By Peter Fusilero
Sports Editor 
It went down to the wire Wednesday night, May 28th, at Jean Walker for the boys’ volleyball regional title game against Hersey. With the Underground in full attendance, energy and composure were the keys to a tough fight.
The Huskies took the first game while the Knights came in clutch winning a very exciting second game. After coming back from a 17-10 deficit, it just wasn’t enough as Hersey won the final deciding game 25-22.
“The fans really got their money’s worth,” senior middle hitter Matt McPartlin said. “We really gave it everything we got in our last game…it just slipped away.”
According to head coach Mike Riedy, the team couldn’t be more prepared for the Huskies.
“We as a unit have been scouting [Hersey] for a number of matches,” Riedy said. “We had a game plan in place and we did a really great job of executing. We made some unforced errors at some crucial points and Hersey capitalized.”
The second game was the highlight of the entire match for the Knights. After tying with the Huskies for 17 straight points, senior Grant Andler (17 kills) had a huge kill to put the Knights up one, forcing Hersey to call a timeout.
“[During that time out] I just told them they needed to do their job,” Riedy said. “Just go out on the floor and stay calm.”
The Knights secured the game two victory after Hersey’s middle Michael Furst was called for a double hit.
Going into game three, the Knights started off slow and Hersey took advantage. They extended the lead by seven points forcing Prospect to call their own timeout.
“We had to adjust to their attack and Hersey did a nice job adjusting to our defense,” Riedy said.
The Knights closed the gap to within two (22-20) after a huge block from junior outside hitter Alex Blethen (32/36 serves received). Unfortunately, the Knights couldn’t get any closer after that as a Hersey kill wrapped up the game.
For the team it was a great season and Riedy couldn’t be happier.
“This is my twentieth varsity team and I’ve had a lot of good players and a lot of good teams,” Riedy said. “This is by far the best team I’ve ever coached. Great bunch of guys, hard workers, dedicated and the biggest thing is they’re there to support each other.”