10:33 p.m.: 25-14 Hen Hud wins. The Sailors advance to the finals against Eden tomorrow at 2 p.m. as a chant of “We’re going to the ‘ship” breaks out amongst the Hen Hud crowd.

10:28 p.m.: The crowd has broken into a “Swertfager” chant. Now that’s appropriate. The coach is closing in on reaching her fourth straight state final.

10:26 p.m.: I just spent 10 minutes standing with a portion of the Hen Hud crowd. Quite a bunch.

The group never seems to stop cheering or singing, including doing a rendition of “I will follow you” from Sister Act. They certainly have been faithful following their team throughout the postseason.

Oh yeah, there is a game going on here. Hen Hud leads 17-7…

10:16 p.m.: The crowd started chanting “new computer, new computer” in honor of my IBM Thinkpad from circa 2001. No arguments here.

10:14 p.m.: Hen Hud wins game one 25-8. The Sailors are one game away from reaching the finals and playing Section 6’s Eden, which moved on earlier.

10:08 p.m.: 17-5 Hen Hud. Just some random thoughts on the Sailors’ crowd. Very, very impressive (And I’m not just writing that because they’ve chanted my name a few times today…).

It’s really great to see such school spirit once again. There are students with their faces, white sailor hats painted with players’ names, and even their chests painted to spell out Hen Hud. There are countless chants and songs that they have been doing. The K’s are hanging for every time Kami Nethersole, a.k.a. the K-Train racks up a kill. And yes, they are very, very loud.

I know this because a huge portion of this rowdy crowd has moved to stand right behind me. I keep hearing comments like you should write this down or did you get that. Honestly, there are too many rituals that this group of fans have come up with to mention though.

So win or lose, Hen Hud’s crowd is definitely victorious in my unofficial state volleyball fan contest.

10:06 p.m.: It’s been a long time, but Hen Hud is finally back in action. The Sailors are playing Section 2’s Ravena and have a 13-4 lead early on.

7:40 p.m.: What a dramatic turn of events from 20 minutes ago. Hen Hud just dominated a demoralized John Glenn team, 25-13 in the second game to win 2-0. The Sailors are now in the driver’s seat with a 2-2 record and having faced their two toughest opponents.

Up next (in who only knows how long), the Sailors will take on Section 2’s Ravena, who lost to Glenn 2-0 in the opening match of this wave of pool play.

I also want to point out two under-the-radar players who have performed well. Taylor Wickel and libero Kristina Pelaccio. Wickel had four kills and a block in this mini-match and Pelaccio had a rare but huge kill in the first game where she tipped the ball over the net that set up game point for the Sailors.

Okay, time to go scrounge for some food. I have a good amount of free time so I might take a little walk… if it’s not raining. Back with more updates later.

7:35 p.m.: Hen Hud has extended its lead to 18-11. Kami Nethersole has nine kills thus far in this mini-match (if that’s not a real term, I’m coining it).

7:30 p.m.: Right on cue, the Sailors have ripped off a 7-0 run to grab an 11-4 lead. Sareeta Nethersole has two kills and an ace thus far in this game.

7:25 p.m.: Hen Hud trails 7-5. The Sailors need to get back to playing that great defense they played down the stretch of game one.

7:20 p.m.: I hate to keep saying wow, but … wow. Hen Hud wins 29-27. The Sailors saved off five set points and now the pressure is on John Glenn. Neither team can afford a 2-0 loss to the hands of anyone other than Eden.

7:18 p.m.: Gut-wrenching is about the only way I can describe this one. Hen Hud leads 28-27 after saving five set points. We’ll see if they can pull this out.

7:10 p.m.: Hen Hud is rallying. Down 21-18, it’s now 21 all. Kami Nethersole just had an incredible block where she hung in the air and then swatted the ball down with her left hand.

7:02 p.m.: I don’t know if it’s a hangover from the Eden mini-match or not, but Hen Hud is struggling. The Sailors trail 14-9 and head coach Diane Swertfager just called timeout.

6:54 p.m.: We’re in the early stages of what will likely be an elimination match between Hen Hud and John Glenn.

6:35 p.m.: Eden wins 25-23. What an amazing two games. Hen Hud may be 0-2 but it proved it can hang with anyone. The Sailors need to regroup now. They have four more games left and they probably need to win all four to reach tomorrow’s final.

6:30 p.m.: We are tied at 23. Once again … wow.

6:25 p.m.: Eden has taken a 23-20 lead.

6:15 p.m.: Sorry for the delay in posting, but the play in this match has been absolutely spellbinding. Eden snuck out a 25-23 win in game one and the two teams are tied at 15 in game two.

Wow. What a match.

Hey everyone,

Just to give you an update, Hen Hud probably won’t play for another hour. Both AA and D went long in the first wave of pool play so we’re way behind schedule here.

The Sailors weren’t scheduled to play in the first time slot either, which is making for a longer wait.

When it does start, Hen Hud will be tested right away. The Sailors will play Section 6’s Eden and then Section 11’s John Glenn.

The teams all just came on the court for the opening ceremonies and let me just say that Eden has a player who might be the tallest girl I’ve ever seen on the high school level. Back with more later.

Westlake wins their second game 25-12. The Wildcats will face Salamanca (Section 6) tomorrow at noon in the Class C state final.

Westlake won their first game against Lake George 25-12. The Wildcats have clinched a spot in the finals.

Westlake vs. Lake George: Hey everyone, Alex here. I’ve hijacked Casey’s computer momentarily since my prehistoric laptop has decided to make me be the only person in the building without internet access. Guess it maybe time to upgrade from my college computer after all…

Anyway, we’re moments away from Westlake’s final match in pool play. The Wildcats are in great shape at 3-1 and facing a Lake George team that although has a tremendous crowd (they’re from right down the road) hasn’t managed to win a game yet. The Wildcats just need a split to advance to the final. Back with more later.

The Wildcats have a break until the last match of pool play around 2 p.m. I’ll be back then with some updates.

Westlake vs. Lake George: Hey everyone, Alex here. I’ve hijacked Casey’s computer momentarily since my prehistoric laptop has decided to make me be the only person in the building without internet access. Guess it maybe time to upgrade from my college computer after all…

Anyway, we’re moments away from Westlake’s final match in pool play. The Wildcats are in great shape at 3-1 and facing a Lake George team that although has a tremendous crowd (they’re from right down the road) hasn’t managed to win a game yet. The Wildcats just need a split to advance to the final. Back with more later.

The Wildcats have a break until the last match of pool play around 2 p.m. I’ll be back then with some updates.

Westlake vs. East Rockaway (2-0):

12 p.m. – Westlake defeated East Rockaway 25-10 in the second game. That makes the Wildcats 3-1.

11:55 a.m. – The Wildcats are leading 17-8.

11:48 a.m. – Wildcats lead 8-6 after a huge kill by Jillian Dunne.

11:40 a.m. – Game 1 final: Westlake pulls out a 25-21 victory over East Rockaway. Now can they do it again?

11:36 a.m. – The Wildcats have a 21-17 lead but East Rockaway has the serve.

11:27 a.m. – Westlake battled back and has a 12-8 lead over East Rockaway. It’s anybody’s game.

11:21 a.m. – Westlake is keeping pace with the Rocks. It’s a 5-5 game right now.

East Rockaway blew Lake George away first round. Let’s see if Westlake can give them some trouble. It’s 4-1 over on court 2.

3:39 p.m. – Chateaugay takes it 25-20. They advance to tomorrow’s final to face Portville at 10 a.m.

3:38 p.m. – Chateaugay has a match point. 24-19. Haldane keeps it alive with a dink over the net. 24-20.

3:36 p.m. – It’s 20-18 Chateaugay right now but the Blue Devils aren’t going down without a fight. Make that 21-18 with a big kill from Annie Smith.

3:32 p.m.- Haldane’s making a comeback. 16-14.

3:27 p.m. – The Blue Devils have brought the game within one at 11-10.

3:22 p.m. – Haldane is hurting themselves out there on the floor with a lot of simple mistakes. They have to find their rhythm. The Westlake girls are showing support in the stands cheering for the Blue Devils. Classy move Wildcats!

3:18 p.m. – Chateaugay is up 5-1.

Final records: Portville 6-0, Haldane 2-4, Chateaugay 2-4, Candor 2-4

Candor is knocked out of the running.

Chateaugay came out on top 25-9 in the tie break. They now face Haldane…who looks ready to go.

Candor and Chateaugay are going to play a one-game tie-breaker and the winner will face Haldane in a winner take all battle for the championship.

Candor and Chateaugay split but it looks like they are going to play a tie break. Update to come.

Haldane needs a split but Candor easily took the first game over Chateaugay. It’s going to be an interesting afternoon.

1:45 p.m. – Haldane was able to last one more point but fell 25-16. They are 2-4 in pool play and now Candor and and Chateaugay have to split their match or Haldane is out of the finals.

1:44 p.m. – Match point for Portville… 24-15… this could be it for Haldane.

1:39 p.m. – The Panthers lead 18-12.

1:32 p.m. – Haldane is down 8-4 but playing much better.

1:25 p.m. – Haldane drops the first game to Portville 25-17 and it wasn’t even close. The Panthers had a lock on this game. The Blue Devils have to split this match to avoid a potential three way tie for the challenger spot in the final.

1:18 p.m. – Portville leads 18-12 and the game isn’t as close as the score indicates. The Blue Devils haven’t been able to find much of an offense this game and the Panthers are dominating on the court.

1:13 p.m. – The Panthers have increased their lead to 11-7 and still have the serve. Time out was called by the Blue Devils. Haldane needs to find their groove to stay in this championship.

1:12 p.m. - Portville has a 8-7 lead.

1:04 p.m. – I’m still here – though barely. It’s cold here in the civic center. Haldane is taking the floor against Portville. The Blue Devils need these wins to advance so let’s hope they can pull it out.

Hey everyone,

I will be travelling up to Glens Falls in a bit for coverage of the state volleyball final four. Casey will be coming too and we will have everything you want to know about the happenings at the Glens Falls Civic Center right here.

I had a preview of the final weekend of the high school volleyball season in today’s paper. Check it out for more info.

In the meantime, a reminder of the schedule. Westlake (Class C) and Haldane (Class D) will begin play in the early wave of pool play that will get under way at 9 a.m. Hen Hud (Class B) will begin playing in the afternoon wave that begins at 3:30 p.m.

Okay, time to pack and hit the road. If you’re coming make sure to bring plenty of warm clothes. You may be inside, but the civic center is the coldest building on earth. It’s science…

Once again, if you’re not making the voyage north, we will have updates and wrapups throughout the weekend. So keep it tuned here!

Okay, the presidential may have wrapped up nearly a week ago, but you can still vote.

For the Gameday Central Gameface of the Week that is.

Volleyball is represented by Suffern’s Josheph Albarelli.  I don’t exactly know what he’s doing but it looks like a mix between getting out of the way and posing for a spread in Vogue magazine.

And while you’re out there voting, chime in with your thoughts on regionals and upcoming states. It’s amazing to think I’m going to go five full days without seeing any volleyball, but in the meantime, we can still talk about it!

Okay, time to hit the road. Looks like I should make it back in time for the kickoff of the Giants game after all. 

It was another successful day for Section 1 with two more teams advancing to the state final four. For a second straight year and for my second year covering h.s. volleyball, the section will have three teams at Glen Falls competing for a state title.  I guess I’m a pretty good luck charm… 

Let me know how you think things will play out. Back with more later!

Game 4 update: Cornwall took a thrilling fourth game, 25-23. The Dragons won the match 3-1 and they will move onto the state final four at Glens Falls next weekend. 

Game 3 update: Fox Lane has some life in it after all. The Foxes won game three 25-20 and are now down 2-1 in the match. 

Game 2 update: Things do not look good for Fox Lane. Corwall cruised to a 25-11 win in game two and now holds a commanding 2-0 lead. The Dragons won the final nine points of the set. 

Game 1 update:  Fox Lane just dropped the first game 25-22. The Foxes had rallied to take a lead, but the Dragons responded with five straight points to end it. Fox Lane definitely has its hands full with Cornwalls’ Alex Gagliano, who is dominating play in the middle.

This match just got underway. I’ll be here to provide updates after every game. Back in a bit!

Third game update: Westlake wins 25-20 to close out the match 3-0. A very impressive victory for the Wildcats who will head back to Glens Falls for the state final four next weekend. Back with more later. 

Second game update: Westlake continues to roll. The Wildcats won game two 25-13 and now hold a commanding 2-0 lead over the Blazers.

First game update: Westlake just took the first game 25-16. The Wildcats trailed 6-1 and 10-5, but finished on a 14-4 run. 

1:40 p.m.: Hey everyone. I’m all set up at the media table and we’re about 10 minutes away from starting this match.

Pine Bush’s dramatic 3-2 win over Horseheads in the Class AA game before has put everything behind schedule for the rest of the day, but hey, that’s volleyball.

Hen Hud made quick work of Red Hook in the early match that Casey covered. I just talked with our photographer, Seth, and he was very impressed with the play of Kami Nethersole. Who isn’t though? After all, she’s earned the nickname of the K-TRAIN.

It’s nice to see that the Sailors, at least a large portion of them, have stuck around to cheer on their fellow Section 1 teams. Okay back with an update after the first game.

10:35 a.m. – Hen Hud is going to states with a 25-11 win in the third game.

Alex will be here later to give you updates on the Westlake and Fox Lane games.

I’m going home to watch the Jets game.

10:30 a.m. - Sailors went up 18-11. Stephanie Gmeiner is in off the bench to serve. Make that 19-11 with a short hit by the K-train set up by librero Kristin Pelaccio.

10:25 a.m. - Full power is back on in the gym. The scoreboard is finally working. The Sailors are up 11-8 after seven service points by Tamburri and a side out by the Raiders.

10:23 a.m. - Time out called. The Sailors have tied the game at 7-7. Tamburri is serving.

10:20 a.m. - Hen Hud is getting a little sloppy in the third game. They are down  4-2 early on but Kami is up to serve.

10:15 a.m. - The Sailors cruised through the second game 25-14.
10:11 a.m. - Sailors are making a run of it up 20-13. The Nethersoles are rocking this match. Kami is big at the net while Sareeta’s serving is really making a difference for the Sailors.

10:07 a.m. - The Sailors are up 14-8.

10 a.m.  - The Sailors are out to a quick 5-1 lead under the serving of Sareeta Nethersole. The Hen Hud fans are serenading her.

Red Hook has lost their momentum with the loss of their starting setter. They are going to need to pick it up to stay with the Sailors.

9:54 a.m. - Sailors finished out the game with ease, 25-15.

9:51 a.m. -The match is about to resume. Samantha Rapoli steps in for the Raiders at setter. Let’s wait and see how this changes the Raiders came and if the Sailors can further capitalize.

9:49 a.m.  -The word is that Red Hook’s setter broke her nose. Still waiting for the official word but the Sailors are trying to keep warm.

9:44 a.m. – This stop and go play cannot be good for either teams play. Since we are on an official time out. I’ll take the opportunity to give you some unofficial stats from my own stat sheet. Kami has seven kills and two blocks.

Danielle Girard from Red Hook is having a good morning, picking up what she can from the Sailors and throwing a lot back their way. She’s only a freshmen but her talent is already above most.

9:39 a.m. - Setter Jackie Tamburri is getting in on the kill action with a big kill off a Red Hook put back to put the Sailors up 21-15.

Red Hook setter Krissy Mulpeter appears to have a bloody nose. Play is delayed to check out her injury.

9:37 a.m.- Time out called. The Sailors are up 19-14. The K-train is officially warmed up and going full speed.

9:32 a.m – Amazing save by Kami Nethersole off a low pass from Jackie Tamburri. Tamburri was able to hit the ball over the net while still trying to stand up. Sailors up 13-9.

9:27 a.m. - Sailors tied it at 5-5 with a big kill by Ragin Jackson.

9:25 a.m. – Hen Hud starting off cold goes down 3-0.

9:24 am. – Finally starting!

I recently talked with Suffern boys volleyball coach Kim Cleary, who was on the bus with the team as they headed back from Syracuse (I hope they weren’t on a regular school bus).

Anyway, Suffern was eliminated in pool play at regionals at Cicero-North High School after compiling a 1-7 record against the winners of Sections 2, 3, 5, and 6. The Mounties finished fourth place overall.

Sophomore Oliver Svoboda led the way again with 30 kills and 15 blocks. Something tells me, we’re going to hear a lot more about this guy in the coming years, especially as boys volleyball gets bigger and bigger in the area.

Cleary was very pleased with how her team fared against much more established teams (this was Suffern’s first year) that have kids that play year around. The Mounties even played Section 6’s Orchard Park, the eventual winner, very close before losing 25-20.

All in all, it was a great first season for this team which finished undefeated (11-0) in sectional play and matched the girls team’s section 1 title.

Okay, off to watch a little football. I’ll be seeing plenty more volleyball tomorrow at SUNY New Paltz. Once again, here’s the schedule for Section 1 teams:

9 a.m.: Hen Hud vs. Red Hook (Class B)

1 p.m.: Westlake vs. Millbrook (Class C)

3 p.m.: Fox Lane vs. Cornwall (Class A)

So hop in the car and come see some good volleyball. Back with more tomorrow.