South Side strong in early going

In only its second year of existence, the South Side boys’ volleyball team has taken Rockville Center by storm and the rest of the county by the throat, as the Cyclones are off to a 7-1 start.
Much of South Side’s early success can be credited to senior captain Alex Vargas, whose 111 kills thus far ranks sixth in the county.
“I think what has been the difference for us [so far] is that Alex has been the best player on the floor for both teams,” D’Angelo said. “Alex, in my opinion, is probably a top 10, top 15 Nassau County volley player. He could play any position for us. He does everything and is capable of doing everything for us.”
When South Side’s program began last fall, Vargas was the only player on the team with any previous experience playing the sport. To make up a roster, D’Angelo recruited players from other sports, taking heavily from the basketball team, which he also coaches.
D’Angelo knew his players’s natural athleticism would translate to volleyball, but not even he anticipated the Cyclones being so dominant by going 14-3 in their first year.

“It really was a surprise,” D’Angelo said. “It was a good, special group to coach. They were willing to learn because none of them knew how to play volleyball, so they took criticism and coaching very well.”
Setters John Presicoli and Jake Gillis, as well as libero Ernesto San Pedro, all took time to adjust to volleyball. Meanwhile, middle blocker Ryan Kennedy had even more of a learning curve. However, it’d be hard to tell that by watching him now, as he’s leading the Cyclones in blocks and is only behind Vargas in kills.
“He’s become a better hitter,” D’Angelo said. “He’s become a better blocker, and he knows to be in spots now. I think he just needed that year to play through it and make a lot of mistakes. Now, coming into this year, he has a ton of confidence.”
South Side has jumped from a rookie program to Division II and hasn’t lost a step. In five matches, the Cyclones haven’t dropped a single set.
However, D’Angelo is wary of his team’s early success.
South Side has outplayed much of its competition thus far, but what happens when there’s no one left to beat?
“I’m worried about having my team be satisfied,” D’Angelo said. “It’s common nature for them to be happy. We have to see what happens when we go down a set. Do we have the intestinal fortitude? Can we bounce back? I’m concerned about that.”
To keep South Side on its toes, D’Angelo puts them in challenging situations during practice, trying to put as much pressure on them as possible.
“We try to make practices hard and competitive,” D’Angelo said. “I really want the pressure to be high on them.”
South Side will look to rebound from its lone loss — last Saturday to undefeated Elmont — when it faces Lawrence and Kennedy this week.