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Third set rally powers Fontbonne Hall to second straight diocesan title

Third set rally powers Fontbonne Hall to second straight diocesan title
Fontbonne Hall

A ferocious rally in the third set propelled the Fontbonne Hall girls volleyball team to its second straight diocesan title

Archbishop Molloy jumped out to a 23–17 lead in the third frame of the Brooklyn-Queens championship on Nov.5, leaving the Bonnies two points away from a potential 2–1 deficit. Fontbonne responded by showed a champion’s determination and responded with an 8–0 run to take the set and swing momentum back in its favor. The Bonnies never looked back and defeated host Molloy 25–23, 24–26, 25–23, 25–20.

Only two points late in the third frame separated Fontbonne from seeing its season being on the line, but coach Linda Strong told her players to relax and just play to their potential.

“I said ‘Play your game,’” she said. “Everybody was trying to kill the ball, and they just needed to try to play their game a little bit more. That’s all.”

The brush with falling in a deep hole and the coach’s pep talk motivated the team.

“We just came together, started communicating, picked each other up, and then brought it back,” said senior outside hitter Emily Greenstein.

Fontbonne built on its surge in the fourth set and jumped to a 19–11 lead, but Molloy fought back on a 7–0 run to cut the lead to 19–18. The momentum again hung in the balance, and Fontbonne once again took a step back to breathe, another player said.

“We got a little too confident when we had the lead, so we had to just take it point by point,” senior outside hitter Francesca Castelleno said. “We had to stay relaxed and don’t underestimate what they’re capable of doing.”

Fontbonne responded to Molloy’s surge with a 6–2 run to win the set, the match, and the diocesan championship.

The Bonnies ended St. Francis Prep’s seven-year reign last year, and after Thursday, Fontbonne has cobbled together string of its own — though winning for the second year in a row was a challenge.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Strong said.

Fontbonne will move on to the state tournament at St. Anthony’s on Long Island on Nov. 14. The squad placed third last season, but senior players want to end their careers with a crown this year.

“I definitely feel like we have unfinished business,” Greenstein said. “I feel like this team can be the first in Fontbonne history to win states.”