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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
When Fort Hamilton won its second-straight girls’ volleyball city title at Hunter College last Tuesday, the teammate who may have contributed the most to the victory wasn’t even on the court.
The girls had a picture taped to a seat on the bench of former team manager Eduard Nogay, who died of cancer last June. They also wore yellow ribbons in their hair, on their cheeks and on the back of their uniforms to honor Nogay, a former boys’ volleyball player at Fort Hamilton who learned to play one-handed after he lost his right arm to the disease.
“Even though he lost his arm he kept playing,” said Marlena Budna. “He loved the sport so much. That inspired us to keep going.”
Top-seeded Fort Hamilton, which has won 33 straight matches, scored an impressive 25–18, 25–12, win over No. 2 Riverdale-Kingsbridge in the Public School Athletic League Class B final Nov. 29, in a rematch of last year’s title game.
The Fort Hamilton team dug deep when it needed to in the first set, before putting on a dominant performance in the second frame. Riverdale-Kingsbridge (15–2) got within 19–16 and 20–18 in the first set, and each time Fort Hamilton (19–0) was able to answer. Both times Bunda came up with big kills.
Senior Sarina Rozek went on a 4–0 serve run to end the first set. Junior Alexandra Rivera produced a 9–0 service run in the second set, that included three aces to put her team up 16–6. Stephanie Rozek added 15 assists.
“I’ve been blessed with amazing kids,” Fort Hamilton coach Richard Sherry said.
Fort Hamilton, off of another title, would like to go up to the Class A division next year, a promotion it though it deserved this season.
It has certainly proved itself worthy with wins over A-division runner-up Midwood and semifinalist Susan Wagner. Fort Hamilton also beat the likes of Poly Prep and Brooklyn-Queens diocese runner-up Fontbonne Hall.
“Obviously, it’s evident that we deserve to be in A,” Rivera said.
To them, despite graduating a number of key players, a promotion doesn’t mean they can’t strive to keep the championships coming to a program that is just seven years old.
“Today it meant a lot winning two in a row,” Budna said. “Hopefully, we go to A next year and do the same.”