Girls' Volleyball Wins Five-Set Thriller Over Smithtown East, Advances to Finals

The Ward Melville Patriots triumphed in what may have been the girls' volleyball game of the year when they defeated the Smithtown East Bulls 3-2 on Tuesday night.  The Patriots traded games with the Bulls until the fifth and final set, when everything came together and they landed five consecutive points to win the match.

Heroes: Hailey Blunt lead the Patriots with her 20 kills and two aces. Leigh Anne Brazier and Emily Astarita and Kristin Bendy came through with three blocks each to lead the team.

The Turning Point: The match came down to the very last game.  Just when it seemed that the Patriots would take over, Smithtown East would bounce back and gain momentum.  Both teams did a great job making adjustments once the other team gained control. In the fifth set, Ward Melville finally was able to establish an early lead, 13-6.  Smithtown East played hard to close to gap to two, but Ward Melville never looked back and eventually won the last game 25-18.

Quotable: "We wore down a little bit," said Ward Melville head coach Charles Fernandes. "I think our defense could have been a little bit better today.  We were a little slow adjusting to what they were doing to us. A couple of our hitters started out slow, but we were just able to come at you from so many different angles."

The Bottom Line: Lindenhurst was the only team to beat the Patriots this season.

"I felt like last time we didn't play our best," said Fernandes. "I'm hopeful that if we play this plan against them on Thursday, that we should be able to win."

Tuesday's match was a real test for the Patriots and if they want earn a championship, they'll have to pass another one as they try to get some redemption as well.

Key Stat: Alexa Stonish did a great job defensively at the Libero position.  She led the team with her 36 digs in the game.

Who's Next? The No. 2 Patriots will take on No. 1 Lindenhurst at St. Joseph's College on Thursday at 8 p.m.

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