Girls Division Sunday May 10
(photo Paul Miller)
Reports compiled/edited by Christine and Bob Scheadler
Pool A
Girls teams continued pool play for the first round on Sunday. Columbia brought back their loud sidelines from Saturday and came out hard on defense against Paideia. Columbia’s handlers Karina Moy and Kate Donatelli showed their skills while working Paideia’s strong cup. Paideia’s deep defense player on their zone, India Stubbs, showed impressive defense against the long huck. Paideia’s strong pulls by Rachel Kessler, Sophie Darch and India Stubbs outshined all other teams in the pool. In the end Paideia’s strong flow was reflected in the score of 15-0.
Andover came out strong on offense with captains Kayla Walsh and Emily Peterson. Their expert handing skills were accented well by the cutters Caroline Lyle and Laura Perry. Woodside answered the call with Katherien Diaz’s hard flicks up the field and some nice hucks by Alexus Quatro. Michelle Barbosa made a nice toe drag catch on the line to help Woodside finish with a strong showing of 10-2 over Andover.
Pool B
Amherst’s impressive defense challenged YHB’s offense, but the experience of the handlers on YHB were able to break the zone pretty well. A notable talent of YHB were their solid in-cuts and ability to catch anything. YHB’s handlers, Susan Yousuf and Christine Kline, also threw beautiful hucks. Amherst JV was much younger than their opponent (mostly underclassmen), but they put up a valiant fight, working at an outstanding rate on defense. There were some turnovers, but for the most part, both teams played well. YHB came out on top, 7-3.
Amherst Varsity girls’ first game was like many of their games played Saturday. The final score was 13-1 in Amherst’s favor. Amherst’s beautiful break throws, calm composure, and ability to “see the field” won the game for them. LC Bird tried to battle it out by frequently going deep, which worked better for them than their short game. LC Bird had fierce defense and good catches, given some of the wobbly throws. The one advantage LC Bird had over Amherst was their height, but this was not enough to score more than one point. Both teams showed phenomenal spirit, however, and had fun.
Stuyvesant came out with a Z that was meticulously broken by Oakland Catholic’s patient handlers, Maria Bajzek, Gina Barber, and Catherine Pietrusinski. The morning gusts picked up leading to some long points. Stuyvesant began to put out fresh defenders to try to stop Oakland’s Bajzek and the strategy seemed to be effective as Stuyvesant scored five straight points. Stuyvesant’s Jenny Li pumped up the offense with three assists. The calmer weather in the second half led to fewer turnovers and sharper Ultimate, with the final score, Stuyvesant 8, Oakland 6.
Quarters
Both Paideia and Amherst JV geared up with a strong zone defense. Amherst had solid handling by Katie St. John and Amelia Mead. The whole team had strong D’s including a hard-running cup as well as no fear about hitting the ground. But Paideia’s working of the cup led to easy flow with Julia Fuster being the leading scorer. Hailey Alm and Sophie Darch worked the cup easily. In the end Amherst JV was able to come away scoring two points on Paideia, with a final of 15-2, the second team to score on Paideia this weekend.
Amherst set the pace of their game against Andover with a quick three-touch score. Afra Danai led the way with strong low releases and aggressive offense and defense. Amherst was able to get a lot of breaks as well as work the disc easily on the open side, frequently finding Melanie Nesteruck who was a lead scorer. Andover kept their heads up and kept quickly returning to the line ready for another point. Handlers Kayla Walsh, Emily Peterson and Molly Rodin had some nice movement up the field and Caroline Lyle had some hard D’s throughout the game. In the end Amherst came away with a win of 15-0.
Stuyvesant played mostly man defense against Hampton. Stuyvesant’s offense was disciplined and their handlers worked well against Hampton’s defense. Stuyvesant had good technical throws and several nice catches, including Nicole Lau’s precision handling. Hampton played well on defense and snagged many good catches in the air. Stuyvesant kept the lead for the entire game, but Hampton played strongly with them. Sarah Krzewinski was a key player on the field for Hampton.
YHB started off strong against Columbia. They came out off the pull with a zone defense, which they kept up for most of the game. Columbia played mostly man defense. YHB kept the lead the whole game, taking half at 8-2. YHB had excellent handlers, especially Mary Dodsen and Laura Burt. Veronica Elkinton had many assists with her strong hucks. Columbia did well against YHB’s zone, but they couldn’t stop them. After the second half, Columbia came back a bit. They played efficiently and gave YHB a challenge. YHB ended the game with a final score of 15-6.
Game for 5th Place (tie)
Hampton and Amherst threw zone against each other. Hampton mixed up their zone with a 4-man cup. 
Amherst broke through Hampton’s 4-man cup thanks to Amelia Mead who showed great handling skills. Hampton’s # 7, Nicole Elway showed great handling skills, but. Amherst switched up their defense, playing cup with man up in the back and stifled Hampton. Hampton put up a great huck to make the score 7-12, but Amherst’s # 5, Sara Sremac, had a sick grab to end the game 13-7.
Columbia and Andover also started off the game playing zone. Great handling skills were delivered by Emily Peterson and Kayla Walsh on Andover. Despite hard work on a zone defense, Andover fell behind early and couldn’t match Columbia’s offensive skills or their great defense, led by #8, Abby Powell. Columbia took it to half 8-1 and won 15-1. (photo Paul Miller)
Semis
The semi between Paideia and Stuyvesant was a fast-pace high-turnover game. Paideia came out with a hard-working cup that was met with just as hard-working handlers on Stuyvesant. Paideia’s hard defense shone through with Sophie Darch leading the way. Her offense was also a highlight for the Paideia team with nice passes and assists. Paideia’s #11, Julia Fuster, pulled out her hucks as well, helping the team move down the field. Not to be outdone, Stuyvesant’s #27, Emily Park, played great on defense and offense. Against the zone Stuyvesant was able to work the cup to a halftime score of 8-2. In the second half, 
Stuyvesant came out with a hard defensive line and nice grabs. But due to lack of solid cuts, Paideia was able to call two stalls on players. Both teams had nice flow throughout the frenetic game, but in the end Paideia was able to make several connections between handlers Julia Fuster and Lane Seidor, the team’s leading scorers. Paideia came away with a trip to the final game with a score of 15-2. (photo Paul Miller)
Amherst started the game strong and kept YHB from scoring until after half. YHB struggled to get their timing together. They played mostly zone defense but could not stop Amherst's handlers and excellent flow. Amherst was led on the field by Lauren Baecher with her perfect throws and nice D's. Hannah Yee was also a strong handler with several layouts. Molly Schulmach led the game in scores and assists and Claudia Tajima was a key player. YHB finally scored with a beautiful huck by Laura Burt to Phoebe Rosen. After scoring their second point, YHB came out with intensity and challenged Amherst, however, Amherst ended the game with a score of 15-2.
Girls Final
Amherst’s Hannah Yee set the game rolling with a strong layout D against Paideia. The game was fast and energetic and each team gave its all. Players were laying out and jumping all over the field. Amherst pulled an unexpected zone on Paideia to force a turn over and a score, but Paideia came right back ready to work the cup slowly up the field. Amherst’s Keri Lambert was a strong member of the cup who did not easily give up. Her efforts where met by her teammate Claudia Tajima who made several D’s and played aggressively on offense. Paideia worked the cup and moved effortlessly up the field, including several connections between Sophie Darch and Lane Seidor. Although both teams played hard, in the end Sophie Darch was able to connect with Rachel Kessler in the end zone for a final of 13-7.
Girls Division Saturday May 9
Pleasant skies and steady winds greeted the 2009 edition of the UPA High School Eastern Regional Championships in Lebanon, Ohio, making “zone” the name of the game. The winds factored throughout the day of play but the stronger teams met the challenge. (photo Paul Miller)
Pool A
The day started with a matchup between Hampton and Woodside. Hampton started strong with a horizontal stack, and threw a hard zone, forcing Woodside into a downfield huck offense. Woodside’s vertical stack was not as tight as one would hope, but they made it up on defense, including a strong performance by Christina Reynolds. Although Hampton took the half 8-0, Woodside returned to the field re-energized and was able to score a solid two points to end the game at 15-2.
Andover came out fighting with a zone defense which was met by constant, slow work from Columbia’s handlers, peppered with a few deep throws. Andover had some problems clearing their cutting lanes but handlers Molly Rodin and Emily Peterson were able to work some points in. Both teams played hard and threw hard marks and D’s throughout the game. The spirited game went all the way to hard cap, but Columbia pulled out a win 10-4.
In Columbia vs. Woodside both teams came out ready and aggressive, though Columbia won decisively with a 15-0 final score. Woodside’s Christine Bosch played hard both offensively and defensively. Columbia’s 
main handler, Karina Moy, showed her hand at defense with a nice hand block in the first half.
Hampton remained optimistic heading into their game against Paideia, the number one seed. Kalli Perano was Paideia’s lead scorer, helped with assists by Kenia Kagel. Hampton senior Sydney Huerbin played an active popper against the Paidera zone, as well as making some hard D’s. In the end, Paideia pulled out a 15-0 win, but Hampton’s effort let them leave the field with their heads up. (Photo Paul Miller)
Andover vs. Hampton was decided on the flip of the coin since neither team was able to score upwind. Hampton’s handler, Nicole Elway, easily worked the disc up field, aided by lead scorer Sarah Krzewinski. Teammate Sydney Huerbin contributed with a Callahan in the first half. Caroline Lyle led Andover’s effort with a strong popper but the team fell just short, the game ending, 9-8 in hard cap in Hampton’s favor.
Both teams struggled with turnovers when Paideia and Woodside took the field. Paidea still managed a strong performance in which every player was able to have at least a score or assist. Woodside’s Katherin Diaz worked hard on D to keep the team alive but in the end, Paideia came out on top with a 15-1 victory.
Pool B
The points were long and exhausting in the LC Bird vs. Stuyvesant matchup. Both teams played excellent D but the relentless wind stifled each offense. In the end, the precise, fast Stuyvesant squad bettered the fun, tall and tenacious team from LC Bird, 7-3.
YHB dominated Oakland Catholic in the early going, forcing turns left and right. At the half it was YHB up 7-0. Oakland Catholic received at the beginning of the second half and began successfully working YHB’s zone. YHB switched to man at the end zone but Oakland Catholic managed to score, making it 7-1. From there on out it was all YHB as they won with a 13-1 final score.
The first half of Amherst JV vs. LC Bird was marked with tight, back-and-forth play with numerous turnovers. Both teams played zone and worked it with short throws in order to deal with the wind. Amherst later scored on a layout by Maya Norman to lead at the half, 7-4. LC Bird entertained in the second half, showing great spirit while spelling out “Amherst”, “LC Birds” and “Frisbee” with their bodies while on the line. It was Amherst leading play to the finish with a final score of 13-7.
YHB and Stuyvesant fought a close battle on the windy field. Stuyvesant used the wind for some nice deep throws and Angel Li seemed to pull everything out of the sky as the team jumped out to an early two point lead. YHB stayed patient and managed to keep pace from there on out but couldn’t close the gap. In the end it was Stuyvesant 8, YHB 7 in a hard cap. (photo Paul Miller)
A well-balanced Amherst JV team bettered an Oakland Catholic squad that struggled early on. Nice handling skills by Amherst’s Maya Norman contributed to an initial 3 point lead while Oakland Catholic had problems clearing and running a set offense. By the half it was Amherst leading, 7-1. Oakland Catholic’s Maria Bajcek showed a great deal of leadership on the field, but try as they might, Amherst claimed the prize with seven players assisting and eight scoring in the 11-1 win.
YHB and LC Bird each battled turnovers due to high winds. Despite LC Bird fielding a strong zone defense, YHB won handily in a 12-0 final. Christine Kline put in an outstanding performance for the winning squad with great handling skills and nice defenses.
The Amherst Hurricane Varsity girls were better able to cope with the wind in their victory over the Stuyvesant “Sticky Fingers”. A quick Stuyvesant team played hard but was unable to keep pace with Amherst. Strong handlers and a zone D with a 4 man cup led Amherst to the win over Stuy, 13-0.
