On Friday night, the new-look volleyball squad not only opened their 2023 home schedule but began a new era of Stony Brook Volleyball with a five-set non-league thriller over Miller Place in front of a packed and rowdy Swanson Gymnasium.

Six seniors graduated from last year’s squad that won a fourth consecutive PSAA Tournament Championship and secured a seventh undefeated regular season league title in a row. The absence of Niamh Scanlon setting up kills for Lilly Keegan and Ava McCormick or full-extension digs from Georgia Apazidis was strange for the Swanson faithful, but a new squad of key varsity returners and new junior varsity players came together for a match as thrilling as we have seen during this program’s dynastic run.

The Bears welcomed the NYSPHSAA Class A Panthers into the Cave to test their 42-match home winning streak and quickly ran out to a 3-0 lead behind an Ella Middlekauff kill and an ace from Julianna Sparacio. In a taut frame that saw six ties, the Bears held the lead until briefly falling behind 12-13 before recapturing a 16-13 edge. But an 8-0 spurt by the Panthers gave them a lead they would not yield on the way to a 25-20 opening win.

Despite dropping the opening set, the Bears came out with vigor in round two, building a 9-1 lead behind Cassandra Rohan’s netplay and serve. Miller Place showed their poise by storming back to within 11-12, but the Bears nudged their advantage back out to 15-11 thanks to kills from Rohan and Middlekauff. The Blue & White continued to lead 17-12 when a 7-0 run by the Panthers saw them surge to another late lead, but this time, the Bears would respond. Rohan scored a touch kill to pull within 18-19 before a Panther kill extended the Bear deficit back to two. Gillian Bernier scored a kill before she spiked a ball into the deck to give The Brook a 21-20 edge. Two more points for the Panthers gave them back the lead at 22-21, but the Bears dug deep to score the final four points of the set, punctuated by a Bernier kill and spike for the final two points, to nab a 25-22 win.

In set three, the Bears hit their most powerful stride of the night, building an 11-1 lead that saw them score in multiple ways, including Sparacio’s serve, a Rohan block, and an ace from Middlekauff. A spike from Bernier nearly took the head off of a Panther to put the Bears up 15-5, and her kill into the back left corner extended the advantage to 19-8. Charlotte Cisz, playing in her first varsity match, scored a point on a sensational dig to move the Bears’ edge to 21-9 before Rohan and Bernier combined on a powerful block to move the needle to 22-9. Following another Bernier kill, Rohan served out the final two points to give The Brook a dominant 25-10 win.

Set four was the most tightly contested of the night, evidenced by 10 ties in the frame. The Bears held an early 4-1 lead following a Rohan spike and three straight errors from the Panthers, who battled back to an 8-8 tie, prompting a Stony Brook timeout. Ties followed at 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14 before the Panthers got some separation with three straight points. They continued to lead 19-15 when they found the net on the serve, and Bernier scored consecutive aces to pull the Bears within 18-19. Following a timeout, the Panthers pushed their lead back to 23-19, but the Bears reeled off four straight points to knot the set at 23-23. Bernier began the spurt with a kill, Sparacio fired consecutive aces, and the Panthers had a double hit as the crowd rose to its feet. The Panthers took a 24-23 lead, but Rohan responded with a kill that caught the left sideline and sent a roar through the Blue Fan Group. However, Miller Place showed impressive grit by shaking off the noise of the partisan crowd and scoring the next two points to win the set 26-24 and send the match to a decisive fifth round.

Unlike the first four sets, which ended at 25 points, the fifth would be decided on the 15th point, making the Panthers’ quick start all the more devastating. The visitors opened with an ace and ran up a 4-0 lead in a blink. Bernier responded with a kill that rocketed off of a Panther and into the ceiling to pull it back to 3-5, but it proved to be the Bears’ only kill in the first 15 points as Miller Place built a commanding 11-4 lead–up seven with four points to go. The Bears were on the ropes, but despite having a vastly different configuration from last year’s title team, their championship DNA came through as they unleashed an 11-1 run to seal the victory.

Bernier began the surge with a kill off of a blocker, scoring her first of seven points in the match’s most crucial moments. The Panthers followed by hitting a shot long before Bernier served up consecutive aces to pull The Brook within 8-11 and prompt a Panther timeout. Bernier’s rhythm was far from broken out of the stoppage as she sent two more aces into the deck to pull the Blue & White within one and bring the packed house to its feet. The set was leveled at 11-11 on the next point when Miller Place sent a ball out, and the Bears took their first lead of the frame when Bernier served up yet another ace. The Panthers drew even again at 12-12, but Bernier earned a kill on a sensational dig that gave the hosts a lead they would not give back. Cisz extended the lead when her serve ricocheted off a Panther and into the ceiling for an ace. Miller Place desperately tried to extend the match by calling their final timeout, but Cisz ended the match on the next point with an ace that dove in front of a Panther receiver and could not be returned.

The win extended the Bears’ home win streak to 43. They are back in action on Monday when they host rival Portledge in a rematch of last year’s PSAA Semifinal.

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