Lawrence battling for playoff spot

The Lawrence boys’ volleyball team is enjoying a bit of a resurgence after a forgettable 2022 season and suddenly finds itself in the thick of the conference title race heading into the home stretch of the season.

The Golden Tornadoes ended September with four straight wins and sit third in the six-team Division II Conference B standings with a 5-3 mark (5-2 conference), just behind Hewlett and West Hempstead. Last season, the team started 4-4 before losing seven of its last eight matches, including six 3-0 defeats.

This year’s start even impressed coach George Klein, who coached some of his players during their middle school days.

“We’re just taking it game by game and trying to build up as many wins as we can to qualify for the playoffs,” he said. “That’s the main goal right here, right now. I am pleasantly surprised with how far along we’ve come. I really am.”

The turning point of the season came in a home match against Wantagh on Sept. 20. After starting the season 1-2, the Golden Tornadoes split the first two sets with the Warriors before gutting out 25-21 and 27-25 wins in the final two sessions to kick start their winning streak.

“I think in the second half of that game, a lot of my sophomores and even my freshman who’s starting in the middle for me, they started to gain some confidence,” Klein said. “They played loose, and I think that was the turning point of the season.”

The team is already building a core for future seasons, starting with sophomore Elijah Tolley. The outside hitter led the team in kills in each of the eight games to total 121 – more than double his closest teammate – and is the Golden Tornadoes’ top server with 19 aces.

“He’s turning into a complete, all-around player,” Klein said. “He pretty much does everything well and some things he does really well, like his serving. He does come up with some blocks and a couple of digs every once in a while, and he’s a great kid.”

Tolley has formed a nice chemistry with fellow sophomore and setter Mailo Rozas, who has collected 182 assists this season. He is averaging almost 23 helpers per contest and surpassed 30 twice, including a season-high 33 in a 3-1 loss to South Side on Oct. 4.

“They’ve been playing together for years and they’re only sophomores, so they definitely have a chemistry together,” Klein said. “The future is so bright. It’s exciting.”

Senior outside hitter Elie Libkind is second on the team with 59 kills, including a season-high 15 against Hewlett on Sept. 12, and the former starting setter also had 10 assists against Elmont two days later. Junior Derrick Reyes has been strong on both ends of the floor with 40 kills, 26 assists, 17 blocks and 10 aces.

Freshman Corey Shakur is the team’s top blocker with 19 and junior middle Angel Vazquez has chipped in 8. Sophomores Fernando Larios and Sehil Dhoundiyal are among the team’s best receivers on defense with a combined 57 digs.