Falcons capture conference title

After winning just four matches in 2014, the Valley Stream South boys’ volleyball team saw a remarkable turnaround this fall. The Falcons posted a 13-4 record and captured the Conference B-III championship.

“From day one, we set a goal for ourselves to get better every day, and we definitely did that,” coach George Karahalios said. “We weren’t the tallest team, but we were very scrappy, and we made other teams make mistakes. We had a lot of heart, and on every point, we gave everything we had.”

South was led by two juniors who turned into some of Nassau’s best this season. Jordan Leyesa earned All-County honors, while Keiron Jeremiah took home All-Conference honors.

“Jordan and Keiron both showed a lot of growth this season,” Karahalios said. “Last year they were just sophomores, and this year they both got the opportunity to play all around and more on a full-time basis.”

With a total of seven seniors graduating from last year’s team, several players got opportunities to prove themselves this season with the program. This included fourth-year players Brian Donnelly and Kenny Nguyen, who were able to step up both on and off the court.

“Brian and Kenny really took on the senior leadership role well, and motivated our players throughout the whole year,” Karahalios said.

Paul Kim and Chris Hess also made a positive impact for the team this year from the setter position. Kim was strong early on in the season, before going down with a knee injury in early October. Hess than took over his role, and performed well.

There were several high points for the Falcons. The team jumped out to an 8-1 start. Then in its 11th match, Valley Stream South had a dramatic comeback win on the road against Clarke. “That win really just gave us a boost for the rest of the season,” Karahalios said. “They were highly motivated, and they kept on going with it.”

Karahalios also was impressed with the way his team performed in a late-season loss against a talented Valley Stream Central squad. “That game was probably the best game the guys played all season,” he said. “Even though it ended up in a loss, it was good to see them never give up, and that really told me what kind of team I had for the year.”

The Falcons will likely have most of their roster back for next season, and Karahalios is optimistic about the future. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team to coach this year,” he said. “And with only three seniors leaving, hopefully we can have the same run next year as well.”