Hay helps serve up history for East

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 11/23/16

Cranston East senior captain Amanda Hay was so overwhelmed after capturing the Division II girls' volleyball title that she had trouble communicating her emotions, but it was her serve in the semifinals and title match that

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Hay helps serve up history for East

Posted

Cranston East senior captain Amanda Hay was so overwhelmed after capturing the Division II girls’ volleyball title that she had trouble communicating her emotions, but it was her serve in the semifinals and title match that left teams speechless.

“I don’t know what to say,” Hay said in an interview after the title-clinching point.

Hay let her play do the talking on the court as East swept Juanita Sanchez in the semifinals last Wednesday night and Scituate in the championship on Saturday at Rhode Island College.

She displayed her ability to completely take over a match with her tough-to-return jump serve.

In the semis, the Cavaliers raced out to a 4-1 lead in the third set, looking to chip into their 2-0 deficit.

Then, Hay toed the line, fully swinging the momentum.

She rattled off five aces in a row, putting East out in front, 6-4, and it never trailed again.

Hay had a similar serving run in the final as well.

With Scituate inching closer in the second set, Hay created separation with four consecutive aces.

“Amanda Hay had some amazing serves,” East head coach Meaghan McGonagle said.

Hay’s jump serve wasn’t something that she possessed a season ago as a junior. She noted that she picked up the unique serve from a teammate on her club team. Hay went to work on perfecting the serve, and it definitely paid off on the court for East.

“I do Blast Volleyball, so this girl on my team does a jump serve and I had never jump served before,” Hay said. “I just copied her and she taught me throughout the year.”

Hay’s serve helped her teammates, too.

The ’Bolts would practice against Hay on a daily basis, working on returns against arguably the best serve in Division II to prepare for their various opponents.

“Her jump serve is really good,” fellow senior captain Samantha Levy said about Hay. “We practice against it so we can go against servers like that. She adds a spin to it, which is really hard to receive and it’s a good speed.”

Hay was certainly a key contributor for East, but it got a full team effort en route to capturing its first girls’ volleyball title.

Hay, alongside Levy and the ’Bolts’ third senior captain, McKenzie Richards, helped to lead the charge for East all season long with their tremendous play and veteran leadership.

Seniors Hannah Mason and Victoria Bowry and juniors Rossini Felix, Chelsea Asare and Joanna Wong also played crucial roles on the court for the ’Bolts, whose team chemistry was second-to-none within the division.

“I’m just so proud of everyone,” Hay said. “I just can’t believe we did this.”

When Hay and her five senior classmates were freshmen at East, the girls’ varsity team compiled an underwhelming 8-10 record.

In just three short years, players like Hay, Levy and Richards have helped the ’Bolts’ program become a statewide power.

“It feels amazing, I didn’t think we’d come this far,” Hay said. “I’m so happy that our coaches pushed us. [McGonagle] is an amazing coach. I just can’t believe it.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here