Long Beach outlasts Kennedy

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After dropping six of seven sets in a pair of defeats to Bellmore-JFK during the regular season, Long Beach turned the table in the Nassau Class A girls’ volleyball semifinals on Nov. 5 at East Rockaway High School.

It wasn’t easy, but the third time proved to be a charm for the Lady Marines as they outlasted the Lady Cougars in a roller coaster five-set match: 25-21, 25-21, 12-25, 17-25, 25-22. Junior Gabby Ayzenberg had 27 kills, freshman Grace Rosenberg had 43 assists, and senior Shayla Nieves added eight kills and six blocks to lead the way for third-seeded Long Beach (15-4), which advanced to face No. 1 Wantagh in the finals. 

“We played together and that’s why we ended up winning,” said Ayzenberg, who dominated at the net and had the clinching points in each of the first two sets. “I think we let winning get in our heads too much after the first two games,” she added. “Our motto is ‘Trust and Believe,’ so we have to trust ourselves and trust each other.”

Thanks to big performances by seniors Rachel Breslow (eight kills) and Samantha Simon in the third set, and seniors Sydney Yormack and Jessie Jones (12 kills) in the fourth, Kennedy (15-4) seized momentum heading into the decisive set but never led. 

“The girls fought right down to the end,” Lady Cougars coach Katie Sheehan said. “The whole school was behind us and it was a match to be proud of. Long Beach played an excellent.”

The third set has been a sticking point for Long Beach all year, according to coach Kerri Rehnback. “The girls regrouped and embraced the feeling of competing,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, but the third game has been our Achilles’ heel. It wasn’t the first time we didn’t show up for the third game. I would’ve liked to close them out in the fourth, but they fought back and it was a good lesson to learn.”

The Lady Marines scored eight of the last 12 points to take the opening set. Junior Tara Steiner had the go-ahead kill. Seniors Paige Rogoff and Emma Colletti added aces, and Ayzenberg closed it out with consecutive kills off passes from Rosenberg. “I know how Grace was feeling tonight,” Ayzenberg said of Rosenberg, who runs the offense. “Being a freshman on varsity is tough, but I thought she did great under pressure.”

Colletti served eight straight points to spark Long Beach to a 17-9 cushion in the second set. In the third set, Simon served six points as Kennedy opened a 9-2 advantage and never looked back. The Lady Marines led by as many as four points in the fourth, but a kill by Jones broke a deadlock at 17 and it was on to a fifth set.

“It came down to everything we’ve been working on,” said Rehnback, whose team knocked off Division and Lawrence to reach the semis. “The girls needed to enjoy the moment and not be scared.”

Tied 7-7 in the fifth set, junior Ruany Soca had back-to-back aces to put the Lady Marines ahead for good. Nieves won a battle at the net for the clinching point.