Bishop Ford’s Shayra Brown goes up for a block. (Damion Reid)
Mary Louis stumbled to the finish in CHSAA Queens last week. The Hilltoppers had already secured second place, but fell to Archbishop Molloy, a team it already beaten, on Wednesday.
“It was bad,” TMLA senior setter Cristina Fristachi said. “Everyone was upset.”
The Hilltoppers had a clean slate this weekend with the start of the Brooklyn/Queens playoffs. TMLA beat Brooklyn No. 3 seed Bishop Ford, 25-10, 25-8, 25-18, in the quarterfinals Sunday at Molloy. It wasn’t the cleanest performance against Ford (7-6), a team making its first postseason appearance in eight years, but it was a victory nonetheless.
“We tend to play down to [teams not as talented],” junior middle hitter Stephanie Taibe said. “That’s something we need to work on.”
It won’t have to worry about subpar opponents anymore. Mary Louis (8-3) will meet Brooklyn top seed Fontbonne Hall in the semifinals Thursday at Bishop Kearney HS. The Hilltoppers haven’t seen the Bonnies at all this season, but coach Mike Schober knows what they need to improve upon to make a run in the playoffs.
“Our problem will always be on the defensive end, not being aggressive enough,” he said.
TMLA has reverted back to basic defensive principles recently. The squad has always had the hitters – Taibe, Alison Sito, Taylor Coy and Gabriella Mostarac – it just has had issues with defense and passing.
“If our setter (Fristachi) plays well, we’re a good team,” Schober said.
Ford was just happy to be in the playoffs. Marta Koziorzebska took over in September. Expectations at the Park Slope school weren’t very high. The Falcons, led by outside hitter Tyler Burrell, who plays club for Schober with Tri-County, actually pushed the Hilltoppers in the third set.
“I wish they did that from the beginning,” Koziorzebska said of the third set. “But I’m proud we got this far.”
Mary Louis will move on with hopes of making it all the way to the Brooklyn/Queens championship match, like it did last year. The Hilltoppers, mostly juniors who played JV last year, are still on the young side. A win Thursday and they’ll be in the finals and that will also earn them a berth into the CHSAA Class AA state tournament.
“I think we’re capable of beating anybody,” Schober said. “Unfortunately we’re also capable of losing to anybody. … We’re our own worst enemy.”
