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MAMARONECK, N.Y. The Sound Shore Stars-Hudson Valley Special Olympics volleyball team, made up of players from Pelham, Mamaroneck, White Plains, Pleasantville and Port Chester, earned a bronze medal at the New York State Summer Games Saturday.
Based at the Hommocks Middle School in Mamaroneck and coached by Suzanne Elson and former Mamaroneck High School volleyball player Aly Gaiser, the Stars opened the competition playing seven 15-point games and finishing with a 4-3 record in the Division I section, where the locals were seeded No. 4.
"The 14 teams in the tournament were divided into five divisions," Elson said. "The team had never played in the top division before. In the first two of three matches against the No. 1 seed Finger Lakes Aces, the Stars wound up losing the match by only four points, 25-21, in the third and deciding set sending them to the bronze medal game."
The Stars rebounded to a 25-23, 25-16 straight-set victory over the Capital District Express in the bronze medal match to earn their medal.
"On fire in that game was Ben Forbes, whose net play helped seal the first set," Elson said of Forbes, a Pelham resident. The bronze medal victory over the Express make the Sound Shore Stars the third best volleyball team in New York State. That's quite an accomplishment."
The bronze medal winners are Nick Brown, Kimberly Jones, Ryan Silverman and John Valencia of Mamaroneck, John Sanfratello (Pleasantville), Jimmy Montoya (Port Chester), Ann Hertel (Poughkeepsie), Max Fahrbach (White Plains) and Mark Walsh (Pelham).
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