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The Bok girls’ volleyball team started practice in August with the focus on one goal – getting back into the Public League’s Silver Division.
Coach Anthony Scafidi got his 13 players into competitive mode by having special practice T-shirts made with the words "Back to the Silver" stamped in giant blue letters across the back.
The Wildkittens will need some new T-shirts for next season as they won the Public League’s Bronze Division with a perfect 10-0 record. The first- and second-place teams were promoted to the Silver Division, while the bottom two Silver Division squads will move down to Bronze. Monday, Bok defeated neighborhood rival Southern, 3-2, with game scores 25-13, 25-14, 22-25, 22-25 and 15-10. As reward for the undefeated season, the coach has scheduled a team meal at the Chinese Buffet.
Senior Angelique Carroll said she is happy about going out on a win.
"This my last year and I wanted to make it count," said Carroll, who led the team in service points and kills. "This is a great way to end my high-school career."
Scafidi credits this season’s success to the commitment and dedication of his players.
"They stuck with the program and learned as much about volleyball as they could," he said.
The Wildkittens won 33 of 38 games and qualified for the Public League playoffs. The prize for winning the Bronze Division title was opening the Public League playoffs Wednesday afternoon at Central, the city’s top team and defending Public League champs. The match started after press time.
IN PREVIOUS SEASONS, Scafidi took his players to Public League playoff matches so they could see how the city’s top teams play. Prior to Monday afternoon’s game, many teammates recalled previously using the word "wow" to describe Central.
Junior Shannon Torelli said the playoff game would be a valuable learning experience for next season.
"Our team has more heart," Torelli said. "The Central game will give us a wonderful experience and we’ll see what we have to do to get to the Gold Division."
As great as upsetting Central in the playoffs would be, the players said they were content with their regular season mark, especially after winning just two games last year. Torelli said the commitment to practice combined with strong communication made this season a success.
"Out of all three years, this one was the best," she said. "We worked hard for it and we deserve to be [in the playoffs]."
Last week, Bok traveled to Temple University to watch the Owls women’s volleyball team in action. Scafidi said he tries to take his players to the North Broad Street campus once a year so they can get a taste of college competition. Oct. 21, they watched Temple beat Xavier, 3-2.
The Wildkittens dominated the competition this season, clinching the division title with three matches remaining. The coach said the Strawberry Mansion match was probably the toughest. Bok was crushed in the first game, 9-25, but quickly recovered to sweep the next three.
Junior Wanda-Marie Carie said this year’s team took the sport more seriously.
"Last year we were good, but we played around too much," she said. "[This season] we really communicated, giving each other encouragement when somebody messed up."
This group also excels in the classroom, with an average GPA of 3.25.
With the Wildkittens only losing two players to graduation, those returning are targeting the Gold Division as the next goal. The Silver Division competition will, of course, be a lot tougher, but the players are hoping through volleyball camps and continued dedication, they’ll fare even better the second time around.
"Now onto the gold," is one of the slogans Scafidi is considering for 2006. For now, the girls are still enjoying this season’s success.
"Out of all four years, this is the best year I ever had," Carroll said.
IN OTHER PUBLIC League playoff news, the CAPA Pegasus, which finished second in the Gold Division, opened the Public League AA playoffs yesterday afternoon with a home game against Franklin Learning Center. The game started after press time.
