ESM boys lose in state volleyball final

CICERO - Eastport-South Manor boys volleyball captain Ryan Brandow could only turn and shake his head.

His kill attempt had just been blocked by Victor's 6-6 Dan Glamack, putting ESM two points behind early in the second set after they had been dominated in the first.

Glamack, a senior outside hitter and Long Beach State-bound recruit who runs like a gazelle and can finish points with either hand, menaced the Sharks for 32 kills en route to a 25-18, 25-12, 25-27, 25-19 win for Victor in the inaugural Division II State Finals at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

"Well, we had a great season," Sharks coach Bruce Stiriz said. "Coming here was a dream, and it was a dream I definitely thought we could accomplish."

The dream was blunted by the stellar play of Glamack, who even left the ESM players in awe.

"He is honestly the best player I have ever seen," Brandow said. "Best serve I have ever seen."

Added setter Ryan Brisson, who finished with 26 assists: "There was no way we were going to stop that kid. We gave it our best effort and even blocked him a couple of times."

Eastport struggled to keep up with Victor and its unstoppable force from the beginning, falling behind 15-10 in the first and never cutting the deficit. Trailing 18-12, Glamack authored a picture-perfect kill that dropped right in front of libero Connor Vogt, who positioned himself perfectly near the back line.

That turned out to be the microcosm of Eastport's day: Even when they played well, Victor (21-1) was just a little better.

Things only got tougher in the second, as the Blue Devils established a double-digit lead. At 22-10, Glamack went up for a kill, and instead of slamming it home, he gave it a soft nudge.

ESM could only watch as the ball dropped into their zone for yet another Glamack kill. He had done it again, and that 2-0 lead helped calm the Blue Devils' nerves.

"It was just a great pressure-reliever to come out strong," Glamack said.

After being outscored by a combined 20 points in the first two games, ESM strode out for the third set intent on at least making Glamack and company sweat.

They did just that, building a 20-16 lead before Victor charged back. Down 24-23, the Sharks (18-2) survived a match point to outlast the Blue Devils and force a fourth set.

"We just wanted to end the season on a positive note," Brisson said. "We didn't want to get blown out in our final match of the season. We just forgot about the score and played to have fun."

ESM made fewer errors in that third set and tightened a match that had once been lopsided.