Somers Sweeps its Way to Quarterfinals

See Photos at End

On Wednesday October 29, Somers hosted the Pelham Pelicans in the first round of the sectionals, and to open, Maegan Brown did exactly what was expected. She smoked a perfectly set ball. Enter Katie Kourakos on a long second point rally and Pelham witnessed that the standard play is a whole other matter for the Somers setter.

“She’s unpredictable. No one knows what her next move is,” Coach Massi Angooti boasted, and pushing deep on the second ball was one of a number of winners that led the Tusker to a dominating sweep.

She did serve long on the next point but set Brown and Claire Cronin for a kill and dink respectively. Now up 5-1, Kourakos stepped aside for Olivia Tran to set a Cronin kill, and Svea Almquist made it 7-1 on a pair of tricky serves that had both Pelham’s bumps off.

Pelham calling for time, the respite was no elixir. Abby Babboni blocked upon return, Almquist dinked off the net, and Tran did the same on the serve.

Good for an ace, the lead grew to 13-4 on a center kill by Ella Barron, and the setter doing what she’s not supposed to. Khloe Kishart stepping into the center, her back set found Kourakos for a lefty kill. “It’s a setter duo,” said the freshman.

Then the middle really pulled away. Barron got a block up front, delivered two aces, and switching out, Babboni killed twice from the center. Up 18-7, Kourakos delivered three consecutive aces and Cronin killed for point 25.

Onto game two, Kourakos got sneaky on point one. Her second ball push went just long, but the junior made amends with an ace for a 2-1 Somers lead. Kourakos also rectified the opening long ball by dropping the same push where it belonged. In the back corner, she next joined Tran with big digs on a long rally, and Cronin got the knock for the point.

A 6-2 lead resulting, the advantage grew to 10-2 on a birthday ace by Almquist. “My serves today, I had a good run,” said the sophomore.

The one hitter was just a prelude, though. Three straight aces for Tran, the senior mixed up her delivery with two off speed drops. “It comes with experience,” Angooti revealed. “She knows how to control the ball.”

The lead now 16-3, Kourakos threw another change up after Pelham scored three in a row. Second ball, the Tusker dinked into the middle, and the deception landed for a 17-6 lead.

So did Cronin’s kill at 19-8 but first Almquist had to dig a pair of Pelham slams to assist her teammate. Somers long gone, Kourakos added a kill and an ace, and a Pelham error made for the final 25-14 score.

One win to go, game three began with aces wild. Kourakos dealt two and Tran added four to give Somers a 11-3 lead. Nonetheless, Pelham refused to go away. The Pelicans made it an 18-17 game, so Somers answered with two of a kind.

An off speed serve by Tran fooled the Pelham bump, and Kourakos had eyes in two places again. Seeing the back corner while looking up, said Angooti, “She has the advantage of being a setter.”

Still, Pelham tied the game at 21-21, and the home crowd was glad that hero worship wasn’t limited to just two players. Cronin knocked a pair of kills and Kishart’s serve off the net put the match one point away.

Pelham obliged by hitting their final serve long, and the quarterfinals it is.

Click the Image for Photos