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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Midwood’s celebration was a long time coming.
The Hornets bench erupted and rushed the court after freshman Julie Greenspan’s set hit the floor at Hunter College last Sunday.
It ended 12 years of frustration for No. 2 Midwood as it beat No. 3 Susan Wagner 25–22, 25–22, in the semifinals to earn its first trip to the Public School Athletic League Class A girl’s volleyball final since 2001. The Hornets lost in the semifinals four of the last five seasons — including to the defending Falcons last year.
“It’s just a great feeling when a freshman comes in and serves the last point. It just shows how well we work together,” senior outside hitter Alexandra Gordon said. “We haven’t made the final since 2001. It’s definitely rewarding.”
Midwood (15–0) sealed the victory by grinding out a tight second set. The two teams went almost point for point until Wagner took a 16–14 lead. Midwood got even at 17–17 thanks to a kill from Celine Walker. An ace from setter Elizabeth Genis put Midwood up 23–20. A error by Wagner (14–1) and Greenspan’s ace closed out the set. Hornet’s coach Thomasina Lenzi said her team in the past was unable to make the plays needed to close out a match of this magnitude.
“We had to recompose ourselves and make better passes on the defense so the hitters could hit harder at the net,” she said.
The athletic Gordon was the star of the first set with early help from junior Michaela Appel. Gordon was consistently putting down passes from Genis. Her consecutive kills and blocks helped give the Hornets a 15–13 lead. A kill and an ace from Appel made it 21–17. Gordon consistently got it done.
“It’s like a machine,” Genis said of her classmate.
The Hornets planned on keeping its quest for the school’s first title rolling against top-seeded Benjamin Cardozo in the final last Tuesday. Lenzi believes the fact that her team took a set off the Judges during the season will put a seed of doubt in the Hornets’ opponents. The players don’t want to just settle for a semifinal win.
“It would mean the world to us, especially coach,” Gordon said of winning a title. “I know she really wants it. We want to do it not only for us, but for her.”