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Fontbonne falls short in state volleyball finals

December 17, 2021 Jim Dolan

After winning the Brookyn Diocese and the New York City Diocese championships, the Fontbonne varsity volleyball team lost to St. Mary’s in the state finals.

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It was a bounce-back season for the Fontbonne varsity volleyball team. After losing twice (3-1 and 3-2) to rival Xaverian during the regular season, the Bonnies came back in the playoffs to beat the Clippers 3-0 in straight sets to claim the Brooklyn Diocese crown.

Led by coaches Alex Moule and Alana Ball, the Bonnies went on to play New York Archdiocese champion Kennedy Catholic for the City Diocesan Championship in Hartsdale. Similar to the Xaverian win, the Bonnies dispatched Kennedy Catholic also in 3-0 straight sets to win “bragging rights” as the City Diocesan champs and a ticket to the New York State Diocesan finals.

At the state finals tournament in Melville, the Bonnies went into pool play and emerged 2-1 as the second seed to compete against third-seeded Kellenberg from the Rockville Center Diocese in the semi-finals. After beating Kellenberg 3-0, the Bonnies moved up to face perennial state champion St. Mary’s from the Buffalo Diocese. This year would be no different for the western New York powerhouse as St. Mary’s easily ended Fontbonne’s magical run with a 3-0 straight-set victory.

“This was one of our best teams since we last won the Brooklyn championship in 2015,” said Fontbonne Athletic Director Romeo Petric. “The girls played unselfishly and very methodically as a unit, improving each week under the direction of their coaches. I’m particularly happy for senior team captain Samantha Ostrander, who earned a volleyball scholarship to Mercer University in Georgia. She was the steady leader of this team who brought the girls up to this point.”