St. Francis Prep has had a stranglehold on the Brooklyn-Queens girls’ volleyball title for the last seven years. Fontbonne Hall showed that grip might be loosening.
The Bonnies beat the Terriers in convincing fashion 22–25, 25–19, 25–17, 25–6, in Bay Ridge last week. It is St. Francis Prep’s first league loss since Archbishop Molloy beat the Terriers in 2011, but that took five sets. The Terriers have lost just twice to Brooklyn-Queens teams since 2005. The win has Fontbonne believing bringing home the crown is a possibility this year, after losing in the final to St. Francis Prep last season.
“I think we could win the tournament, be the best in Brooklyn-Queens, and I think we can win the championship this year,” said junior Francesca Castellano.
The Bonnies easily shook off mistakes that cost it the first set.
“I said to them after that game: ‘Girls, we won that game. If it wasn’t for our mistakes we won that game. Minimize the mistakes and we win.’ And that’s what happened,” said Fontbonne coach Linda Strong.
Fontbonnne then showed what it is capable of at full strength. It found its chemistry a week earlier, winning the Brooklyn Best tournament, and it showed against the Terriers. There Castellano, who recovered from a back injury, rediscovered her confidence and chemistry with the team. It led to Castellano and Emily Greenstein playing against St. Francis Prep like the dynamic duo we expected they could be when the year began. Castellano even scored 10-straight service points in the final set.
“Francesca and Emily were just cranking the ball,” Strong said. “We were getting kill after kill.”
Depth has been one of the biggest reasons for St. Francis Prep’s success, and this Bonnies team can match it. Caroline Good provided a third hitting option. Bryn Nagel and Gabby Breen both did a good job feeding the hot hand throughout the match.
St. Francis Prep will be more than prepared if the two teams meet again in a regular season tiebreaker or the eventual final. The titles could return to Queens. For now, all the Bonnies did was remove the doubt of whether it could beat the Terriers. Two years ago the school’s softball team claimed Fontbonne’s first-ever diocesan title in the sport at the highest level. The volleyball team will now take its shot with full confidence it can get the result it desires.
“That would be amazing,” Castellano said. “It would bring joy to the school.”
