Juan Torres knew winning the first set would be a long shot with his Columbus girls volleyball team down seven points. But he knew it also didn’t have to be a total loss.
“We needed some momentum that would carry into the second set,” the Explorers coach said.
Columbus promptly rallied and got within one before Bronx Science finished the Explorers off.
It would be the only set the Wolverines would win.
Columbus staged an impressive comeback and left its gym with a thrilling 23-25, 25-14, 25-20 victory Monday against rival Bronx Science in PSAL Bronx A1 girls volleyball. It’s the first time the Explorers have beaten the Wolverines twice in one year.
“We kept that energy, that rhythm [from the first set],” senior setter Pashke Gjini said.
It was similar o when the teams met Oct. 2. Columbus (7-1) lost the first set, but rallied to best Science (6-2).
The Explorers had a harder time putting the Wolverines away Monday, though. Columbus held a 17-9 lead in the third set and seemed to be cruising to victory. But Bronx Science forged a comeback of its own. Wolverines libero Anna Baron ripped two straight service aces to square the set at 19. The Explorers pulled away, however, and Lucia Garcia finished it with a kill.
The victory gives Columbus sole possession of second place in Bronx A1 with a rematch against first-place John F. Kennedy looming, Oct. 27. The Knights won the first meeting Sept. 25 and the Explorers have next week’s match circled on their calendars, so to speak. Kennedy coach Iris Bromfield stayed at Columbus after her team’s match with Walton to scout.
Gjini, who had 13 assists against the Wolverines, said she is more confident than she ever has been coming into a match with JFK. Science actually beat Kennedy in the Tottenville tournament and now Columbus has beaten Science twice.
“I’m looking to have a good game against Kennedy,” Gjini said.
The season wasn’t supposed to go this smoothly for the Explorers. They were the Cinderella story of the PSAL Class A playoffs last year after upsetting No. 9 Hunter College HS and No. 8 Seward Park as the No. 24 seed. They graduated Elizabeth Mirashi and their best hitter, Rafaela Mascarin, moved back to Brazil, her native country.
Torres caught a break when Gjini and Tina Tinaj (team-high four kills versus Science) chose volleyball over soccer, which changed seasons. Alexis Sanchez, Daveta Anderson and Fatima Hernandez have also improved. Sanchez dominated Science at times with her serving.
“She’s really one of the leaders on the court,” Torres said.
Columbus turned heads in the postseason last year, but the Explorers don’t want to be just a novelty act anymore. They want to earn a solid seed and make a deep run in the playoffs.
“We proved them wrong,” Gjini said of the PSAL. “They might actually give us a seed we deserve now. … I believe we’re better. Hopefully we go farther.”
