West Hempstead rises to challenge

When the West Hempstead boys’ volleyball season came to an end with a semifinal loss to eventual county champion Bellmore JFK, last fall, long-time head coach Andrew Wilson immediately looked ahead to the 2016 season with optimism.

Despite losing eight seniors, Wilson had reason to believe his underclassmen would rise to the challenge of taking over starting roles, and would be ready to compete at a high level. The Rams have proven their coach to be spot-on.

Entering the final two weeks of the season, West Hempstead stands at 8-2 in Nassau Conference B1, and should be among the teams vying for county supremacy when the Class B playoffs come around.

Before dropping a hard-fought, four-set match to Bellmore-JFK on Oct. 13, the Rams had won four straight matches and eight of their first nine.

Wilson is confident in his team’s ability. “This is probably the most balanced team I have had here,” Wilson said. “We have more guys that we’re able to put on the court. I’m able to use 10 to 11 guys each match. That’s a big part of our success. We have a lot of players with similar ability, and they’re all capable of getting it done.”

Senior setter Seiji Clark is the player who sets the tone for the West Hempstead offense. Clark, who was a mid-season addition as a sophomore and has been a fixture in the lineup ever since, does an outstanding job of putting hitters in position to score. He had a season-high 50 assists in a five-set crossover league victory over East Meadow.

Zion Spruill leads the team in both blocks and kills. Wilson points to Spruill’s athleticism and versatility as his main attributes. The senior middle hitter, who had 15 kills in a season-opening win against Jericho, can hit from a multitude of positions and doesn’t need a perfect set to kill.

Senior outside hitters Matt Arasmo and Kyle Suffa have been steady contributors. Suffa (17) and Arasmo combined for 26 kills in a sweep of Bellmore-JFK when the teams met for the first time in September. Senior right side hitter Savion Thorpe has hit at a tremendous percentage all season long. The Rams hope to have injured senior Dylan Suffa healthy for the playoffs.

Sophomore Joe Chambers, who had six kills and two blocks in a sweep of Calhoun, and junior Tom Cardillo, 10 kills in a four-set victory over Mepham, are among the underclassmen making solid contributions. 

“While we have a lot of players contributing, and we do a lot of things well, we need to be more consistent,” Wilson said. “We can get a little better in every area, but being more consistent is going to be key. There’s no reason to think we can’t be right there in the end, but, I’m sure our opponents feel the same way about their own ability.”

The Rams will be back in action when they host Floral Park this Saturday at 10 a.m.