Crosstown Volleyball Rivals Come Together to Honor Kennedy Alum

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Wednesday, Oct.  9, Somers went across town to Kennedy Catholic, and there was a time in the previous century where a fierce rivalry took precedence. But that was not the case on this day. Instead, the volleyball exhibition and fundraiser was meant to turn sadness into joy and build community across the two schools.

Olivia Sherry passed away last May, and the tragedy had volleyball Coach Tony Santora giving voice to why the day was set aside for the 2019 Kennedy Catholic graduate.

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“Everything she did at this school, she loved. So we honor you today. That’s what it’s all about," said Santora.

Under the banner of All In, Olivia definitely was for everything she did. Sherry was the four-year manager for the varsity lacrosse and football programs, and the players affectionately referred to her as “Mom.” She was also a member of the Kennedy Catholic choir, and founded the Bell Choir which still performs at area nursing homes.

The Gael graduated Cum Laude from Clemson in May 2023 and with her Master of Arts in Teaching, she dreamed of teaching 8th grade English. Sadly not to be, the large gathering of enthusiastic fans picked up where she left off.
The same for the players, Somers and Kennedy weren’t just putting on a show. Up front, Maren Kellock got the memo early, and at 4-2, the Tusker realized a pretty tall order was in the way. Zuzka Rodriguez to be specific, the middle hitter was plenty of wall, and the big block moved Kennedy within one.

A tie came next, and the home team stayed in the middle with a center kill by Ellie Brown. But the real whirlwind took place in the lead up. One of many furious rallies, Alexia Neofytides didn’t have a hard time explaining the grit.

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“We all want it, and we all want to prove to everyone that we can do it,” said the Kennedy senior.

Not on the tall end for a hitter, her slam initially requires a double take from opponents. “I’m sure they are surprised, because you look at the height then you see the girl can actually hit,” said Neofytides, and Kennedy would soon take a 9-8 lead on her slam.

Two kills later by Rodriguez and Kennedy led 14-10. Of course, Somers came to play too. Gianna Morales answered with two kills, and Olivia Tran’s ace tied the game at 14.

A long way to go, a Rodriguez spike regained the lead but not for long. Kellock nailed two in a row, and a 20-16 Somers lead was had on an Alex Googel dink and a Kellock ace.

Still, Kennedy stayed close. After a Kellock serve into the net, Brown knocked down a kill, and Berlin Gonzalez served up an ace.

21-19, the rest was all Somers and began when Katie Kourakos dropped a second hit dink. Perfect execution, Coach Stacey Pittman still dropped his head.

Possibly in dismay for deferring a hit, the reaction was actually one of amusement that remembered the overall good nature of the day. “I think she did it because she didn’t want to run anymore,” joked Pittman. “She needed a break.”

Googel then executed a pair of kills for a 25-19 final. So, a little momentum, Somers jumped out. Tran led off with an ace, Kellock killed in the three hole, and Abby Babboni delivered another spike in the cleanup spot.

A 4-1 game, a pair of aces by Mia McConnell kept the game close at 5-4, and miscues on both ends kept the margin one. That is until Brown stood tall. In the middle, the senior’s slam went down and gave Kennedy an 8-7 lead.

Back and forth, Kellock and Brown exchanged kills until the Kennedy stop gap stepped aside for her counterpart. Kellock leaned in for another hit, and Zuzka Rodriguez got to the mountain top first for the block.

11-10, it was Kennedy’s last lead in game two. Adrianna Adelmann dodged the big Kennedy front line with a kill from the center, and after Emma Barton dealt an ace, Adelmann did it again for a 15-12 lead.

Two of the next three to Somers, the eventual drops were no day at the beach on Route 138.  “They really hustle,” said Kourakos, but either way the rally went, the crowd came out the winner every time.

Back on the court, Somers went up five on kills by Googel and Morales, so Kennedy went front and center again. Brown got the block on Morales, and two errant Somers hits got Kennedy back to 19-17.

That was close enough for Somers. Morales and Babboni added kills to a Libby Hochman ace, and Somers closed out a 25-20 win.

Onto game three, Kennedy led early. Rodriguez wound up for a 3-2 lead, but the Tuskers answered with five straight points.

A Morales kill maintained the margin at 12-7 and the writing on the wall. Sorry, Samantha Devino chose illiteracy.

On a second ball, Tran dinked into the no man’s land between the front and back, and Devino came flying in with palms down. The ball up, Rodriguez found her own space with a dink, and the excitement had the libero citing her inspiration

“Olivia was a great role model for a lot of people here,” asserted the senior.

From there, a Neofytides kill and Lylah Martinez ace kept Kennedy within range at 17-14, but Somers took it from there and finished up.

A 25-16 victory for the sweep, the numbers were the last thing that mattered and Claire Cronin provided the perfect epilogue. “We were all out here to be all in,” the sophomore concluded.

The Sherry Family will be creating a foundation to carry on Olivia’s dreams and passions in literacy, teaching and community service. All proceeds will go towards scholarships and initiatives supporting these important initiatives. If you would like to make a donation do so via Venmo at Joanne-McConnell-16.

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