By HUNTER O. LYLE
GLENS FALLS, NY – For many teams, making it to the state championship stage is the pinnacle of their aspirations. Surviving and advancing through continuous tests and brackets for one shot at the ultimate title can be a once in a career moment for some, while for the greater majority the opportunity never comes. However, for the Portville volleyball team, it’s simply the status quo.
Reaching the New York Public High School Athletic Association championship for a sixth consecutive time, the Panthers came away with a dominating sweep of Mount Academy, earning their fifth championship in a row.
“I really truly can’t put it into words. This is my fourth time going but first time as a head coach and I’m not even really sure it’s set in yet,” said Portville head coach Paul Mann, who took over as head coach this year after being an assistant for the past three. “It’s just an amazing feeling
The win came against a familiar face: Mount Academy.
A season ago, the Panthers and the Eagles met on the big stage for the first time, where Portville ultimately came away with a four-set victory. Although they were hungry and eager, redemption evaded Mount Academy in the rematch.
The two squads initially met in Friday’s pool play, which determined the two finalists. While Portville got the upper hand then, winning two-sets-to-none, both teams had already earned their spot in the championship and therefore, played somewhat conservatively. With real stakes on the line, the Eagles came into Saturday ready for the task at hand.
Out of the gates, the Panthers and Eagles traded blows, matching kill for kill as they tirelessly fought for an advantage. However, neither could pull away through the early goings, with the largest lead of the set standing at just two points. Finding themselves behind the slim margin at 11-9, Portville then began to find their proven rhythm. A slam from Gaitley Maiolo kickstarted the action, followed by kills from Marissa Carls and the Panthers’ powerhouse hitter Ali Haynes. As their momentum began to grow, Portville turned four unanswered points into a 6-1 run that put them ahead 15-12.
Although Mount Academy interrupted the streak with scattered scores, particularly capitalizing on battles of attrition during long rallies, Portville managed to keep a stride ahead by scoring by committee.
“We’re so universal. We have so many players that we get involved which really makes us a tough matchup for some teams. Yeah, Ali sticks out because of her dominance but then you get Gaitley coming in and then Marissa Carls and Leigha Stives,” said Mann. “It really makes tough matchups for teams that aren’t ready to defend four or five different hitters and that’s governed by our passing. When we’re in-system, we have that ability to move the ball around.”
As the score inched closer to the finish line, Portville finished off the first set with back-to-back kills from Marissa Carls and Haynes, who put the Panthers up 1-0 in sets with a final back-line hit.
Haynes and Co. would ride the momentum swiftly into the second set.
Starting with an ace from Leigha Stives, the Panthers tightened their grip on the set with a 4-0 run that included three consecutive and thunderous slams from Haynes. With her powerful slams seemingly indefensible, let alone returnable, she continued to lead the charge, carrying Portville out to a 11-3 streak and 14-7 lead.
“(Ali’s) left such an immeasurable mark. She just had a killer mentality like ‘I just want to put the ball away and put it away hard,’” said Mann of the four-year senior. “She mixes it up with some very, very high volleyball IQ shots. She utilizes what the defense gives her and takes what she gets. When she sees an open net or a gap in the defense she just totally rips the ball.”
On the other side of the court, the Eagles struggled to take advantage of their opportunities. While they were far from shut out entirely, Mount Academy continuously gave up points at their own service line with poor or inaccurate serves and untimely violations. Falling behind 18-12, the Eagles’ late 6-3 ultimately proved too-little-too late as they dropped down 2-0 with a 25-20 second set loss.
Standing just one set away from yet another championship and with all their weapons as sharp as ever, Portville was unstoppable. Smelling the blood in the water, they went in for the kill, initially jumping out to 7-2 lead behind Haynes’ relentless attack. The five point margin on the scoreboard eventually snowballed to nine and then eleven as the Panthers looked down from a 21-10 perch. Although the Eagles found some steam late, taking advantage of some late-set miscues, their efforts went in vain. Closing out the sweep with a 25-17 victory, Portville had once again planted their flag atop New York.
The championship comes as Portville’s first under Mann’s tenure, ninth since 2014 and tenth in program history. It also sets the Panthers’ dynasty in a league of their own, becoming the first school to ever capture five consecutive state titles.
“It’s all on the players. What they do on the floor, what they do in practice and behind the scenes, the watching the tape, the watching the film, the analyzing the game, it’s tremendous,” said Mann. “It’s something you can’t completely put in words. These are things people dream that they can reach and it’s almost like it’s become automatic for them. It’s an amazing goal that might never be reached again, I don’t know, but it’s an amazing goal and it’s about them and what they’ve done.”
