Hauppauge defeats Calhoun in four sets for Long Island Division II boys volleyball title
Stephen Feron of Hauppauge looks to hit past Sean DiPaola of Calhoun (3) and Tommy Bello of Calhoun (15) during the Division II Long Island Championship boys volleyball final on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at Farmingdale State College. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Hauppauge knew it was in for a tight back-and-forth battle when Calhoun erased a 9-2 deficit in the first set of the Long Island Division II boys volleyball championship match on Thursday night. But that’s just how Hauppauge’s matches have gone all season.
“We’ve won matches 3-to-1 and 3-to-0, but the sets are always close,” coach Chris Varthalamis said. “No matter who we play, it’s always close, but these guys can overcome anything.”
The Eagles ground out a 28-26, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23 win over Calhoun for their first Long Island title since 2015 at Farmingdale State College.
Calhoun (13-5) took a 15-14 lead in the first set, but Hauppauge kept fighting and rode three late kills by senior Stephen Feron to enter the second set with a 1-0 lead.
“There were times where we slowly fell down, but we always got it right back,” Aidan Doherty said.
After dropping the second set, Hauppauge fell behind 8-1 to start the third set. Feron and Dominick Utano started to take control and helped Hauppauge take a 17-16 lead. The Eagles didn’t trail for the remainder of the set.
“This team could be down eight or nine points and they just chip away,” Varthalamis said. “They’re not trying to get nine points in one hit, and I’ve had teams that tried to do that. These guys just find a way.”
As setter Liam Edgeworth kept feeding Feron and Utano in the fourth set, they kept putting points away. Feron had six kills in the match-clinching set, including the final two. Utano added four kills in the set.
“It was an emotional roller-coaster,” Feron said. “We had great energy the whole match. Nothing changed at the end. We didn’t get tentative in those last points.”
Hauppauge (13-4) advanced to the pool play round of the state championships at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Albany Capital Center.
“We have no idea what we’re up against yet, but we’ll be ready for anything,” Utano said.
Hauppauge made it to the finals in its last appearance in the state tournament in 2015 but couldn’t quite finish the job. The Eagles are laser-focused on bringing home a state title this time around.
Feron didn’t even take a second to breathe in the victory before saying, “The job’s not finished.”
