LoHud Volleyball Blog

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Sincerely,
Mike Z.

POWER RANKINGS: Monday, October 15, 2012

Sorry for the misleading headline… but rankings will be posted at 11:00 p.m. today, my apologies for the delay. I’ll try and post them a little earlier if I can (maybe like 10:45 p.m.), but figure around 11 for sure.

Ninth annual Panther Invitational: Preview

Tomorrow morning, Walter Panas High School will host the ninth annual Panther Invitational, a 20-team tournament that will feature some terrific competition from around the section, and state.

The 20-team field will be divided into four pools and spread out over two different locations. Pools A & B will play their matches at Walter Panas High School, while Pools C & D play at Lakeland High School.

Each team will play everyone in their pool once to determine seeding for the brackets. The top three teams in each pool will advance to the Gold bracket, with the top team in each pool receiving a first-round bye. The bottom two teams will go to the Silver bracket. Losing teams in the first round of the Gold bracket will fall into the Silver bracket for a second life.

To try and avoid any confusion, I have laid out the complete bracket for you at the bottom of the post.

The first round of the Gold bracket will be played at the high school the teams played their pool play at. All remaining matches in the Gold bracket will be played at Walter Panas HS. All Silver bracket matches will be played at Lakeland HS.

Both gyms will open at 8:00 a.m. and there will be a coaches meeting at 8:30 a.m. The tournament should start around 9:00 a.m.

Here are the pools for tomorrow’s tournament:

Pool A:

Walter Panas
Francis Lewis
Croton-Harmon
Westlake
S.S. Seward

Pool B:

Cornwall Central
Eastchester
Monroe-Woodbury
Clarkstown North
Roosevelt

Pool C:

Kennedy Catholic
Ursuline
Yorktown
Fox Lane
Mahopac

Pool D:

Clarkstown South
St. John’s
Byram Hills
Walkill
Lakeland

…

BRACKET KEY: The number represents the seed in the pool. The letter represents what pool they came out of.
(Example: 1A is the top seed in Pool A, 2A is the second seed in Pool A, etc.)

COMPLETE GOLD BRACKET FORMAT:

First Round:

1. 2B vs. 3A
2. 2A vs. 3B
3. 2D vs. 3C
4. 2C vs. 3D

Quarterfinals:

5. 1A plays the winner of 2C/3D
6. 1B plays the winner of 2D/3C
7. 1C plays the winner of 2B/3A
8. 1D plays the winner of 2A/3B

Semifinals:

9. The winner of match No. 5 (above) plays the winner of match No. 7
10. The winner of match No. 6 plays the winner of match No. 8

Championship:

11. The winner of match No. 9 plays the winner of match No. 10.

…

COMPLETE SILVER BRACKET FORMAT:

Quarterfinals:

12. 4A vs. Loser of match No. 3
13. 4B vs. Loser of match No. 4
14. 4C vs. Loser of match No. 5
15. 4D vs. Loser of match No. 6

Semifinals:

16. Winner of match No. 12 vs. Winner of match No. 14
17. Winner of match No. 13 vs. Winner of match No. 15

Championship:

18. Winner of match No. 16 vs. Winner of match No. 17

…

As always, I advise you to follow along on twitter for the most up-to-date information. If you have twitter, you can follow me at @Zacchio_LoHud, where I will be tweeting all day, usually using the hashtag #LoHudVolleyball at the end of each tweet.

If you do not have twitter, I ask that you strongly consider it. It’s a five minute process, and if you have a smartphone, it’s incredibly easy to use. I’ve already seen a few coaches and parents (in addition to players) have joined in on the fun. Even if you yourself don’t tweet, you can just follow me and track the action.

If you have a question, tweet at me and I’ll answer within minutes!

Thursday’s schedule: Rye hosts “Dig Pink” day against league rival Blind Brook, more matches.

Tomorrow night Rye will not only look to close in on a league championship, but they will also be raising awareness for breast cancer in their annual “Dig Pink” match.

The Garnets (9-2) will take on Blind Brook (10-2) in a league contest between the top two teams. A Blind Brook win will even things up between the two and Keio, while a Rye win can being the process of pulling away from their competition.

In their meeting earlier in the season, Rye outlasted Blind Brook in a five-game thriller.

The Garnets are the focus of my weekly notebook tomorrow, with other information about Blind Brook and Keio thrown in the mix.

This week’s notebook is a “Coaches Edition” of sorts, highlighting the young coaches of Rye (Andrea Reiff) and Keio (Kim Martinez) and how they’ve turned those programs around, as well as a spotlight on Croton-Harmon coach Robin Cooke for her Westchester Sports Hall of Fame induction Wednesday night.

…

For those of you who have seen the Al Pacino/Matthew McConaughey movie, “Two for the Money,” I’m going to go a little John Anthony on you and predict my “Lock of the Decade” for tomorrow.

Between the torrid hot streak they are on, and the fact that they will have the change to avenge their loss from earlier in the season, I’m predicting that Hen Hud will not only sweep Arlington tomorrow, but I’ll go so far as to say that the Admirals won’t get more than 18 points in a game.

Now, this is not a reflection on Arlington in any way, I just think Hen Hud is that hungry, and playing that good that they will run over anything or anyone in their way. Since I’m on a movie theme, think of it like the movie, “Unstoppable,” and Hen Hud is the train… they started off going just a couple of miles an hour, now they’re booking triple-digits.

Somers at Lakeland, 4:15 p.m.
Arlington at Hen Hud, 4:15 p.m.
Panas at John Jay, 4:15 p.m.
Peekskill at Kennedy, 4:15 p.m.
Carmel at Brewster, 4:15 p.m.
Mahopac at Yorktown, 4:15 p.m.
Ardsley at New Rochelle, 4:15 p.m.
Croton-Harmon at Harrison, 4:30 p.m.
Nightingale Bamford School at Holy Child, 4:30 p.m.
Ossining at Byram Hills, 4:30 p.m.
Horace Greeley at Westlake, 4:30 p.m.
Briarcliff at Port Chester, 4:30 p.m.
Valhalla at Pleasantville, 4:30 p.m.
Fox Lane at Rye Neck, 4:30 p.m.
Solomon Schechter at Palisade Prep, 4:45 p.m.
Pawling at North Salem, 5:45 p.m.
Blind Brook at Rye, 6 p.m.

Wednesday’s results: Somers notches first win, Ossining suffers first league loss, Magnus avoids upset; more results.

What a day… or last two days I should say.

From Hen Hud toppling Panas yesterday, to everything else that happened today, the local volleyball scene certain had its share of dramatics.

First off, congratulations to Somers for not only getting your first win of the season, but for coming back to win it. The Tuskers fell behind to Putnam Valley, 2-1, before running off the next two games for the victory on their home court.

Sammi Prisco and Alicia Fruisia each had eight kills and Fruisia added 10 aces in a 25-20, 11-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-19 win. Taylor McLean and Vicki Hyndman each had four kills for the Tigers.

In another first, Byram Hills defeated Ossining (10-3) rather easily, 18-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-20, to hand the Pride their first league loss of the season (10-1).

Maddie Brown had eight kills, 19 assists, and 14 digs for the Bobcats, while Julia DiPietrantonio added eight kills, 16 assists, and five digs.

The only bright spot for the Pride Wednesday afternoon, Saniya Chong had 17 kills for the Pride.

Across the bridge in Rockland, Albertus Magnus got quite a scare from Nanuet, dropping the first two games against the Golden Knights. The Falcons responded by winning the next three games and stealing the match, and the upset away from Nanuet.

Mallary McFadden had 27 kills, and teammate Heather Dunkin added nine blocks in a 22-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-18 win.

In one of the best performances of the year in a losing effort, senior Caitlin Lenihan had 20 kills and 30 digs for the Golden Knights.

I was out of the office last night, and there were some scores still left in today’s file, so I threw them in with the mix from tonight’s scores; see for yourself.

I covered the Easchester/Ursuline match live, so you can read more about that match in tomorrow’s edition of The Journal News or at LoHud.com. I will add a recap from today’s game either later tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

More results from Wednesday night: (and some from Tuesday)

Haldane 3, John Jay 2: At Haldane Tuesday, Lauren Etta had 26 kills and 22 assists, Kelly Vahos had 16 kills and nine blocks and Gabby Carnabucci had 13 digs in a 22-25, 25-19, 30-32, 30-28, 25-17 win. John Jay’s Theresa Swertfager had 25 digs, Lauren Gretz had 23 digs and Molly Newcomb had eight blocks.

Keio 3, Valhalla 2: At Valhalla Tuesday, Shizuka Nakashima had 26 digs, 10 kills and five aces in a 22-25, 9-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-19 win. Kanako Bando had 22 digs and 10 kills. Valhalla’s Alyssa Lombardo had 45 digs and five kills.

Peekskill 3, North Salem 2: At Peekskill Tuesday, Morgan Beechum had 14 kills in a 25-13, 18-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22 win. Latisha Clark had seven kills and five digs. Sam Floer had 14 kills and six aces for the Tigers.

Rye 3, Mamaroneck 0: At Rye Tuesday, Courtney Brown had 15 kills in a 25-22, 25-16, 25-22 win. Gianna Paganelli had 13 digs. Kristen Flatow and Emily Holzberg each had four kills for the Tigers.

New Rochelle 3, Woodlands 0: At Woodlands Tuesday, Debora Luzincourt had six kills, six aces, and five blocks in a 25-7, 25-18, 25-8 win. Gabrielle Ciraco had seven aces. Sedahari Young had seven kills for the Falcons.

Hamilton 3, Hastings 1: At Hamilton Tuesday, Kali Gill had eight kills and six aces in a 25-19, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20 win. Nevline Petitfort had six kills and four aces. Kimberly Malise had 11 kills and four aces for the Yellow Jackets.

Albertus Magnus 3, Maria Regina 0: At Albertus Tuesday, Mallary McFadden had 13 kills and five aces in a 25-3, 25-5, 25-21 win. Brianne Gallaher had 10 assists, five kills and four aces.

Hen Hud 3, Panas 1: At Hen Hud Tuesday, Carlee Corkery had 18 kills, four aces, 10 digs and six blocks in a 25-24, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20 win. Jessica Sincero added 10 kills, five aces and eight digs.

King 3, Masters 0: At King Tuesday, Rebecca Via and Bobby Sacher each had six kills in a 25-16, 25-10, 27-25 loss. Gianna Masini had 15 assists.

Woodlands 3, Yonkers Montessori 0: At Woodlands, Tia Frazier had eight kills and Sedhari Young seven in a 25-12, 25-6, 25-14 win. Reina Mendez had three kills for the Eagles.

Pelham 3, Ardsley 0: At Pelham, Helen Gandler had seven kills and 18 digs in a 25-12, 25-19, 25-16 win. Megan Krause had nine kills for the Pelicans. Casey Foley had four kills and six digs for the Panthers.

Tappan Zee 3, Nyack 0: At Nyack, Kelly Connolly and Meghan Smith each had five kills in a 25-13, 25-9, 25-20 win. Chelsea Miller had eight kills for the Indians.

Gorton 3, Lincoln 1: At Gorton, Patricia Gomez had 10 kills and eight aces and Keren Martinez had seven aces in a 25-9, 22-25, 25-18, 25-14 win.

New Rochelle 3, Mamaroneck 0: At New Rochelle, Lindsey Dorsainvil had six digs and 13 assists and Gabrielle Ciraco had six aces and four digs in a 25-20, 25-20, 25-16 win. Collete Clarke had four kills and three blocks for the Tigers.

Suffern 3, Clarkstown North 0: At Suffern, Alexis Cohen had seven kills and Samantha Uline six in a 25-17, 25-17, 25-23 win. Julia Hryck added five aces for the Mounties. Rebecca McGinn had 10 kills for the Rams.

Clarkstown South 3, North Rockland 0: At North Rockland, Kianna Carroll had 13 kills and Nastasia Kapustin six blocks in a 25-22, 25-14, 25-11 win. Jennifer Morris had five kills for the Red Raiders.

Pearl River 3, Irvington 0: At Irvington, Annette Krysiewicz had seven kills and four aces in a 25-14, 25-11, 25-15 win. Victoria Grix had five kills and five aces. Jen Brennan and Anna Brennan both had three kills for the Bulldogs.

Sleepy Hollow 3, Dobbs Ferry 1: At Sleepy Hollow, Abbey Titcomb had 11 kills in a 26-24, 22-25, 25-15, 25-23 win. Breanna Tuohy had nine kills. Bridget Sheridan had nine kills for Dobbs Ferry.

Edgemont 3, Hastings 2: At Hastings, Jenny Kreinik had 10 kills and seven nlocks in a 25-12, 19-25, 7-25, 25-22, 25-20 win. Charlotte Zlotkowski and Vivian Zhong both had seven kills. Erica Freed had 21 kills and nine aces and Jasmine Padilla had 25 assists and eight aces for Hastings.

 

BREAKING NEWS: Jenson Daniel appeal denied

At 2:20 a.m. on the morning of October 9, I received a text message from Jenson Daniel informing me that his appeal to play for the Yonkers girls volleyball team was denied by the section.

Daniel, a senior male student at Yonkers, played in the final five matches for the Bulldogs last season, and expected to play this year. Instead, Daniel was denied the opportunity to rejoin his team because his physical results revealed he was too strong to keep playing against the female competition.

Following the ruling, Daniel and the school appealed the decision, hoping to allow him to play in his final season. After waiting for weeks to determine whether or not he can play, Daniel and the team were supposed to be informed by Sept. 28, when the Bulldogs took on Eastchester.

Instead, Daniel and the team had to wait a little over a week longer to be informed of the bad news.

I spoke with both Daniel, and Yonkers athletic director Jim Rose Tuesday afternoon. In addition to not being allowed to play in the remaining matches, Daniel is now no longer allowed to warm up or even practice with the team.

You can read all about it in the full Journal News article here. Follow me on twitter as well at @Zacchio_LoHud for more updates!

POWER RANKINGS: Monday, October 8, 2012

I know I’m going to catch some flack for these rankings; heck there’s some I’m still not 100 percent sold on. But for the time being, entering this week, this is my top 10. There’s a few teams that could be flipped around, and there’s some that are indisputable, but as of right now, this is where I feel they stand.

Please read through the description before arguing why a team should be higher or lower; I try putting a lot of thought into these rankings each week. It’s not easy, and I know some have to either get left out or lower than expected, but it’s just the nature of the beast. Without further adieu, here are your rankings entering Monday night: (All records were as of 10/7)

1. Pelham Pelicans (8-0) — The Pelicans did exactly what they needed to do to not only stay atop the polls, but to prove they belonged at the top. Pelham topped Panas (9-1) last Wednesday, 3-1, to remain undefeated on the season. A hard-faught battle, the Pelicans and Panthers looked like two perfectly even-matched teams, although it was clear Pelham was a little more on top of their game during the match. One of the biggest reasons Pelham was able to come away with the win over Panas was their ability to adapt. In many ways, Panas outplayed the Pelicans. Panas outscored Pelham, 97-96, and severely out-blocked them, 11-2, but it was Pelham’s ability to adjust their style of play that ultimately led them to victory. Going into the match, Pelham coach Mark Finegan knew that Panas could block, and hit. When his hitters started getting blocked on their hard kill attempts, they switched to softer, more accurate hits that resulted in more points. The two won’t meet again all season, as Pelham is a Class B representative, and Panas is in Class A, so Pelham’s outlook the rest of the season looks very bright. Still, the Pelicans have a very tough schedule ahead; the Panas match was just a massive hurdle. Pelham will have two matches this week, against Ardsley on Wednesday, and Eastchester on Friday. The Pelicans should come away with two wins, but neither one of these teams will be a pushover victory.

Pelham overview — Rank last week: 1, Peak rank: 1, Stock: ↑

2. Panas Panthers (9-1) — Here’s where I’m probably going to catch flack. Clarkstown South is 10-0, and Panas just lost a match; so how can I possibly still have them at No. 2? So, here’s my justification… I said going into the Pelham/Panas showdown, it would be how Panas or Pelham played in the loss that would affect the ranks, not just the win or loss. As I mentioned above, Panas not only held their own against Pelham, they outscored them. Their past victories speak for itself, their loss was to the best team in the section, and the rest of their schedule is still pretty tough. I have always been a big believer in taking everything into account, especially strength of schedule over just record alone. According to MaxPreps, Panas has a strength of schedule rating of 15.0, which is higher than Clarkstown South (11.7), as well as many other teams in the section. Believe me, I would love to see Panas play South as much as the next guy, but it’s just not in the cards. Maybe when South plays Pelham in a couple of weeks, we’ll get a better feel for things; but for now, I just can’t kick the Panthers out of the top two for a loss in which they didn’t play bad at all.

Panas overview — Rank last week: 2, Peak rank: 2, Stock: ↔

3. Clarkstown South Vikings (10-0) — Moving onto the Vikings (who I’m sure aren’t happy with this list right now), South picked up a couple of nice wins last week, both via sweep. The Lady Vikings swept both Suffern and their in-town rivals, Clarkstown North to become the first team in the section with double-digit wins. The problem with South is that they are cursed to be in Rockland, where the competition is just not as diverse, or, for lack of a better word, good as it is in Westchester. Being in Rockland, the Vikings, or any good Rockland team for that matter (i.e. Suffern 2011), don’t get the respect they may deserve, which could be the case here. Barring a Panas loss, the Vikings will most likely be in the No. 3 next week as well before taking on Haldane (6-3) and Pelham (8-0) in the same week. Those will be two incredible matches. In conclusion here are the facts: Yes, South is undefeated. Yes, South is clearly the best Rockland team around. Yes, they have one of the most dominant offenses in the section, and yes, they are (in my opinion) the favorites to win the Class AA section title this year. However, like I said above, I just can’t kick Panas out of the top two for a loss where they didn’t play bad at all. Don’t get me wrong, the stock is still very much on the rise for the Vikings.

Clarkstown South overview — Rank last week: 3, Peak rank: 3, Stock: ↑

 4. Hendrick Hudson Sailors (8-3) — No, your eyes do not deceive you, and no, you are not mistaken — the Hen Hud Sailors went from unranked, to ninth, to fourth in a matter of two weeks. I said last week that Hen Hud is the hottest team in the section right now, and last week proved it. The Sailors got three big wins last week over North Rockland, John Jay, and a massive redemption win over Haldane. I don’t know exactly what coach Diane Swertfager said to her girls, but whatever it was, it is clearly working. Senior hitter Carlee Corkery continues to dominate, while the Jessica-tandem of Sincero and Pelaccio provide exceptional support. Hen Hud already got one of their redemption wins back, sweeping Haldane (6-3) to avenge their Sept. 11 five-game loss to the Blue Devils. Now, the Sailors will look to avenge their other two defeats when they take on Panas (9-1) and Arlington (6-4) this week. The Sailors will also take on Suffern to close out their three-match week. I still think Pelham (8-0) is the favorite in Class B, but the performance of Hen Hud the last two weeks has shot them from a semifinalist, possibly only a quarterfinalist, to now a potential finalist in the section tournament on my projection chart. Throw in Eastchester (9-2) and Ardsley (8-3) in the mix again, and all of a sudden Class B just got a lot more competitive. Swertfager has always believed in putting together a tough schedule and this year was no different; her MaxPreps strength of schedule rating of 25.4 is the second-highest in the section, behind only Haldane (see below). Swertfager told both me, and my colleague Dan DeFrancesco during the preseason that she felt slighted with their No. 4 seed in the section tournament last year. Between the season they’re having this year, and their schedule, I would be stunned to see them ranked fourth again in a couple of weeks.

Hen Hud overview — Rank last week: 9, Peak rank: 4, Stock: ↑

 5. Haldane Blue Devils (6-3) — The Blue Devils nearly completed the sweep for the week, taking down Mahopac and a struggling Arlington before getting swept by Hen Hud. The reigning Class D state champions have put together a great season against the strongest schedule according to MaxPreps. Haldane’s schedule strength of 29.2 is the highest in the section, and almost six points higher than Pelham (24.4). Coach Melissa Rossano and the Blue Devils have a great chance to shake off the Hen Hud loss with a relatively easy upcoming week, featuring matches John Jay, Putnam Valley, and Carmel. A three-win week can be just the confidence boost Haldane needs before going into a tough four-match week with Clarkstown South (10-0) and Panas (9-1) on the slate. Big week for the Blue Devils coming up.

Haldane overview — Rank last week: 5, Peak rank: 4, Stock: ↔

6. Ursuline Koalas (8-3) — The one great thing about MSGVarsity is that it allows you to re-watch game either you missed, or didn’t see all of. So when I got the scores from the Ursuline/Ardsley game, I knew I just had to check this match out. Ursuline won the first two games, easily. Then, the Koalas handed back to games to the Panthers before finishing them off in the deciding fifth set. Standout senior Lauren Biolsi recorded the first triple-double of the season (10-plus kills, digs, and aces), thanks in large part to her killer serve. Watching it on TV it looked like it just cleared the net and dove down; I can only imagine what Ardsley libero Arielle Misrok was feeling trying to dig those suckers up. That one match in particular showed me that Ursuline probably needs to close out matches better to make a deep run in Class A, and that Ardsley defines a “never give up” attitude. It was a great match to watch, and a great win for Ursuline, who has now won three of their last four. The Koalas will have a big in-class match against John Jay, and a tough match against Eastchester this week that can really shake up next week’s rankings. John Jay seems to have the talent, they just can’t get anything going; Eastchester is looking to pull away from Hen Hud in Class B, and Ursuline is looking to prove they’re a force in Class A.

Ursuline overview — Rank last week: 7, Peak rank: 6, Stock: ↑

7. Eastchester Eagles (9-2) — Where the Koalas succeeded, the Eagles struggled. Ursuline was able to take care of Ardsley, even if it took five games, while Eastchester was swept last week in a huge in-class match up. Now in the mid-point of the season, now is when Eastchester will have to make the move to pull away from the ever-improving Hen Hud Sailors, as well Ardsley, who is still hanging around. Like last year, I think Pelham is a lock for the top spot, barring any kind of nuclear meltdown, and these three will be fighting for the No. 2, or even No. 3 seed. Clinching a two- or three-seed will eliminate any chance of facing Pelham before the championship match. Hen Hud drew the short stick last year, and exited in the Class B semifinals. I know Sailors coach Diane Swertfager, or her returning players have not forgotten about that, and are hungry for the highest seed possible, which will most likely be the No. 2 spot. Eastchester (9-2) has one more win, and one less loss than both Hen Hud (8-3) and Ardsley (8-3), but the massive differences in schedule strength could catapult the Sailors above the Eagles and Panthers. According to MaxPreps, the Sailors have a schedule strength rating of 25.4, the second-highest in the section behind Haldane (29.2). Eastchester is rated at just 8.3, and Ardsley even lower at 5.8. Their match Wednesday against Ursuline is an absolute must-win for the Eagles… and wouldn’t you know it, I’ll be there covering all the action.

Eastchester overview — Rank last week: 5, Peak rank: 5, Stock: ↔

8. Kennedy Catholic Gaels (9-1) — I’ve seen Kennedy play, so I can attest that they are an exceptional team — very young, and very talented. The only problem with trying to rank them is the same as last year — weak schedule. In my opinion I felt it was on the weaker side, but when I looked at the MaxPreps ratings, they have  a schedule strength rating of just 6.1. Looking at the rest of their schedule, Kennedy should steamroll through all but one of their matches, with that one being the in-class battle against Albertus Magnus. Two of the top teams in Class C will meet Friday in a match that could very well determine the top seed for this year’s section tournament. Lucky for me, the Magnus/Kennedy match will also be on my work schedule, so it looks like I’ll be covering two games this week, although I don’t believe I’m covering anything next week. Magnus and Kennedy couldn’t be two more similar teams; both Class C, both very young, both very talented, and both very, very, hungry for a title.

Kennedy overview — Rank last week: 6, Peak rank: 4, Stock: ↓

9. John Jay-East Fishkill Patriots (7-1) — Just when I was really starting to take notice of the Patriots, they go and lose a match. East Fishkill dropped their match to Arlington, snapping their undefeated record for the year. I haven’t given them much thought because for one, they’re out of our coverage area, and two, they have one of the weakest schedules out there. Out of the top 20 ranked teams on MaxPreps, John Jay-East Fishkill is ranked seventh, and has the lowest schedule strength rating with a measly 4.5. You’ve obviously seen several schedule strength points my me in this week’s rankings and that’s because it’s the teams that have tougher schedules that usually for further come playoff time. What good is going 15-1 if you lose in the quarterfinals? Wouldn’t you rather go 14-3 and win the whole thing? People can harm on records, but in the end, the cream will rise to the top of the crop and I can bet they will have had tough schedules.

John Jay-East Fishkill overview — Rank last week: 10, Peak rank: 9, Stock: ↔

10. Suffern Mounties (9-3) — I had a conversation with coach Sean Barnes about two weeks ago talking about some of the teams in the area and there’s one line that keeps replaying in my head like a bad record. I remember saying to Barnes something along the lines of, “You’re team is very young, you’ll be great in a couple of years,” and it’s now stuck in my head that it came off like, “You stink this year, but you’ll get better.” Coach Barnes, if you’re reading this, that wasn’t the case. What I meant was, that Suffern is young, they are good, and they will only be better in the coming years. Suffern’s two most dominant players on offense are just sophomores! Julia Hrycyk and Samantha Uline have been the catalyst behind this Mounties team, which, I will admit, is doing much better than I thought they would do, and they haven’t even had a Sweet 16 yet! Not to mention they’re both incredibly tall (Uline is 5-foot-10, and Hrycyk is 6-foot-1). The reigning Class AA section and regional champs have a great balance of senior leadership in Laura Denlinger, Geena DiGiacomo and Rachel Schwartz, young talent in Hrycyk and Uline, and role players who can step up such as Alexis Cohen, Deja Smith, Beth McDonough, plus many more. The Mounties were swept by Clarkstown South last week, but can rebound against a very hot Hen Hud team. A win against the Sailors can do wonders for this young team as the season winds down. A slightly tougher schedule gives the Mounties the nod over Albertus Magnus (9-2) for the final spot, despite Suffern having lost a five-gamer to the Falcons earlier in the season.

Suffern overview — Rank last week: N/R, Peak rank: 10, Stock: ↔

ON THE BUBBLE: Albertus Magnus (9-2), Ardsley (8-3), Arlington (6-4), Ossining (9-2), Rye (9-1), Westlake (7-3).

Tuesday’s schedule: Hen Hud hosts Panas; more matches.

Since there will be no matches tomorrow or Monday, I’m getting an early start on the week and posting Tuesday’s schedules for you all tonight.

Hen Hud (8-3) will look to stay hot against Panas (9-1) on the road, while Haldane (6-3) will try and bounce back from their loss to the Sailors on Friday when they take on John Jay (5-4), another team looking for a big win.

Tuesday’s schedule:

Maria Regina at Albertus Magnus, 4:15 p.m.
Lakeland at Mahopac, 4:15 p.m.
Somers at Carmel, 4:15 p.m.
Ossining at Croton-Harmon, 4:15 p.m.
New Rochelle at Woodlands, 4:15 p.m.
Scarsdale at White Plains, 4:15 p.m.
Brewster at Yorktown, 4:15 p.m.
Panas at Hen Hud, 4:15 p.m.
North Salem at Peekskill, 4:15 p.m.
Kennedy at Putnam Valley, 4:15 p.m.
Port Chester at Blind Brook, 4:30 p.m.
Briarcliff at Pleasantville, 4:30 p.m.
Rye Neck at Horace Greeley, 4:30 p.m.
Byram Hills at Fox Lane, 4:30 p.m.
Tuckahoe at Palisade Prep, 4:30 p.m.
Harrison at Westlake, 4:30 p.m.
Mamaroneck at Rye, 4:30 p.m.
Tappan Zee at Gorton, 4:30 p.m.
Keio at Valhalla, 6 p.m.
John Jay at Haldane, 6 p.m.
Hastings at Hamilton, 6 p.m.

Watch yesterday’s Ardsley/Ursuline match on MSGVarsity

Yesterday’s back-and-forth match between Ardsley and Ursuline will be aired on MSGVarsity today at 4 p.m. on Optimum channels 14/614 if you wanted to catch the match.

If you can’t make it to the TV today, no worries, the match will re-air tomorrow at 1 p.m. on the same channels.

I try not to think of it as promoting the competition, so much as promoting the sport and exposure for the players in our section!

Friday’s schedule: Haldane/Hen Hud, Part II; more matches.

Tomorrow will feature a couple of really nice matches, including an in-class league battle.

The match of the day in my eyes is the rematch between Haldane and Hen Hud. The Blue Devils (6-2) won in five during their last meeting at Haldane, but the Sailors (7-3) have been one of the hottest teams in the section the last week and a half and will be home this time around.

Carlee Corkery has been playing off the charts for Hen Hud all year, and is a huge reason why the Sailors have turned their season around. Coach Diane Swertfager and her girls can get a big boost with a win tomorrow.

Speaking of Swertfager, her daughter, Thersea will also be in action tomorrow, as her John Jay Indians host the Ursuline Koalas.

Both John Jay (5-3) and Ursuline (8-3) are good Class A teams looking to bust out and prove they can hang with the likes of Panas (8-1) for a section crown. It will be a massive win for whoever takes this one home.

And speaking of Panas, the Panthers will also be in action tomorrow, hosting the only team other than Pelham (8-0) to ruffle their feathers, Arlington.

The Admirals (6-2) forced the Panthers to five sets earlier in the season before losing the match. In the same match, Panas junior Brigitte Burcescu broke her sister’s school record for kills in a match, with 34.

Here’s the full schedule for tomorrow: 

Yorktown at Lakeland, 4:15 p.m.
Carmel at Mahopac, 4:15 p.m.
Somers at Brewster, 4:15 p.m.
Peekskill at Pawling, 4:15 p.m.
Arlington at Panas, 4:15 p.m.
Haldane at Hen Hud, 4:15 p.m.
Horace Greeley at Byram Hills, 4:30 p.m.
Valhalla at Briarcliff, 4:30 p.m.
Fox Lane at Croton-Harmon, 4:30 p.m.
Blind Brook at Pleasantville, 4:30 p.m.
Westlake at Rye Neck, 4:30 p.m.
Ossining at Harrison, 4:30 p.m.
Ursuline at John Jay, 4:30 p.m.
Port Chester at Mamaroneck, 4:30 p.m.
Holy Child at Convent of the Sacred Heart (NYC), 4:45 p.m.
Putnam Valley at North Salem, 5:45 p.m.
Keio at Hamilton, 6 p.m.
New Rochelle at Eastchester, 6 p.m.