Though the Vixens, the girls’ volleyball team, have had sufficient playoff experience from the past four years, Stuyvesant played against the top-seeded Francis Lewis Patriots for the first time this season during their semifinal game on Thursday, November 15 at Hunter College.
“They were a new team and we knew some things about them, but we had no experience,” junior and starter Tina Khiani said.
Stuyvesant lost to Francis Lewis in two sets, 25-13, 25-20 in the Vixens’ first semifinal appearance since 2005, when they lost to John F. Kennedy (JFK) High School, 2-0.
The Vixens had a weak start and their inexperience was quickly evident in the first game. Stuyvesant consistently hit the ball out and couldn’t communicate effectively, which led to the team trailing 19-9 before Vixens coach Phil Fisher called their second timeout.
“We were intimidated in the first game and we played it,” Fisher said.
“The team was constantly hearing how great France Lewis was, that we just let it get to our heads,” senior Stephanie Shen said.
The tables seemed to turn in the second game, which the Vixens led 16-11 before Patriots coach Arnie Rosenbaum called a timeout. Following the break, “I missed the serve and sometimes one point can change the whole momentum,” Khiani said. “We were thrown out of our comfort mode of watching them lose points.”
Francis Lewis took the lead for good and advanced to the championship round, where the Patriots defeated Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in two sets on Saturday, November 17.
“We knew we had to play at the top of our game and that just didn’t happen,” senior and co-captain Laura Genes said.
The loss follows a tightly played quarterfinal victory against Bronx High School of Science on Tuesday, November 13 in two games, 25-22, 25-23. “That was scary,” Genes said. “As scary as it was, it made the payoff greater.”
In the first game, senior Vanessa Charubhumi broke a 22-22 tie with two straight serving aces followed by a kill to secure a winning game for the Vixens.
Both teams traded points, as well as serving errors, during the second game, in which the lead was never larger than two points for either team. There were 15 total lead changes for both games.
The last one, however, clinched a semifinal berth for the Vixens: Stuyvesant tied the game, 23-23, following a block by sophomore Alexandra Albright. Charubhumi, who had five total service points, served the game out to ensure the win.
The Vixens would not win again until they captured third place over the third-seeded Hunter High School Hawks in two games on Saturday, November 17 at York College. The Vixens played “one of [their] best games minus the serving,” senior Lauren Gonzalez said.
“Thursday’s game was definitely motivation and we wanted to end the season on a high note,” said senior Kathrene Gawel, who replaced Shen because she was unable to attend the game.
Previous playoff experience finally paid off for the Vixens, who lost to JFK in the playoffs for the past three years. “We played three games against [Hunter] and were very familiar with their game,” Charubhumi said. “It was a more comfortable game than Thursday’s.”
The Vixens struggled with their serving, before breaking the game open with a 14-7. The Hawks clawed their way to tie the game at 23-23. The Vixens closed out game one, 25-23.
“There was no pressure this time around [because] we were expected to lose [against a higher seed],” Genes said. They played nearly flawless volleyball for the first half of the game, taking a 12-5 lead. But after multiple Hawks rallies, the deficit was cut to 22-19. An ace by senior Diana Fedorova sealed the win for the Vixens after winning the second game, 25-21.
The Vixens walked away with a bronze medal, which was “a reflection of not only this game, but of our great season as a whole,” Albright said.
Fisher, in his thirteenth year of coaching girls’ volleyball, said, “I can’t be anything but proud of these girls. Some of them, like Laura [have been] with me for a while and to win bronze is just great.”
Genes, in her fourth and final year as a Vixen, said, “Bronze medal [is] not bad by my standards.”