Kennedy serving up victories

Kennedy’s spiked everything in its path on the boys’ volleyball court, including anything that could even remotely resemble complacency coming off of consecutive Nassau County championships. The veteran Cougars, who have four players hoping end their careers with a trio of county titles, have run out to an 8-0 start (7-0 in Conference II play) after knocking off Garden City in straight sets last Friday (25-17, 25-15, 25-22).

“They’re doing a nice job but are far from satisfied,” coach Dennis Ringel said. “They really want to push this thing through.”

Senior co-captains Brian O’Gorman and Ben Hirschler, both returning All-County players, anchor the frontline. At 6-foot-10, O”Gorman, in particular, is a matchup nightmare for opponents, who often have to dedicate several players to slow him down at the net. “He commands such attention from teams that it opens up one-on-one opportunities for others up front,” Ringel said of O’Gorman who had a dozen kills and five blocks in a straight set win over Jericho on Oct. 5.

Senior Jacob Tabman, is not only the Cougars’ motivational force, but at 6-5, a middle blocker that balances out O’Gorman’s size and makes finishing at the net twice as difficult for opposing teams. Senior Justin Scarpa chose volleyball over football, and the veteran outside hitter stays on the floor in all situations. Robert Russo also produces at outside hitter and there’s no denying his improvement over the last several seasons, as he’s carved out a much bigger role for himself on the court. “He received a little playing time in the past but really pushed for the right side hitter’s role and came up with a couple of clutch kills against Jericho and Long Beach,” Ringel said.

With so much power and size up front, it would be easy for other Kennedy players to get lost in the shadows, both literally and figuratively. Junior setter Nick Anderson and sophomore Jake Sherman, however, are both first-year varsity players that have progressed noticeably in a short period of time. “One area with a little bit of inexperience was setter but as they’ve progressed, so has the team,” Ringel said.

Senior Dylan Simonson, the libeiro, is a back-row leader now in his third varsity season. New to Simonson’s repertoire is a jump-serve that complements his defensive play. Junior opposite Ben Canarik chipped in with eight kills and three blocks in the win over Garden City, and the returning starter’s contributions are the type that could propel Kennedy over the top in its quest for a third consecutive crown.

The Cougars also have a fairly significant crop of underclassmen that are not only pushing for playing time in practice but answering the bell when called on during games. Several played a significant role in the final game victory over the Trojans. “They really shined and take their roles in practice very seriously,” Ringel said.