GLEN FALLS, N.Y. — A business trip.
That was the mindset that the Glenn girls volleyball team had, as they traveled to Glen Falls for the state championships.
After winning three of the first four games during pool play in Saturday’s Class B state semifinal round, the Knights needed just two more victories to secure their spot in the state final.
“We were definitely going through all of the scenarios,” senior Shayna Purow said. “We knew that if we split our final two games, our future would become a little uncertain. So, the easiest thing for us to do was to just go out there and win.”
Glenn won its fifth game of pool play against Section III’s Marcellus, 25-19, and earned a thrilling 29-27 victory in its sixth and final game to finish 5-1. Shannon McGrath totaled 10 kills and 31 digs, Purow added 21 assists and 10 digs, Lauren Conover had six kills, three aces and five blocks and Diana Muniz had 35 digs against Marcellus.
“We have been in tight situations and have played in big matches before,” Purow said. “We trust each other and are going to be there for one another, whether we pull it out or not.”
The Knights (12-0) will face Section I’s Hendrick Hudson (24-0) in the Class B final on Sunday at noon.
“Our entire starting lineup is seniors. We have been playing together since seventh grade,” McGrath said. “We all want it so bad, and I believe that we can reach our goal if we communicate and continue to work well together.”
Glenn began the tournament by winning its first two games, defeating Broadalbin-Perth, 25-13, 25-13. McGrath totaled eight kills and six digs, Purow had 19 assists and five digs and Carmela Ciriello added four kills, two aces and 15 digs against the Section II opponent.
The Knights split their next two matches against Hendrick Hudson, winning the first head-to-head battle, 25-20, before losing the second game, 25-16. McGrath tallied seven kills and 18 digs, Purow had three aces, 10 assists and 11 digs and Isabella Ross had three blocks and two blocks against their championship opponent.
“This is everything that we have dreamed of all season long,” McGrath said. “Tomorrow is our moment to get all of our business finished.”
