Doruntina Selimi knew a big milestone had come but she was certainly happy to wait to celebrate.
The Academy at Palumbo junior has been filling the kills column quickly since she arrived at the school during her sophomore year. In less than two seasons she gathered 500 kills with the milestone marker coming in the District 12 Class 5A championship on Nov. 5. But with so much on the line in a match against Archbishop Ryan, there were bigger accolades to achieve.
“Oh yeah. I count my kills,” Selimi said with a laugh. “I knew I got it.”
There was no pause during play to commemorate the moment, which is often the case in playoff and championship matches. Selimi’s achievement was eventually recognized with a poster and photos after the Griffins defeated Archbishop Ryan, 3-1, to win just the second District 12 championship in the program’s history. It was also the first time Griffins defeated a Catholic League opponent in the city championship. Palumbo’s other title came in 2008 when there was no Catholic League representative in Class 1A.
There’s not many things that can overshadow a player getting 500 career kills. A historic team win will do the trick.
“It’s great because we have gotten so close before,” said coach E.J. Goldstein. “In 2019, we took a set from (Cardinal) O’Hara and lost the rest. We had the whole team come back and then COVID happened. Ever since COVID, the (Public) league has been scratching and clawing to get back to where we were. To set a goal and accomplish it is big. This is the first time we’ve beaten the Catholic league, so it’s big. The best part is, it wasn’t unfathomable. We expected to win today.”
However, it took a leap of faith in the first set. The Griffins trailed 18-10 before battling all the way back to win the frame 25-23. It took a 15-5 run to win a statement first set.
“It was really important but I knew we could do it,” senior libero Skylean Abreu said. “We’ve done it many times over the season and I felt really confident that we could do it again.”
The next set, the Griffins found themselves down, 18-13, but never fully recovered as the Ragdolls secured a 25-22 win.
“It wasn’t great but it was tied. It wasn’t out of reach,” junior libero Lily Abbott said. “I think we all had the confidence to do it. They were really competitive and they are a very good team. I knew we would get it done but I was expecting a battle.”
And that’s what it took. Palumbo’s early advantage was cut to 18-16 and the teams played within a two-point margin the rest of the set. Tied 23-23, the Griffins took the next two points to win a crucial third set. They carried the momentum to take a relatively easy 25-16 fourth and final frame.
“This year, we have such a strong mental team, but I think we just all trust each other a lot,” Abbott said. “I knew we were going to be fine. It was scary, but I knew we would be OK.”
The Griffins have plenty of firepower with two players above the 500 career kills plateau. Selimi and fellow outside hitter Anna Bracali are two of the most dangerous hitters in the state. But it all comes from a team game and years of preparation.
“My senior setter last year, Eva Truong, was amazing. We had an insane connection,” Selimi said. “Obviously (setter) Cindy (Wang) this year is a sophomore and we have a really great connection, too. Nadia (Hamza) just came on the team this year as a senior but she works really hard. All of my setters deserve props, though. We really have good communication. When you play with someone and you are good friends you kind of get used to how they set and good things happen.”
And hopefully for the Griffins, they continue to happen, whether this year or the next as the team continues its upward trajectory.
“After the (PPL) championship game, they were excited, but it wasn’t like 2024,” Goldstein said. “I asked them if it was because we have bigger fish to fry and they all said yes, 100-percent. That’s nothing against Central. Our goal is to win (a state playoff game) on Nov. 10. This was our second goal. And for the kids to put in the hard work and see that things can fall into place is a big life lesson.”
The Griffins will face Bayard Rustin on Tuesday in the first round of the state playoffs. They will attempt to make history again.
“It’s insane,” Abbott said. “We’ve been close in years past, especially for Goldstein. He was crying because he’s never done it. This was big for all of us but I was really happy for him.” ••
