John Jay Snaps Somers Volleyball's Undefeated Streak

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Oct. 1, first place was on the line for undefeated Somers, and John Jay stood in the way. Sharing the title last year, the teams lived up to the top billing, but of course, only one team held the marquee.

After splitting the first two sets, John Jay won the third, and narrowly prevailed in the fourth for the victory.

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A pair of Maren Kellock kills began the first set in a 2-2 tie, but John Jay would jump out to a 12-5 lead. Not taking advantage, John Jay responded with several miscues, and another Kellock kill contained the score at 13-9.

Now Somers stalled, and the lead grew to 18-10. Several miscues and a pair of blocks by Hellen Dollar created the margin. So Somers worked the pendulum. Alex Googel killed, and Adrianna Adelmann drew an ace to start the rebound.

Down six at 19-13, Katie Kourakos inched to 20-16 with another ace, and a long rally had Olivia Tran playing the wildcard. Back and forth, she bumped the second hit, and John Jay was caught off guard.

The ball fell and so did Libby Hochman’s subsequent serve. A 21-18 game, Tran pulled another ace to make it 22-20, but Jaime Bartley-Cohen smacked two kills to send John Jay to a 25-20 victory.

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Somers maintained the momentum in game two, though, and the roles reversed. The Tuskers led early, and John Jay battled back.

Tran’s ace led to a 4-0 advantage, and Emma Barton’s set on the far right allowed Kellock to use the whole court. Off one foot, the hitter lofted above and to the back left corner for a 6-2 lead.

On a roll, the Somers setters went back, front and center and had diving saves from Kourakos and Tran to aid in the process. Barton hit Googel on the left for one, Barton set to Kellock for the second row kill, and Kourakos served up Gianna Morales for the middle slam.

12-5 again, John Jay stayed on script. Bartley-Cohen had four kills, and Riley Buckingham and Haley Hoskins added two kills each for a 14-13 game.

Hoskins served long on the next point, but John Jay kept coming. Ilirijana Ahmetaj nailed two kills, and Dollar aced twice for a 17-17 tie.

An errant bump by Ahmetaj gave Somers back the lead, and after Adelmann doubled it with an ace, Ahmetaj added two more errors.

Now 21-17, setter played hitter. Barton dished back to Kourakos, and the lefty slam made it 22-18. Back to serve, Kourakos had John Jay hitting the ceiling on the bump, and the 23-19 lead was too much for the Wolves to overcome.

A 25-21 tally, game three went back and forth before John Jay pulled away. Bartley-Cohen and Adelmann traded kills to start, and then Ahmetaj and Adelmann exchanged dinks.

A 4-3 deficit for Somers, mini runs came next. Aided by a pair of Somers spikes into the net, John Jay went up 8-4 on a Bartley-Cohen kill that painted the line.

Somers’ turn, Kellock got one with a dink, and Morales tied at eight with a center kill that teed up the home team.

Bartley-Cohen and Buckingham executed slams, but the 11-8 lead didn’t last. Kellock swung two kills, and Hochman tied the game at 11 with an ace.

13-13 was next on the in and out. Kellock killed first and then hit long.

On the other side, Ahmetaj stroked two slams, and the two point lead was soon four. Hanna Martisen dropped a dink, and Ahmetaj nailed another for an 18-14 lead.

Adelmann got one back from the center.  But a Dollar ace and three more kills from Ahmetaj put John Jay a game away with a 25-17 win.

Game four, the decider was all heart on Somers’ part. A Tran ace got the Tuskers on the board and kills from Kellock and Adelmann made for a 4-3 edge.

Of course, Ahmetaj was up for another cliffhanger. She delivered three kills, and a 6-6 game was had.

A back row spike by Dollar made it 8-6, so Tran softened up the floor to keep the game from getting away.

Hydroplaning the surface, her flattened palm kept the point alive, and that left Bartley-Cohen hitting out.

Unfortunately, Somers responded with a couple of serves into the net, and the Tuskers fell behind 11-8. The lead grew to 14-10 on a Casabona ace, and Coach Pittman called for time.

Back on the court, Kellock and Adelmann delivered. A kill and a kill out of the box, and after John Jay got the two back, Kellock and Adelmann served up a kill and an ace respectively.

16-14, John Jay went big again. Ahmetaj dropped one slam, and Bartley-Cohen wound up for three more to open their lead to 21-17.

A fourth seemed certain until a long call had the Wolves wishing. Tran refusing to grant, she struck another ace, and after Bartley-Cohen hit long twice for a 21-21 game, Tran’s diving save set Kellock up for another kill.

Bartley-Cohen hit into the net for a 23-21 Somers lead, so the John Jay senior redeemed herself. She knocked down the kill, and a little controversy followed.

Hoskins’ serve dropped short and onto the sideline according to the ref.  Pittman’s protest went unheeded, and Ahmetaj’s subsequent kill yielded a 24-23 lead.

A point away, Ahmetaj dinked a perfect set into the net and it was deuce. Resetting, Ahmetaj didn’t hold back and made good on the slam.

Ad in, John Jay made friends with the boundary again. Casabona served deep, and the line smacked, a heartbreaking 26-24 defeat sent Somers home. That is until the next time.

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