Three straight days of volleyball ended much better than they started for Fort Hamilton.
The Tigers, one of the city’s top girls’ volleyball clubs, failed to reach the semifinals of Brooklyn’s Best tournament last Saturday. But a rededicated Fort Hamilton team went on win the Seward Park tournament on Sunday and earned its first victory as a Class A program by topping rival Midwood, 25–20, 20–25, 25–11 in Brooklyn A South play on Sept. 29 at New Utrecht.
Midwood, which reached the Class A final last season, swept Fort Hamilton at the Brooklyn’s Best tournament, but the Tigers players learned their lesson and righted their play.
“We know what we are capable of,” said senior middle hitter Marlena Budna. “We know we are a strong team. We can’t go down to a different level. We have to always play strong and powerful and play as a team.”
Fort Hamilton, which won the last two Public School Athletic League Class B city titles, used its depth to finally wear down Midwood in the Sunday match up. Budna had 16 kills, six blocks and six digs. Emily Visintini and Alexandra Rivera added five kills apiece. Setter Stephanie Rozek recorded 18 assists. Not having to rely just on Budna allowed the Tigers to play more consistently than the Hornets.
“We know we have the best middle in the city, and other teams know that too,” said Fort Hamilton coach Richard Sherry. “When they focus on her, we focus to move the ball around.”
His club had its resolve and execution tested throughout its match with Midwood — both teams’ league openers. The Tigers led 20–10 in the first set, only to see Midwood rally thanks to the play of Michaela Appel and Julie Greenspan to cut the advantage to 21–19 before Fort Hamilton was able to close out the set. A shift in the team’s energy on Sunday made all the difference, according to Rozek.
“We had a positive energy — Saturday was just negative,” she said. “The energy just changed, and changed the entire playing field.”
The Hornets didn’t go quietly even after Fort Hamilton went out to an 11–5 lead in the second set behind the serving of Jailene Paredes Casado. Midwood played its best volleyball of the match as Bryanna Fisher and Celine Walker took control of play around the net. Midwood’s passing and defense were crisper. It took the lead for good at 15–14 on an ace from Martina Hasangjekaj. Midwood just wasn’t able to sustain that level of play in the third set.
“They were more consistent,” said Midwood coach Thomasina Lenzi. “We gave them opportunities and they took the opportunities. They out-played us today.”
Budna dominated the final set. The Tigers used a 7–0 run to grab control with a 17–5 lead and Budna had a hand in five of those points. That allowed Fort Hamilton to put its poor start to this stretch behind it. The victory shows the rest of the league that the Hornets will be in the hunt for the city title this year.
“It’s everything,” Rozeck said. “It shows other teams. It gives them a statement of who we are and how we can play.”
