Martina Vaglia came to the United States from Italy as a foreign exchange student in September and enrolled at Cardozo. A high level club player in her native country, she asked around about the sport at her adopted school, but was told by friends that the team was already set.
But a month later, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“I really wanted to play,” Vaglia said. “I missed volleyball. I missed seeing the court. I missed it all. My life wasn’t complete. I asked to try out and [Coach Danny] Scarola allowed me and I made the team.”
She did more than just make the team. Scarola slotted her in as a starting outside hitter and Vaglia was one of the key ingredients in Cardozo’s run to its first PSAL Class A girls volleyball championship since 1981, which culminated in a 25-8, 23-25, 26-24 win over Susan Wagner on Tuesday.
“She was definitely a big part of it,” Judges star outside hitter Ashley Grubler said. “I don’t think we could have gone this far without her. It would have been a lot harder, because she’s another person who can put the ball down.”
Midway through the season, Cardozo (12-2) was a complete team – except for one thing. The Judges didn’t have another big swinger on the outside when Grubler rotated into the back row. Vaglia gave them just that, along with a strong passer and an excellent server. She had seven kills and eight aces, including a mesmerizing, 13-0 service run in the first set against Wagner.
Vaglia could not have fit in any better in terms of personality and productivity.
“They’re my second family,” she said of the Judges.
Grubler called her presence “a gift from God.” Clicking with her teammates came easy, but Scarola said passing was difficult at first. In Europe, back row players bump everything with their forearms, whereas in the United States they use their hands more. That took some adjusting to – but not too much.
“I honestly say she definitely did help propel us to get to this level,” Scarola said.
Vaglia, who lives with a host family in Maspeth, will be at Cardozo until June when she returns to Milan for graduation. She enrolled in the foreign exchange program because it was always her dream to come to the United States. Now, she’s thinking about attending college here. Winning a city championship will surely be something she’ll always remember.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” Vaglia said.