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Sports

Season Preview: Massapequa Boys Volleyball

Chiefs are looking for a third consecutive Nassau County title in 2011.

The Massapequa Boys Volleyball team will be looking to continue their success from the 2010 fall season where they won a second-consecutive Nassau County title.

The Chiefs took at Hofstra University for the County title, but lost to Half Hollow Hills in the inaugural .

With much of their talent back, Massapequa is confident of their chances to make it back to Hofstra again and come out on top behind the leadership of fourth-year head coach Steve Mariano.

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“Our blocking has been better so far. We have done some drills to work on different components of blocking,” said Mariano. “The experienced guys provide a lot of important leadership to the younger guys. Those guys become second, third and fourth coaches on the court to solidify all of the little things during game play.” 

Last Season: 14-2 (won Nassau County Class AA championship)

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Coach: Steve Mariano (4th year).

Top Players:

  • Chris Husmann, senior, middle
  • Christian Smith, senior, setter
  • Steve Woessner, junior, middle
  • Frank Delgiudice, junior, libero

Position Breakdown: There is no doubt that Massapequa has the talent out on the court to win, and keep on winning at that. Husmann and Woessner are two of the best hitters in Nassau County. Smith is right up there with the top setters and is considered a top hitter himself.

Both Husmann and Smith were All-County players in 2010, with Woessner receiving All-Conference accolades. Delguidice will look to control the back of the offense as he did last season, earning All-Conference status as a libero.

The Chiefs graduated just five seniors from last season, namely All-County player Jesse Finkel. However, with a team that is rich in talent and tradition, the Chiefs should figure to have success in 2011.

“It is going to be our defense. If we serve receive and side out well, we will win the County championship,” said Smith.

Expectations: Massapequa has already gotten their season underway, winning their first three games. The Chiefs defeated Port Washington in four sets and swept both Farmingdale and Oceanside, all of who were league match-ups.

“I think that we haven’t played our best game yet. We have played a few good teams, but we still haven’t reach anywhere near our peak. We are still on our way up,” said Husmann. “If we keep our intensity up throughout every single game, we will have no problem playing with composure and being the great team that we can be.”

Port Washington figures to provide competition for Massapequa in Class AA-I, along with Plainview JFK and Long Beach.

“We are going to need to be able to control the ball, especially on serve receives,” said Mariano. “We have a lot of height, so we will need set up an effective block. The best side-out team is the team that is going to win the County championship.” 

Key Games:

  • September 22: East Meadow @ Massapequa, 5:00 p.m.
  • October 5: Long Beach @ Massapequa, 5:00 p.m.
  • October 11: Massapequa @ Plainview JFK, 6:30 p.m.
  • October 19: Port Washington @ Massapequa, 5:00 p.m.
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