After being upset in the PSAL girls volleyball 'B' semifinals two straight seasons, Goldstein senior Kristen Herchenroder was determined to end her high school career in celebration instead of heartbreak.
“This program is only 6 years old and to win a championship after getting to the semifinals back-to-back years is incredible,” she said. “We couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
Down four points with only three points separating Goldstein from a loss in the city championship game, captains Herchenroder and Rashelle Ripa mounted a season-saving comeback. On Goldstein’s third match point of the deciding third set, Herchenroder delivered the title winning ace, giving Goldstein a 25-19, 20-25, 27-25 victory over Fort Hamilton in the PSAL Class B final Monday in Manhattan.
“I’m so happy for Kristen, to finally win a championship,” Goldstein coach Adrian Buchhalter said. “You can’t replace the leadership she’s brought to this team.”
Herchenroder ended her high school career on a high note. Aside from the game winning ace, her fourth on the day, she also registered a team leading 12 kills as well as two digs, three assists, and seven service points.
“It might be the best game of my career,” she said. “But I have to give credit to my girls. I tell the girls to play for the point and not the kill. We’re a comeback team and I have faith in them. I’m so excited and proud of them, it was beautiful to watch, especially seeing Rashelle come back from her injury to win a title.”
After tearing her ACL last season and missing out on helping Goldstein during its playoff run, Ripa made up for lost time by being an integral part of Goldstein’s transformation from title contender to title winner. She recorded a 13 assists, which plays right into her love for her teammates.
“This team and these girls have had my back the entire way,” she said. “When I tore my ACL last year, the team kept my spirits up. It was hard coming back from such a huge injury, but the team had my back, and the team had my back all day today, even when I had some bad sets. It’s about time this team won it all.”
“This team could have had a few championships already,” added Buchhalter. “But we knew that Ripa would be the key this particular year and she helped everyone around her get involved. It’s redemption.”
Monday’s result was not much different than the previous four head to head matches between the two division rivals. Goldstein can now claim a 4-1 record against Fort Hamilton in 2011, winning all four meetings consecutively.
“We knew midseason that it would come down to us against them,” Buchhalter said. “And we knew that a matchup between the two of us would come down to those final nervewracking points, but these kids are incredibly committed. No one has worked harder than them, they absolutely deserve this title.”
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