By Marc Raimondi
There’s no question that Queens is New York City’s volleyball haven.
The best team in the CHSAA — St. Francis Prep — is from Queens and two teams from the borough — Francis Lewis and Cardozo — advanced to the PSAL Class A city title match. Lewis won a record third consecutive city title. SFP also won three in a row in Brooklyn/Queens.
Queens also had solid teams like Mary Louis, Archbishop Molloy, St. John’s Prep, Bryant and Long Island City — some of which would be the best team in other boroughs.
All-Queens Girls Volleyball Player of the Year
Alicja Pawelec, Francis Lewis
The 5-foot-10 senior middle hitter didn’t leave too many stones unturned as far as accomplishments go. Pawelec had nine kills to lead Lewis to a record third straight PSAL Class A city title, was named an Under Armour AVCA honorable mention All-American and surpassed the school record for kills.
In the playoffs, she dominated with her service game and the same held true in the championship match against Cardozo. She finished off the Judges with a booming kill in the second set of a 25-18, 25-15 victory. Pawelec also won two tournament MVP awards and became the first Patriots player to be named to the all-tournament team at Clarkstown South.
The Poland native is being recruited by St. John’s, Saint Peter’s, Iona, Marist and a handful of other Division I and II squads. Pawelec also boasts a 97 average and is the vice president of the school’s National Honor Society.
All-Queens Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year
Danny Scarola, Cardozo
At the beginning of the season, Cardozo was near the bottom of the PSAL top-10 rankings after being ousted in last year’s PSAL Class A second round. It didn’t take long for the Judges to vault near the top, though.
Cardozo won its host tournament for the fifth-straight season and its only losses all season in PSAL play came to three-time champion Francis Lewis, including in the Class A final. Scarola didn’t have too many stars. His best hitter, Ashley Grubler, is a sophomore and the Judges relied plenty on libero Susan Kang, passing, serving and defense.
Time and time again, role players stepped up in the postseason, whether it was Helen Kim or Melissa Esmeral. That’s a credit to Scarola’s coaching all season.
All-Queens First Team
OH Gyna Anthony, Francis Lewis
There’s probably no one in the city with a better volleyball brain than the 5-foot-4 senior. After all, she’s been playing the game since she was 5. Anthony was the Patriots’ calming influence and she directed traffic on the court. Plus, there were few better at passing, defense and serving.
OH Ashley Grubler, Cardozo
Get used to seeing this name. The 6-foot Grubler is just a sophomore, but it didn’t seem like it in the playoffs. She carried Cardozo with 14 kills in the PSAL Class A city championship match against Francis Lewis to cap an incredible postseason. Grubler is a budding superstar with Division I potential.
S Julia Hannigan, St. Francis Prep
Hannigan was great as a sophomore setter last year. In 2009, she expanded her game as a junior running a 6-2 with Nicole Rivera. Hannigan actually emerged as one of St. Francis Prep’s best hitters as the Terriers won their third straight CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens title. Best of all, she did it all despite being blind in one eye.
L Susan Kang, Cardozo
The pint-sized senior had little regard for her body, throwing it across the court regularly for jaw-dropping digs. Cardozo’s emphasis on defense and passing all started with her. And Kang’s service game was outstanding, too, as she helped lead the Judges to the PSAL Class A city title match. Her experience was a major asset — she was the lone regular player left from Cardozo’s run to the finals in 2007.
L Jillian Linares, St. Francis Prep
Linares was a leader last year without the captain tag. This season, she was a captain in every sense of the word. The senior was St. Francis Prep’s undisputed floor general and no one had more energy than she did. Not being up for a match was not an option with the fiery Linares on the floor. Her defense was also paramount for the three-time Brooklyn/Queens champ, which lost all but one hitter from 2008.
MH Chereese Sheen, Francis Lewis
Sheen was an absolute force at the net, helping to lead Lewis to a record third-straight PSAL Class A city title. She was active, sometimes dominant and few have better vision finding the soft spots in an opponent’s defense. This year, the senior also became more well-rounded. Her service game was a big-time asset to the Patriots in their run to history.
All-Queens Second Team
OH Jillian Escobar, Francis Lewis
At the beginning of the playoffs, the senior might not have made this list. But it could be argued that in the postseason she was the Patriots’ most valuable player. She all but served teams off the court in the quarterfinals and semifinals and setter Dominika Mrozowska set her more with excellent results. The accomplishments were even more impressive considering the athletic Escobar is a converted libero.
MH Diane Lollo, St. Francis Prep
Lollo, who was St. Francis Prep’s lone returning hitter, was a picture of consistency all season long. Whenever the Terriers needed a timely kill or block in their run to a third straight CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens title, she was there. The 5-foot-10 senior didn’t start her career as a volleyball player, but she finished it as one of the best players in the city’s strongest borough.
OH Leah Nebbett, St. Francis Prep
The Terriers lost all but one hitter from a strong 2008 team — Diane Lollo — and focused more on defense and passing this season. But Nebbett emerged as a valuable commodity on the outside. She was consistently strong in Prep’s balanced attack in her first season starting and seeing significant time.
S Dominika Mrozowska, Francis Lewis
Mrozowska might have had the best hitters to work with in New York City, but someone has to get them the ball and she was certainly adept at that. The senior made things look effortless at times, feeding the likes of Alicja Pawelec, Chereese Sheen and Gyna Anthony for ferocious kills. Mrozowska saved one of her best matches for last — she had 17 assists in the PSAL Class A city final to surpass predecessor Jen Dortch’s school assists record with 1,298 for her career.
S Caitlin Nerich, St. John’s Prep
There were few players on strong teams more valuable than Nerich was for St. John’s Prep. She was the embodiment of a senior captain, willing to play multiple positions and getting the younger players ready to compete. Nerich took sophomore Maria Barbarino under her wing with tremendous results.
MH Stephanie Taibe, Mary Louis
When Taibe got the ball in the right spot, it was almost academic. In her first season up from the JV, the junior packed a serious punch in the middle for Mary Louis. The Hilltoppers had a disappointing season, falling in the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens semifinals, but Taibe is an emerging star in the city. Next year she could be one of the best around.
All-Queens Honorable Mention
OH Maria Barbarino, St. John’s Prep
OH Talia Colasante, St. Francis Prep
S Evelyn Florentino, Long Island City
OH Kristina Kozlitina, Bryant
OH Ariella Levine, Archbishop Molloy
OH Katie Mulvihill, Archbishop Molloy
RS Alexandra Persaud, Francis Lewis
MH Christina Perez, Archbishop Molloy
OH Alison Sito, Mary Louis
OH Tina Tian, Cardozo
Reach Marc Raimondi at mraimondi@nypost.com.
