SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Unsure of how to approach life on the varsity level, Kara Tecl went with the nice-and-easy approach.
"You were actually afraid to swing at the ball at the beginning of the season," said senior outside hitter Genna Wilson with a laugh.
"Well, I was the sophomore," Tecl said with a shrug. "I was the underclassman, I was nervous."
Still an underclassman, but no longer nervous, Tecl set up her big hitters all night and even pounded in five kills in Queensbury's 25-11, 25-14, 25-22 sweep of Troy in the Class A semifinals of the Section II Girls Volleyball Tournament at Saratoga Springs High School on Thursday.
The Spartans (17-1) will face Burnt Hills, 25-12, 25-10, 25-13 winners over Amsterdam, for the sectional title on Wednesday at Lake George High School at 5 p.m.
Burnt Hills stuck around for the first game and Queensbury gave them plenty to watch.
Whether it was Wilson going up for one of her game-high 12 kills or Hannah Dahlgren recording one of her three blocks, Queensbury made its presence known at the net.
"We knew what Troy had," said Wilson. "So we knew how we had to deal with them. We figured out what to do and it worked."
The Spartans kept rolling in game two. This time it was their serving that put Troy in an 11-1 hole.
Junior Karly Daly, the other half of Queensbury's two-setter rotation, finished with four aces and handed out 20 assists.
Wilson's thunderous kill over two Troy defenders put the final stamp on the second game.
Putting away the Flying Horses proved much more difficult in the third game.
Though Troy successfully attacked Queensbury's back row for points, it was the Spartans' defensive miscues and spotty serving that helped the most.
Third games have been a struggle for Queensbury all season long, said Spartans head coach Tyler Carey.
"We have a problem with game three," Carey said. "If you look at our scores from all season, three is just tough. I don't know if it's a mental thing. In fact I go into game three saying 'OK, this is game one.' "
Troy led 21-19, but in the end Queensbury's kills, blocks and a few trick sets over the net was just too much.
"I think Troy figured out where we were putting the ball and played it back," Tecl said. "I think it was good for us because it got us pumped."
"I think it's more fun when the game is closer anyway," Wilson said. "I think we just needed to focus."
Posted in High-school-and-prep, Sports on Thursday, November 5, 2009 11:35 pm
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