By David J. Hill
AMHERST — They showed plenty of heart and grit, but in the end Grand Island came up just short in a five-set thriller in Thursday's Section VI Class A girls volleyball final at Daemen College. The Vikings fell to Hamburg 3-2, giving the Bulldogs their first-ever sectional title.
“It was a game of runs. Both teams went on some good runs,” GI coach John Head said. “The games they won, they were able to go on some big runs.”
Grand Island took the first match 25-22, but the Bulldogs barked back with a big second set, in which they led at one point, 12-0. Hamburg took the third set, 25-20, before GI pushed it to a fifth game with a 25-20 fourth-set win.
The fifth set was a back and forth battle, with GI holding a brief three-point lead of 10-7. The Bulldogs rallied back and tied the set at 11 all on a service ace from senior libero Julie Hagner, who was solid for Hamburg the whole match. The final set was delayed for a few minutes as officials worked through a scoring glitch that changed the set from a 13-13 tie to a 14-11 GI lead to, ultimately, a 13-12 Vikings advantage.
After that, the two squads matched each other point for point, until Kiersten Krolikowski helped Hamburg pull away 22-19. Grand Island climbed back to pull within one late in the game, 23-22, but the Bulldogs held on.
“It was a back and forth battle. They just had more in the end,” Head said, adding that his girls never let down. “They hustled and they fought back. Going down 2-1, they kept battling.”
Senior Chelsea Hall had a huge match for the Vikings, recording 23 kills. “She played her heart out,” Head said. Senior libero Maria Guidotti had four aces and 22 digs.
“It's well-deserved. They’ve come a long way,” Hamburg coach John Crangle said of his team. “It gives the program a new identity. It’s pretty exciting, to say the least.”
Crangle praised the Vikings for their no-quit attitude. “They have good size and good grit. They weren't going away,” he said.
Hamburg advances to next week’s Far West Regional, which will be hosted by Lockport High School.
