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The Xaverian HS, Bay Ridge volleyball program had a very exciting fall season.
The Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity teams captured their respective GCHSAA ‘AA’ City Championship titles. For the JV team, it’s the Clippers’ fourth consecutive city title, and the varsity team’s first-ever city championship, even within a few points of completely rewriting the state’s girls high school volleyball history books.
What makes these achievements even more impressive is that both teams played the majority of their matches on the road as Xaverian’s gym needed flood repairs. Affectionately known as the “Roads”, these teams were road warriors throughout the autumn campaign.
Starting as a combined team, the Clippers dominated the regular season with just one loss. The team defeated The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates in the diocesan semifinals to face rival Archbishop Molloy HS Briarwood for the championship title.
With the match taking place at Molloy’s home, Xaverian knew he had to come out with his “A” game. Fortunately, team captain Holly Murray gave the Clippers the right boost before the match to get them in the right frame of mind.
“You can feel the anxiety,” said Murray, a sophomore. “As a joke, to calm everyone down, I looked up the famous line from the movie ‘Wonderful.’ It got everyone really excited and ready for the game.”
Of course, the word “Amazing” was uttered by American ice hockey head coach Herb Brooks before his team’s surprise victory over the mighty Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Murray’s sweet talk was just what the Clippers needed to get into that tough circle.
“This JV game was the loudest JV game I’ve ever been to,” said head coach Marie McGoldrick.
After losing the first set and trailing in the second, the Clippers rallied to win the best-of-three match for the diocesan crown. From there, Xaverian won its fourth straight title in a two-set city championship match at Maria Regina HS, Hartsdale, New York.
As JV celebrates as city champions, they also wonder about the fate of a varsity program that is coming off an undefeated 12-0 regular season. The Clippers face rival Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge, which defeated Xavier in last season’s Brooklyn-Queens title game, in the diocesan semifinals.
The Clippers turned in a clean three-set sweep against the Bonnies, setting up a championship match with St. Francis Prep, Fresh Meadows. Prep proved to be a strong contender, winning the first two sets of the best-of-five match.
McGoldrick, who also coaches the varsity team, gathered her team after the second set and said it was going to be a long night of volleyball. He said that if the team wins the third set, it will also win the fourth.
Of course, it played exactly like that. The Clippers then built on that momentum to take the deciding fifth set and the diocesan title. Maria Regina was next in the city championship and the team won another three sets to become the undefeated city champions.
So it was on to the state finals in Buffalo, NY, where perennial girls’ Catholic high school powerhouse St. Mary’s HS, Lancaster, NY, was awaiting its 19th state title in 20 years. Really powerful.
November 12, 2022 will be a whirlwind of emotions for the Xaverian Clippers University team. Pool play rounds, semifinals, and championship matches at the state tournament all began on the same day with a 7 a.m. bus ride to the court.
After taking down St. Anthony’s HS, South Huntington, LI, in the semifinals, Xaverian of course drew St. Mary’s in the finals. A close first set went to St. Mary’s 25-23 before they went on to win 25-10.
Suddenly, Xaverian once again faced an insurmountable challenge against the state’s strongest rival. But just like in the diocesan final, the Clippers found their inner strength to take the third set and then the fourth – setting up an epic one-set-all match on the biggest stage.
With the score tied 19-19 and each team using its final timeout, St. Mary’s had a few more tight games left to clinch the title. Still, in this David vs. Goliath matchup, Xaverian not only held their own, but they pulled off the best high school volleyball game ever.
“On our first trip to the States, we almost rewrote two decades of history,” McGoldrick said. “There is no second sorrow for us, but we were very close. We’re still proud because it would have been like a ‘Hoosiers’ moment.”
“Even though we didn’t make it and we were so close, I’m proud of my teammates,” said senior outside hitter and team captain Claudia Bayard. “However, I am very proud that we have reached this level. “Win or lose, I’d be just as happy.”
All told, both teams have had plenty of success over the past two seasons. Overall, JV went 29-1 during the regular season, and the varsity had a 31-1 regular season record. In the future, of course, the Clippers program is good.
It might be a “miracle” if the varsity team gets another shot at St. Mary’s next fall, but Xaverian has established itself as a strong contender to topple Goliath. Anything can happen.
“When all of these girls look back on this season, I hope they remember the incredible way they left everyone on that court every time they played,” McGoldrick said. “Also, I hope the bonds of friendship will live on in their hearts forever, because they know that’s the mark of true champions.”
the connection Jim Mancari via email [email protected].
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