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Half Hollow Hills eliminates Pats
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In a repeat of last year's Suffolk County boys' volleyball semifinal match at Bay Shore High School, the Ward Melville Patriots were eliminated (3-1) by top-seeded Half Hollow Hills.
Half Hollow Hills, who defeated the Patriots 3-0 during the regular season, completed their undefeated season two days later in the county championship game by sweeping Smithtown East 3-0.
The Patriots dropped the first two games to Half Hollow Hills by a 25-19 score, staying close but never threatening. In the second game, after a strong Hills run of points, sophomore Matt Lorusso came off the bench for Ward Melville and made a string of hustling, heady plays that energized the Patriots.
In the third game Ward Melville took a 13-8 lead on strong work at the net by senior Curtis Williams who scored five-of-six points during one run. Another Williams' block, a kill by junior outside hitter Eric Rizzo, a Williams ace and Half Hollow Hills called timeout. Rizzo finished the game (25-19) for the Patriots with three straight kills. Game four saw Hills rebound, and the Patriots make too many unforced errors, offer too many bad serves to force a fifth game. Half Hollow Hills won 25-19 to earn their berth in the finals. Senior captain Victor Tuminelli had nine kills, and three aces while junior captain Chris Kaimis had 10 kills, four blocks and four assists for Hills.
"I put a sophomore [Matt Lorusso] in the third game there and he fired us up, got us back in the match," said Ward Melville (13-5) head coach Enrico Chacon.
"It felt great to get in the game, and it's a shame that we lost," said Lorusso. "Half Hollow Hills played very well. We lose a lot of good guys off the team but we'll be back next year and be contenders."
"We came out flat in the beginning, which has been a problem all year," said Chacon. "We were inconsistent. Sometimes we could play with anybody, and sometimes it looked like we never played at all. I'm definitely going to miss the nine seniors on this team. They were all on my first middle school team and they've done very well. They deserved to win a county championship, but Half Hollow Hills made very few mistakes and that makes it difficult."
Half Hollow Hills (18-0) made it difficult for everybody in 2009.
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