The Girls Varsity Volleyball team was one of the most impressive fall sports programs at Greeley in 2022. Heading into the year, Lohud had the team 10th in their weekly power rankings, and the team has proven this correct.
The girls started the fall off strong, keeping their momentum high throughout the two-month stretch with a dominant win over Clarkstown North towards the end of the regular season, giving the Quakers an 11-2 record. With 4 regular season games to go, the girls team was amped up and ready for the playoffs. Senior Emma Rose led the way with 19 assists and 6 digs, and sophomore Ace Tillotson had a team high 10 kills. Home vs both Ossining and Saunders, and away at White Plains and Fox Lane, the girls looked to finish up what will go down as a great year for the program. The team had beaten Fox Lane, Ossining, and Saunders but lost a game to White Plains earlier in the season. A revenge game would have gone a long way for the Quakers, propelling them into a higher seed for the playoffs. Ossining did put up a good fight versus Greeley last time though, but in the end the Quakers won in convincing fashion and settled thescore with White Plains, ending the regular season 15-2 as co-league champions. “Last year our team played Ossining and lost in a really close game,” says sophomore Chloe Snyder who plays on the right side of the court. “It was really gratifying to beat them this year in another close game.”

Despite the league success for the Quakers, there were worries about how the young-yet-flourishing roster would handle their lack of experience in this playoff’s extra competitive environment. There’s no question that the roster with eight underclassmen was talented – sophomore Hope Suh (who led the team with 8 aces in the win versus Clarkstown North) was nominated for Lohud Player of the Week. But the real question was: how would this team match up against more matured teams? “We graduated eight seniors

last year so we definitely have a way younger team, but we also have three returning sophomores who played as freshman last year,” Snyder said, “obviously we don’t know how the playoffs are going to go, but we’ve been really strong this season so far and I’m really confident in our team.”
A playoff environment is definitely a more nerve-racking atmosphere; however, the team was confident that they could really make a statement. “I think the whole team this year definitely has a lot more confidence after having such and improved record from last year,” says Snyder, “I think we’re all excited for sectionals, and to keep moving forward after each game,” Heading into the playoffs last year was a much different story for this team, as they dove in with a 4-12 record with nowhere near the same level of expectations. This year, the team came into sectionals as the 3rd seed— the girls had nowhere to go but up and fight for a spot in the history books as Section 1 Class A Champs.
In three rounds, the Quakers rolled through their opposition with 3-0, 3-1, and 3-1 set wins over Gorton, John-Jay CR, and #2 seed Harrison. They were proving why they were a breakout team to be reckoned with. But although the hype was unmatched, the team ultimately fell short in the final to #1 ranked Lakeland, losing 3-1. Still, with such a young squad coming off of last year’s disappointing season, the maturing team has a lot to be proud of and look forward to in the coming years with championship-contending experience under their belt.