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Having played volleyball since the fifth grade, Cindy Ung has registered many memorable moments but entered her senior season at The Academy at Palumbo, 1100 Catharine St., lacking the ultimate relic for her efforts, a title. Thanks to her never-say-die attitude and equal allegiance from her peers, the 17-year-old can call herself a conqueror, as the Griffins won the Public League championship Oct. 29, downing Central High School 3-1 at Community College of Philadelphia.
“Everybody wanted it so much this year,” the resident of Fourth Street and Snyder Avenue said Monday at her Hawthorne-situated school. “I’m so happy that we did it because coming in second is the worst feeling.”
The captain and her contemporaries came into the campaign eager to honor the club’s “Trust, love and determination” mantra, with coach Erik Goldstein confident they could come to join elite programs such as Central and Julia R. Masterman High School as victors. Fielding a focused senior-heavy squad, their leader believed that anything less than the crown would render their year a partial failure, with last week’s triumph validating that his girls definitely have the goods.
“I felt we had a window and were prepared to achieve greatness,” Goldstein, a Cherry Hill dweller and Palumbo’s athletic director, said of expectations. “We’d come close before, but I knew this could be the year and really should be the year.”
His charges felt the same, especially Ung, whom Goldstein tabbed as “the heart and soul of the team” for playing a major role in the Griffins’ ability to fend off adversity. The Whitman denizen complemented the coach’s commitment as soon as the season started, and the ladies looked for a signature indication of their maturation, a token that arrived with a 3-0 whipping of Masterman on Sept. 23.
“That’s when I really started feeling good about our chances,” Ung said of blanking the perennial powerhouses on the road. “I could just sense that we could be very special.”
More impressive victories followed, including a 3-0 home spanking of Central Oct. 7, with Goldstein et al confident that regular season diligence would yield playoff prominence.
“We’re well aware that the postseason is where you should want to play your best,” the coach said. “We knew there would be bumps, but I knew that if we stuck together, they’d just be something to look back on as a problem we overcame.”
The playoff journey began minus any hindrances, as the Griffins romped to 3-0 wins over High School of the Future and Science Leadership Academy, respectively, on Oct. 22 and 24. The second success secured their place in the AA title tilt against an eager-for-redemption Masterman team, with senior Andia J. Anderson entering that matchup coveting a sweep of the Griffins vaunted foes.
“There’s no way around knowing their reputation,” the Chestnut Hill resident, Goldstein’s tallest player, said of acknowledging Masterman’s accomplishments, including nine consecutive Public League titles from 2005 through last year. “However, we worked hard all the time to get there, so there was no way we were going to let their background intimidate us.”
Goldstein, who nurtured baseball as his first love before becoming a volleyball advocate, likewise entered the Oct. 27 contest ready to regard their opponents respectfully but not too heavily. Extinguishing the Blue Dragons 3-1, they qualified for the championship match against another adversary bent on exacting revenge.
“We knew there could be a bit of a letdown against Central because of the emotions involved in beating Masterman,” senior Danielle Moore said of the pressure-packed duel. “We knew we had to handle our business, though.”
The Northeast Philly inhabitant and her mates dropped the first segment but roared back to take the next three, fulfilling their quest to captivate their fans and to honor their dedication to one another and Goldstein.
“There’s such a great vibe among us,” Moore, whom the coach considers the unit’s “mother” because of her effortless offering of positive energy, said. “We worked hard on building our character, so it’s great to have proof of our dedication.”
“We wanted it more than anything,” Anderson, who, like Ung, is pondering college programs, added. “The seniors couldn’t go out without that championship.”
Goldstein credited their choosing bravery over apprehension for the second Central win and commends their blend of mental and physical gifts as the reason the focused females will enjoy lasting regard in Palumbo’s annals.
“They’re a special group,” he said of the teenagers, who fell in Friday’s District XII game against Lansdale Catholic. “Expectations come with maturity, and they were able to overcome obstacles and barriers and put it all together. They deserve to be proud.”
“We wanted to get better each time,” Ung added. “I’ll never forget what we did.”
In Tuesday’s state tournament opener, the Griffins fell to Berks Catholic to conclude their year at 15-5.
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
Andia J. Anderson proudly hoisted the AA trophy, the first of two crowns collected last week.
Photo Provided by Erik Goldstein
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