Ayden Deslauriers. Dear NYS HS volleyball, here is the best player in the state for at least two, if not the next three seasons. Write it down!
ESM finished the season 20-0, dropping only 1 set the first game of the season. They won 56 straight sets. Not to mention, in suffolk county they were the preseason no. 1 ranked team, so they played the hardest schedule regardless of school size. An incredible season by an incredible team! Congrats ESM!
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Post by rocvballer on Nov 26, 2021 1:33:30 GMT -5
Looks like the Spencerport team was a hitting centered team led by their big swing Sam Lane. Spencerport also had quality pins in Vanegas and Jackson. This trio was no match for the scrappy ESM team though. ESM was small but very effective and didn't let anything hit the ground. All around great effort and talent from Deslauriers brothers, Herr, and Foglia.
For Division 1, Columbia was a threat especially with their talented outsides, however they fell short. Penfield and Smithtown both looked very evenly matched but Penfield would bring home their 3rd State Championship since 2016, pure domination. Surprised the finals didn't go to 5 sets with how close it was. Shanley on STW was the standout player despite the loss. Penfield had a very well rounded team but nobody stood out. Just a very solid group that knew how to get the job done.
Great seasons for all teams. Going to Albany is a huge accomplishment in itself.
Who's on your All-State team if it's up to you for Division 1 and 2?
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Post by tangentalone on Nov 26, 2021 11:50:45 GMT -5
Division 2: Jake Deslauriers (ESM), Aedan Vanegas (Spencerport), Christian Herr (ESM), Sam Lane (Spencerport), Daniel Haber (Westhampton Beach)
Im sure they are others very deserving but these were standouts from states and from the course of the season.
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Post by rhinovb14 on Nov 27, 2021 10:42:54 GMT -5
Division 2: Jake Deslauriers (ESM), Aedan Vanegas (Spencerport), Christian Herr (ESM), Sam Lane (Spencerport), Daniel Haber (Westhampton Beach) Im sure they are others very deserving but these were standouts from states and from the course of the season. Bennett Petrik (WSW) outstanding player |
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