Massapequa wins Long Island Class A title
Lindenhurst's (l-r) Joe Curry and Jimmy Lynn can't stop Massapequa's Chris Husmann during the Class A Long Island Championships held at Hofstra University on Saturday. Massapequa came away with the title with a 3-0 victory. (Nov. 12, 2011) Credit: Lee S. Weissman
Massapequa won the Long Island Class A boys volleyball championship in three games over Lindenhurst Saturday, a nice change for the Chiefs after they were swept by Half Hollow Hills in last year's final.
"It feels great," Massapequa senior Chris Husmann said. "We've been waiting for this all year. We've been looking forward to this since we lost last year in the championship."
"It definitely feels a lot better than last year," senior Christian Smith (8 kills, 25 assists) said. "Last year, we obviously lost, but this year it was one of our goals to win this game and to come in basically relaxed, cool, calm and not overreact to any one point in particular during the game and that's what we did."
Last season's disappointing conclusion for the Chiefs was a learning experience, according to coach Steve Mariano. "I think the experience of being there last year really helped us," he said. "We had a little bit of a chip on our shoulder."
Massapequa (20-0), which handed Lindenhurst (17-1) its first loss, advanced to the state tournament Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
The Chiefs took a 16-7 lead in the first game when Husmann blocked Lindenhurst star middle blocker Travis VonHolt. Steven Woessner, who recorded 10 kills and four blocks, used a crafty tip to extend the lead to 21-11 and won the game for Massapequa, 25-15, after his powerful jump serve overwhelmed Lindenhurst's receivers.
Husmann, who led the team with 20 kills and added three blocks, slammed a kill through the middle of the Lindenhurst defense to push Massapequa ahead 14-12 in Game 2. Three straight aces from Lindenhurst senior libero Matt Reddington stole the momentum and helped Lindenhurst grab its first lead, 17-16, and forced Massapequa to take a timeout.
Out of the timeout, Smith recorded a kill to tie the game, but Husmann soon hit long to put Lindenhurst ahead 20-18. He straightened his hit out on the next point, and rallied Massapequa on a 7-3 run to win the game.
Back-to-back blocks by senior Joe Curry gave Lindenhurst a shortlived lead in the third game, 5-4. Massapequa proceeded on a 4-1 run, capped by a Smith block, led to a Lindenhurst timeout. Out of the break, Massapequa won six of nine points, including a strong kill from Smith, forcing another Lindenhurst timeout. That could not stop the Chiefs' momentum, as Husmann slammed home a kill to finish the game 25-19, and the match.
