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Dunkirk wins on Senior Night

By Braden Carmen 4 min read

The Dunkirk Marauders volleyball team ended the regular season on as beautiful of a note as anyone in maroon could have hoped.

After only one win all season coming into the final contest, an emotional Senior Night celebration was followed by a game every bit as memorable as the pregame festivities.

Dunkirk defeated the rival Fredonia Hillbillies 25-20, 25-21, 23-25 and 25-21 in a CCAA West 1 volleyball match at Dunkirk High School on Thursday night.

"It feels so great, and I'm so glad we got together as a team," said Dunkirk senior Alyssa Salerno. "We worked together, we communicated well, we took control of the ball. … It was really fun. I'm just glad we were able to pull it together."

"Honestly it feels incredible," added Dunkirk head coach Kate Stahlman. "These girls have worked so hard all season. … Tonight they really were focused and worked together as a team. They did all the things they were supposed to."

Dunkirk (2-17, 1-13) and Fredonia (2-14, 1-13) split the first 18 points of the match evenly at 9-all. After Dunkirk went on a 7-2 scoring run to take a 16-14 lead, Fredonia evened it at a 17-17 score to mark the fourth tie in the opening set.

Salerno took over serve at 17-all and put Dunkirk ahead, then the Marauders held the lead the rest of the way for the early set victory.

"Dunkirk is very scrappy. I give them a lot of credit," said Fredonia head coach Amanda Krakowiak. "We were hitting hard at them and they were making amazing saves. Stuff that against other teams would drop, they were keeping it alive. They outplayed us with that."

Dunkirk jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set, but Fredonia immediately responded to tie the score at 9-all once again. After that point though, the Marauders scored 10 of the next 15 points to lead 19-14. Fredonia could not close the gap to closer than two points the rest of the way, which put Dunkirk ahead two sets to none to delight the packed Dunkirk stands.

"The crowd was amazing," said Stahlman. "That definitely made a difference."

To no surprise, the third set was competitive, as well. The first 14 points were split evenly, but Dunkirk scored seven of the next nine points to force a Hillbillies timeout with Fredonia trailing 14-9, already down two sets.

Fredonia refused to give in during the third set, and battled back to take an 18-16 lead. Dunkirk had multiple chances to put the contest away, on serve with the score tied at 21-all and 23-all, but Fredonia fought off defeat and forced a fourth set with a 25-23 win of the third set.

"In the third set, rallying back and not giving up … and they finished at the end," said Krakowiak. "They need those kind of things, that kind of fight in them as we go into playoffs now and for the future."

In the fourth and final set of the match, Fredonia held a 12-7 lead over Dunkirk, but the Marauders pounced on the opportunity to end Senior Night with a rivalry victory. Dunkirk went on a 12-3 scoring run in the fourth set to lead 19-15, then closed out the victory with the final two points of the contest.

"We really kept it together for the first two sets, and then we came back after the third one. It was the best feeling ever," said Salerno. "I'm just so proud of us. I'm really going to miss this team."

Salerno called the victory "bittersweet," highlighting that even though the victory came over Fredonia in an ideal ending, it still marked the end of the regular season. She said the victory "made it worth it all."

Both teams now await a Section VI playoff contest next week.

"I don't think they are quite ready to be done for the season," said Stahlman. "I think (this win) proves if they give 100% effort and really push themselves, they are capable of more."

Regardless of the next result, the victory on Dunkirk's home floor over Fredonia was a memorable way to go out.

"This was one of those moments," said Stahlman, who joined her team to ring the bell at the entrance to Karl Hoeppner Field after the win. One by one, beginning with Stahlman and the seniors, members of the team rang the bell to celebrate one final victory to close the regular season.

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