Lady Cougars volleyball claw out a victory against Lexington in three sets

Martin Luther School lady cougar’s volleyball team was looking for victories in back-to-back days and they managed to do just that. The Lady Cougars won against Lexington in three sets, 19-25, 25-13, and 25-23.

This match – that was held in the Martin Luther School’s gymnasium – represented the tale of three sets. Throughout each set, it seemed like a different lady cougar’s team was on the floor.

The team got off to a hot start in the opening set as they led early by the score of 5-1 behind multiple superb serves by senior Franchon Martinez. From there on out, however, the team struggled mightily in serving as well as returning serves.

Coach Boyle’s words must have encouraged the team between sets because they looked much more attentive in the second set.

All of the Lady Cougars contributed in the second set, showing poise in their ability to bump, set, spike, and most importantly, serve. Service was the key to victory in this set as Martinez and Junior Leslly Marmolejo put together a few lengthy runs due to their execution.

The third and final set was one where the team showed some of their strengths as well as weaknesses from earlier in the match.

Martin Luther jumped out to an early 8-3 lead against Lexington in the final set although it would get much closer.

Lexington fought back, tying the final set multiple times at 14, 16, 17, 22, and 23.

The Lady Cougars actually trailed 23-22 in the closing stretch, but went on to defeat the opposition with three straight points.

Senior Xena Andersen flashed her athleticism multiple times throughout the last set, burying Lexington with her spikes.

The team as a whole showed their will to win. Even though the coughed up the lead late, they were able to maintain composure and battle back.

By: Frank Stampfl

Lady Cougars Volleyball takes out Our Savior

The Lady Cougars wasted no time in their non league match up against Our Savior Lutheran, winning the match in two sets by a score of 25-9 and 25-13.

In the first game, OSL started out serving. They would not be able to take advantage of this, as that was a weakness for them all game. With Martin Luther holding a slim 4-3 lead, junior, Kiara Ashby, stepped up to serve.

Ashby led the Lady Cougars on a 17-0 run and the next time OSL served the game was out of hand with the score sitting at 20-4. OSL went on a small run of their own, but the game was never in question with the Lady Cougars taking in 25-9.

"A couple people served very well today," said Lady Cougars head coach Ann Boyle.

In the second game, OSL was able to jump out to a 4-2 lead. Boyle rallied the troops and the teams continued to exchange points and the Lady Cougars regained a slim 7-5 lead.

Junior, Dominique Genise took the ball to serve. Behind her strong serving and good team communication the Lady Cougars went on a 9-0 run, taking a 16-5 lead.

The teams then traded points back and forth, with the Lady Cougars leading 23-10. OSL had one last run in them and brought the score to 23-13 before serving it out of bounds and bringing Martin Luther just one point away from victory.

Genise was serving again and sent one over that OSL had trouble handling, sealing the match for Martin Luther by a score of 25-13.

Despite the win, Boyle still sees room for improvement. "I expect the serves to go over the net and stay in bounds and in some cases that didn't happen. So we need to work on our consistency," she said.

"Our focus is on the playoffs."

By: Michael Florio

Cougars' soccer handles Staten Island Academy, 2-1

The Martin Luther Cougars’ soccer team defeated Staten Island Academy by the final score of 2-1 at the Metropolitan Oval Tuesday.

According to coach Matt Moran, this is only the third time Martin Luther has defeated SIA in the past 25 years.

The first 25-30 minutes of the contest illustrated the competitiveness of both teams as they put together some really sound play. Mistakes were seldom made as Martin Luther and SIA displayed defensive technique and decent ball control.

Once the opening 30 minutes passed, however, the Cougars stepped up their offensive pursuit, putting pressure on the SIA defense time and time again. Junior Jay Kim nearly got his head on one in the 34^th minute but the goalkeeper collided with him. The referee deemed it fair as both players were going for the ball.

The Cougars came right back in the 35^th minute as Alex Ortiz blasted a goal into the top right corner of the net off of Kim’s assist.

The first half defensive unit, which manned the shutout consisted of Steven Fonseca, Kyle Morrissey, Jacob Park, freshman Joseph Gannon, and goalkeeper Jose Cabrera.

Coach Moran noticed Gannon’s effort early in the match.

“He’s not afraid to win the ball in the air,” said Coach Moran. “When they [SIA] got physical, he got physical right back.”

Staten Island Academy would get a few chances early in the second half but proved to be nothing the Cougars couldn’t handle.

The Cougars kept their foot on the pedal, as they were able to put through another goal in the 63^rd minute. This time the roles were reversed as Kim knocked in a superb cross following some fancy footwork by Ortiz out of the corner.

Slightly after that, Fonseca put a ball on goal off a free kick from about 40 yards out, which in most cases sounds absurd. This ball just cleared the top right part of the post – a play that would undoubtedly land on ESPN’s top ten plays of the night.

With just a few minutes remaining, Martin Luther saw two important pieces of the team in Alex Ortiz and Carlos Mosquera carried off the field by Coach Moran following minor lower leg injuries.

As a result, SIA was able to capitalize and put in a goal, ruining the Cougars’ chance at shutout. The goal would prove to come too little too late.

This match leaves Martin Luther at an overall record of 4-1 as they chase a consecutive PSAA championship.

By: Frank Stampfl

Rain postpones Lady Cougars tennis

Martin Luther Lady Cougars tennis team was all set to take on Kew Forest, today at Juniper Park. Unfortunately the weather was not on their side as rain began to fall just before the scheduled game time of 4 p.m. The game was postponed due to the rain.

The Lady Cougars tennis team will be back at it tomorrow afternoon as they take on Staten Island Academy at Juniper Park at 4 p.m. Hopefully the weather will be on their side.

Tomorrow is a busy day for all of Martin Luther sports as the Lady Cougar volleyball team has a home match against Our Savior at 4 p.m. The Cougars soccer team will also be in action as they host Staten Island Academy at the Metropolitan Oval at 4 p.m.

Wednesday the Cross Country team has an IPPSAL race at 4:15 p.m. The Lady Cougars volleyball team will once again be hosting a game in Martin Luther gym, this time taking on Lexington at 3:45 p.m.

The last action for the sports teams this week takes place Thursday as the Lady Cougars tennis team gets out on the road for a showdown with Long Island Lutheran. The Lady Cougars volleyball team will be hitting the road as well to take on Kew Forest. The Cougars soccer team will host Kew Forest at 4 p.m.

By: Michael Florio 

Lady Cougars fall to Kew Forest 4-1

The Girls Tennis team took on Kew Forest on Friday, September 27 at Juniper Valley Park. Martin Luther had its first win for the First Doubles, just one week after they had their first win for the Third Singles.

That First Doubles duo was Toya Brown and Mia Gonzalez with an 8:3 victory over Natalia Zeid and Elena Garone. The girls showed good rallies and strong serves to come out on top.

“I’m very proud of my girls” says Head Coach Leslie Aguirre. “Having them all here playing well is something I really like to see, especially how they are treating the other team and creating such a positive environment,” she added.

Anybody who watched the match could easily tell how much fun the girls were having. Coach Aguirre is respected very much by her players and that high sportsmanship they all have when they are on the court is a reflection of their coach.

The season is still early and there is room for improvement. The key part of the game Coach Aguirre is going to be stressing in practice is the serving. “Once they master their serves, they’ll master the game,” she said.

Their next match is Wednesday, October 2 at Juniper Valley Park at 4:15 against Portledge.  

Cougars Soccer can't hold off the Portledge Panthers

Martin Luther School Cougars soccer team fought hard in their matchup against the Portledge Panthers but fell by the final score of 4-3.

Portledge struck first in the contest, putting a goal through in the fifth minute on a breakdown in the Cougar defense. The team looked as though they were caught off guard early but coach Matt Moran kept faith.

“They needed to keep composure and settle down, which they did,” said Coach Moran.

The team responded well, putting together aggressive attacks with their forward and midfield play on the offensive end of the field. The aggressiveness paid off as the Cougars were able to draw a hand-ball penalty in the box against Portledge.

Senior Alex Ortiz was able to capitalize on the penalty shot and evened the score, 1-1 in the 23^rd minute.

Junior Franco Libano played the role of the orchestrator as well as the attacker late in the first half as well. He had a nice cross, which was nearly put in as well as a strike that just sailed over the top of the net.

The first half could be summed up as having inconsistent play and missed opportunities from both the Cougars and the Panthers.

Coach Moran made changes at halftime, which gave the team the extra spark they needed after the break. Freshman Tyler Fayconsolo was moved from defense to forward as well as Libano being moved to midfield.

Martin Luther came out with loads of energy, scoring early in the second half. Fayconsolo got behind the defense on a nice run into the box and simply flicked the ball over Portledge’s goalkeeper in the 42^nd minute.

Portledge responded with three consecutive goals within a span of 18 minutes in the second half, which left the Cougars trailing, 2-4.

With just eight minutes to go in the match, Freshman Andres Buitrago was able to bring the Cougars to within one goal off a nice pass to the middle of the box.

Martin Luther fought hard but time proved to be against them late in this game.

“We fought, and fought, and fought, and that’s all I can ask of them,” said Coach Moran.

Despite the score, Cougars' sophomore goalkeeper Jose Cabrera had multiple impressive saves in the contest.

Their next game will be a home match at the Metropolitan Oval on Friday, September 27 at 4 pm.

By: Frank Stampfl

Lady Cougars volleyball team outlast OSNA

The Lady Cougars volleyball team was able to pull off the victory in a very close match against Our Savior New American Lady Pioneers on Monday.

The Lady Cougars won the first set handily, 25-15. The same team did not come out for the second game, as they allowed OSNA to hang with them at 19-19. The Lady Cougars struggled closing out dropping the set 25-21 to the Lady Pioneers.

"They got a little complacent, that mentally because they won the first set they could relax and not be as productive in the second set," said Lady Cougars head coach Ann Boyle. "We are still working with some individuals to develop confidence and team chemistry."

The match came down to a decisive third set, that began with Leslly Marmolejo serving for Martin Luther. Her impact was felt as she led the Lady Cougars to a 9-0 run. Martin Luther had a commanding 14-2 lead, but the Pioneers would not go away. They went on a 7-0 run, before serving the ball out of bounds.

"At the beginning they were focused and into it," Boyle said.

The Lady Cougars could not take advantage and OSNA got the ball back trailing 16-10. They went on a run, bringing the score to 16-15, with the Lady Cougars almost squandering the lead. After trading points back, the Lady Cougars found themselves with a 21-18 lead. This is when Marmolejo stepped up to serve again. Behind her serving the Lady Cougars were able to take a 23-18 lead, with victory within reach.

The Pioneers would not go down easy as Martin Luther served with the score at 24-21. The Pioneers managed to return the serve, but Franchon Martinez bumped them a ball that they could not handle, securing the win for the Lady Cougars.

Boyle was happy to escape with the win, but see's a lot of areas of improvement for her players.

"They need to be consistent in their execution and a lot of it comes down to fundamentals," said Boyle. "We hope that each perspective person that their particular strengths are build on and that the areas that they have been giving feed back to work on, they take that to heart," said Boyle.

The Lady Cougars will look to build upon this win going forward.

By: Michael Florio