October 3, 2022 by Eliza Krackeler (’24)
Saratoga Springs High School brought home the title at the Suburban Council JV mid-season volleyball tournament on Saturday, September 17th, their first tournament win in over two decades. Going into the tournament, sophomore Peter Krackeler was clearly expecting great things from Saratoga, saying, “we knew we were one of the best teams there.”
And Krackeler was right. Toga started the day off strong with a 5-0 win streak and bypassed the quarterfinals with only a one-set loss. But as the long day stretched on and as the possibility of bringing it all home loomed tantalizingly close, it was clear Saratoga was losing focus.
They entered the semifinals against Columbia High School on the court adjacent to an energetic match between Shenendehowa and Burnt Hills. Shen, Saratoga’s primary concern in the tournament, was taken out by the Spartans in a dynamic upset.
Burnt Hills certainly posed a threat going into the finals. A formidable opponent, the team brought their energy into the game. It looked like that would be enough to triumph over Saratoga, especially when Burnt Hills hit set point.
But throughout the match, Toga never lost hope, with enthusiasm from the sidelines palpable throughout the gym. And for Ryan Clancy, a sophomore on the JV volleyball team, it came down to the team’s spirit, to using Burnt Hills’ intensity against them. He said, “I think the energy on the bench pushed us forward.”
Toga managed to fight back from a staggering seven points behind with a string of impeccable rallies, the responsibility falling on Krackeler to serve the remainder of the set. On this imposing task, he said, “It was a lot of pressure but I couldn’t just tap in a serve. I knew we couldn’t get the points back that way. I just had to trust the practice I put in.”
And that was just what they did. It showed through in the second set, where Clancy had the utmost confidence in himself and his team. As he stepped up to serve, he said, “I felt alright. I knew we could do it.”
With those final words from Clancy and a spike that ended the match with a certain conviction, Saratoga wrapped up the day with a well-deserved victory.