The Smithtown East girls volleyball team finished its regular season without losing a match. The Bulls went 15-0 overall and 14-0 in League III play, winning the league championship outright, according to Section XI, the governing body for Suffolk County high school athletics.

The margin shows up in the set counts. Section XI's standings credit Smithtown East with 45 sets won against just nine lost in league play. Northport and Centereach, the teams tied for second in League III, each finished 11-3, three full matches behind.

The reward: a bye and home court

The perfect season earned Smithtown East the No. 1 seed in Suffolk County's Class AA playoff bracket, and with it a bye through the quarterfinal round that was played on October 21. The Bulls open their postseason at home in the semifinals on Wednesday, October 28 at 4 p.m. against fourth-seeded Northport, a League III rival that advanced past West Babylon in its quarterfinal.

A win Wednesday would send Smithtown East to the Suffolk Class AA championship match on Monday, November 2 at 4 p.m. at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. Admission is charged at playoff matches, and Section XI sells tickets through GoFan, its online ticketing platform.

A deep county field

The unbeaten record stands out even against the county's other strong seasons this fall. Across all of Section XI's girls volleyball leagues, only one other varsity team matched Smithtown East's perfect league record: Bay Shore, which went 14-0 in League I and plays in the larger Class AAA bracket. In Class AA, the road to Brentwood now goes through the Bulls' gym on Smithtown's east side.

Smithtown East students, families and neighbors who want to see the semifinal can be in the stands Wednesday afternoon. For a team that has not dropped a match since the season began, the home crowd may be watching the start of a county title run.

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