“Listen! Two points — but we can only do one at a time.”
That was junior setter Amelie Modesto’s message to her Rye volleyball teammates with the score tied at 24-24 in the third set of Wednesday’s section semifinals.
“The second she said that, I went, ‘We got it,’” said Rye coach Geri Jones.
After falling behind 24-23, the Garnets won three straight points to complete a 25-21, 25-21, 26-24 sweep of Ardsley and advance to the first section championship appearance in Jones’ Rye tenure.
The second-seeded Garnets (17-4) are 3-0 in the postseason and haven’t dropped a set. The team also completed an undefeated season on its home court Wednesday, winning 27 of the 28 total sets played at Rye High School. The setting for the Garnets’ next match is Westchester County Center, with a section title on the line.
“This is definitely leaving a legacy for upcoming teams and I think we’re going to go so far,” Modesto said. “I just believe in this team so much and we’ve already accomplished so much, I just can’t wait to see where we go.”
Rye’s depth and flexibility has been a strong point all season, and there was no shortage of difference-makers in the team’s biggest match thus far, from senior captains Emma Lunstead, Phoebe Greto, and Valeria Medina to juniors Giorgia Brizio and Modesto to recent varsity addition Audre Campbell.
Modesto had 31 assists, Medina led the team with 18 digs, and Campbell, a freshman, had a team-best 14 kills.
The Garnets have now won seven of their past eight matches, avenging their only loss in that stretch against Ardsley. All that stands between them and a spot in the Class A state tournament is a match against fourth-seeded Tappan Zee (17-3) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“We have to stay calm. We have nerves, and nerves are OK, but we have to shape them,” Jones said. “It’s going to be a different environment. If we stay focused and we play our game, then I think we can do exactly what we’ve been doing.”
