Nail Biting Match ends with Viking Victory
By: Abigail Nawrot
Staff writer
Hudson Valley Community College’s Vikings played Mohawk Valley’s Hawks at the McDonough Sports Complex on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. The game ended in a well-earned 3-0 victory for Hudson Valley.
“I thought we weren’t going to take the first set,” Hudson Valley’s Women’s Volleyball Head Coach, Kelsey Wilson, said of the match.
The intensity of the match seemed to be concentrated in the first 30 minutes, where the Vikings eventually defeated the Mohawk Valley Hawks 29-27. Any advantage Hudson Valley gained seemed quickly lost with a seesaw of points, the crowd on the edge of their seats waiting for the tiebreaker that would call the set.
Mohawk Valley started the set off strong with a three-point lead. Hudson Valley’s Madison DeMarco, an individual studies major and one of the game’s leaders, seemed visibly disoriented as she served.
“It’s only 3—we just started!” one of the crowd members called,as a chorus of “Maddy! Maddy!” rose from the stands.
After a quick recovery from the Vikings, the Hawks retaliated with a 21-21 tie. From this time forward, every lead was followed by a point from the opposing team. The crowd vigorously applauded after each home gain, the bleachers shaking with the ferocity of stomping feet. Despite having to go over a few points, Hudson Valley defeated Mohawk Valley in a 29-27 set.
The following set was an improvement, another win for the Vikings. Environmental science major, Leureah Cummings, demonstrated her volleyball skills, where she dashed out bounds to save an out of court ball multiple times.
Despite the team’s resilient playing, there seemed to be something lacking. “Communication!” shouted the attendees in the stands, various times.
“[I think our team’s greatest fault was] communication,” Coach Wilson added. “They get quiet when there’s a point deficit.”
The team was evidently trying to remedy this, as evidenced by Laura Grippin’s shouts of “me! me!” when throwing herself at a ball, just in time to launch it back into the air.
“That’s what it’s supposed to be like,” Wilson stated. “We need to see more of that!”
The second set ended with a 25-19 win for Hudson Valley.
The third set seemed to end quickly, with a special thanks to Laura Grippin, who launched herself at the floor multiple times in swift attempts to bring the ball into the air for her teammates, a feat that warrants recognition and a gratefulness for kneepads.
Hudson Valley won the third set, 25-20.
“They definitely fought to be here– which is nice, because this is the first game that I’ve seen that determination,” Wilson said. “It took them a lot, but they did it, and won!”
Out of the three games of the volleyball season so far, they’ve won two. The team is meeting again on Sept. 15 to play the Finger Lakes at 9 a.m., a must see for Viking’s fans. Hudson Valley’s 2019 Women’s Volleyball schedule is also available online for those interested in cheering on the athletes.