When a program reaches the pinnacle of its level of competition year after year, there are aspects of that success outsiders may not understand. Burnt Hills junior setter Danielle DeBonis wants everyone to realize exactly how the Spartans reached the Class A final four for the 19th consecutive year.
"Nothing is handed to us. We're in the gym working every day," DeBonis said.
Sunday, Burnt Hills showed practice makes perfect as the Spartans played a nearly flawless match to defeat Section I champion Walter Panas 25-8, 25-18 and 25-13 at Cool Insuring Arena to secure the program's eighth state championship since 2002.
DeBonis, who recorded 28 assists in the title match, had a tough act to follow in replacing Claire Isaksen as the team's starting setter. Isaksen, the Times Union's Athlete of the Year in 2018, helped lead Burnt Hills to the 2019 state championship and now plays at Siena College.
When the Spartans produced runs in each set Sunday, DeBonis was orchestrating things beautifully with conventional sets to the outside for senior stars Carlie Rzeszotarski and Callie Chevalier, a tremendous back set to Petyon Felix and a couple of quick sets for Sophia Goss and Jenna Vaughn.
"She just keeps improving and getting better," Burnt Hills coach Gary Bynon said of DeBonis.
The coming-of-age moment for DeBonis this season also happened to be where the Spartans elevated their level — at the ASICS Challenge on Oct. 1-2 in Chicago. Burnt Hills went 2-0 on the first day to reach the championship bracket of the 24-team event and ended up 3-2 overall and seventh.
"Pennsylvania and Chicago were just amazing times, but the reason we do that is if when we are here — if we're fortunate enough to get here — they've seen everything," Bynon said. "Our two losses in Chicago were to the AAA state champ and the AAAA state runner-up. Our only loss in Pennsylvania was to the state runner-up in AAAA. That is the type of competition we are going at. We're just happy that we got the opportunity to come here and show what we've learned."
"After Chicago, our playing just improved so much. We were on a constant up," Chevalier said. "We really have been playing our best volleyball since Chicago. This game (Sunday) was one of the best we've played."
"We have not ever played that type of competition around here. Going out there and seeing the next level helps us so much here because we don't see it that often in New York," DeBonis said.
The Spartans did not lose a match again during the season, finishing another undefeated Suburban Council campaign and sweeping through sectionals and the state tournament.
Following a 2020 season that was limited to play inside Section II and contested during this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, Bynon was thrilled to see seniors Rzeszotarski, Chevalier, Goss, Vaughn, Kiera Hartpence and Sophia Commisso cap their scholastic volleyball careers Sunday with a state championship.
"You look at these seniors and every single one of them contributed in some way. How amazing is that? They are true leaders of this team," Bynon said. "They are true members of our school district and our community. To see those six seniors contribute in some way (Sunday) was just a great thing to see."
"It was so exciting for all of us going out with a win like that," Chevalier said.
Galway gave its all
The Galway girls' volleyball team ended up dropping a four-set decision against Section IX champion Mount Academy in the Class D championship match Sunday. The Golden Eagles, however, displayed incredible fortitude in reaching the final.
Saturday, Galway opened pool play by being swept in two sets by Mount Academy. The Golden Eagles then lost the first set against Pavilion and trailed 17-11 in the second set before rallying to win. They later defeated Candor twice to earn a second crack at Mount Academy, a private school located in Esopus.
After getting beat 25-8 in the opening set, the Golden Eagles rallied to win the second set. Galway had trouble matching Mount Academy's shot-making yet scrapped and fought to the end.
November 23, 2021 at 09:52AM
https://www.timesunion.com/hssports/article/Hard-work-the-underpinning-of-Burnt-Hills-girls-16643153.php
Hard work the underpinning of Burnt Hills' girls' volleyball success - Times Union
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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