Brookline Gives Three Captains a Victorious Schluntz Sendoff

By Eliot Schickler

The three senior tri-captains spikers got the perfect Schluntz Gym sendoff from the Brookline High girls volleyball team with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-6, 25-21) home victory over Framingham High last Thursday, October 24.

Brookline ended the regular season with a 15-3 record off a 12-match winning streak and is the No. 2 seed in the Division 1 tournament. The Warriors will play the winner on Friday, November 1
winner of the preliminary round match between 31st-seeded Cambridge Rindge & Latin (8-12) and 34th-seeded Malden High (11-9) at an undetermined date.

Despite finishing the regular season at 3-13, Framingham qualified for the Division 1 playoffs as the 30th-seed, where it beat 35th-seeded Diman Tech in the preliminary round. The Flyers raised
their record to 4-13 and will play at third-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury High (17-3) in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs.

One huge positive for Brookline was that senior tri-captain setter Bella Wong got to play for the first time all year. Wong, who missed the year except for two serves to start the match. In years past, she used her lethal jump serve to perfection, but because she tore her ACL and MCL, she needed to be extra careful and serve it the conventional way.

“I was nervous I wouldn’t make it, but Sobo [Warriors Head Coach Caitlin Sobolewski] and [Brookline Assistant Coach] Gregg Detwiler were great in helping me through this,” Wong said. “Sobo was especially great. Not doing the jump serve and just standing there was different, which was challenging.”

Wong was a perfect 2-for-2 in getting her serves in and had the perfect start with a service ace. Framingham was able to return her second serve and forced a side out, which immediately ended her night, but just serving twice was a triumph for her in itself.

Senior tri-captain Laurel Zahka (seven service aces, seven digs, three kills) excelled on the court, especially in the back row where she helped with defense and serving. Zahka served 18 times and was a phenomenal 16-for-18 in getting the ball over, an 88.9 percent success rate in giving the Warriors a chance to score when she put the ball in play. Moreover, her ace percentage rate was a whopping 38.9 percent.

“It was nice to be on the court with the team, and it was nice that Bella Wong got to serve after being injured since the year began,” Zahka said. “I got to play [almost] the whole game, which
was nice, and I got to serve, which I was super happy about it.”

Senior tri-captain Serina Ohyama, a 5’11 middle hitter, also played her final regular season home game at Schluntz Gym, also excelled on her special night. Ohyama (four kills, four digs)
continued her stellar front-row play in delivering kills, and also kept a few balls from hitting the ground.

“It’s bittersweet,” Ohyama said. “This program has given me so much since I started to play the summer before my freshman year. The previous senior captains have given me a lot, and I tried
to copy their leadership style. I fought hard all game and I’m glad to get the win.”

Brookline wasn’t tested all match with the outcome never being in doubt. The Flyers cut their deficit to one, 18-17 in the first set, but after a side out, Warriors 6’2 junior middle hitter Stasya.
Budnik (six service aces, six kills, two digs, one block) closed out the game with six straight service points, four aces, including the last three points. Budnick was a perfect 15-for-15 in serving the ball, giving Brookline a chance to score. She also had a staggering 40 percent ace rate.

Sophomore lefty setter Nora Mullen (15 assists, two aces, one dig) set up Ohyama’s kill during Budnik’s service rally. Mullen was a perfect 7-for-7 in getting the ball over the net.

Normally, the southpaw Mullen, who has done a stellar job quarterbacking the Warrior offense plays the whole match. Still, classmate Sadie Chen-Gordon who has improved her game exponentially since Day 1, earned playing time and was on the court for a few rotations. Chen-Gordon (seven assists) is great in her own right and is expected to succeed as a spiker, albeit not at Mullen’s level, who could go down as the best setter in Brookline’s history.

“We were trying to get everyone a chance to play on Senior Night, and we played great on our side of the court,” Mullen said.

While the first set was close, the second set was a cakewalk for the Warriors.

Junior libero Maya Nock (15 digs, nine receptions, one service ace, one assist) broke the middle set with six straight service points, including an ace, to break the set open, giving the Warriors a 10-1 lead. Nock was a phenomenal 11-for-12 behind the service line – a 91.2 percent success rate. Mullen and Nock took turns setting up junior Emilie Ferdinand (six kills, five digs, four receptions, one ace) for kills.

Zahka added five service points, including three aces to break it further open, extending the lead to 16-2. Budnik copied what she did in the first set closing out the second set with six service points – two aces. Chen-Gordon displayed her setting prowess in feeding Ohyama, junior Bella Bacon (12 receptions, six digs, five kills, five aces, one assist), and sophomore Molly Tipton (three kills) for kills.

Although the third set ended with a close score, the four-point margin was deceiving. Brookline jumped out to a 19-8 lead. It all started with the southpaw Mullen opening the final stanza with four service points, including back-to-back aces, one going off the net, and perfectly landing in the right spot. The lefty also set up Ohyama’s kill during her service run.

Zahka added four straight aces to give the Warriors a 10-point cushion, 14-4. Once the advantage reached 11 at 19-8, Framingham started to fight back and closed the gap to a respectable deficit.

In the end, the Flyers couldn’t force a fourth set. Warrior sophomore Mia Jones (six receptions, five digs, one kill) showed she plays with a lot of heart as she hit the floor to procure a dig.

For the three seniors, the regular-season ride may be over, but they could be leaving Brookline as state champions.

“I’m sad about it being over, but I’m looking forward to the playoffs,” Zahka said. “I’ll keep on playing volleyball for fun.”

Wong said, “I’m really sad it’s over because I’ll miss Brookline volleyball, especially this year’s team.”

Ohyama said, “I’ll definitely miss Brookline volleyball because it’s been a big part of my identity.”