Hewlett volleyball trending upward

The struggles of the Hewlett girls’ volleyball team in recent years appear to be over.

Despite just missing the playoffs, the Bulldogs finished the 2022 campaign with a respectable 8-7 record (7-7 in Conference AC-3 play) after finishing strong with four wins in six tries. Their overall win total was one more than the previous three seasons combined.

First-year coach Cristian Velasco said it took a little time for him to learn his players’ skill sets and vice-versa, but when they did, the team began to perform at a high level.

“They did great,” said Velasco, a former graduate assistant at Hofstra. “I think it was just the dedication of wanting to go out with a fight for the seniors and be really prideful about what you’re going to put out there. They had a 1-14 season and another 3-9 season so, for them, we just wanted to go out and [make] a statement.” 

The Bulldogs strung together two three-game winning streaks that season, the first culminating with an impressive straight sets win over 14-win New Hyde Park in a non-league battle. But the match that stood out the most for Velasco was a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Glen Cove on Oct. 11, where Hewlett had to win the fifth set after allowing the Big Red to win the previous two to tie the match.

“You’re playing a good team with a great libero and you’re really just trying to strategize on how you can get a little bit better,” Velasco said. “That game, we were making so many adjustments then how we normally play and to see the girls just buy in more and more, that was really cool.”

Outside hitter Jamie Ng enjoyed a strong senior season and led the team in most categories, including kills (117), digs (241) and aces (49). She had an astounding 37 digs in the Bulldogs’ win at Roslyn on Oct. 18 and had three games of at least 11 kills, including a season-high 14 in the first meeting with Glen Cove on Sept. 13.

“Jamie had a great year,” Velasco said. “She was a huge help on our defense. She was always sacrificing the body for the ball and really put her body on the line to make some incredible digs on some hard hitters.”

Also shining on defense was libero Alice Shvartsberg, who was just behind Ng with 226 digs, including a season-high 32 against MacArthur on Oct. 20. She is also one of five girls to surpass the 30-ace mark.

Hewlett boasted a solid setter combination in junior Melanie Shvartsberg (217 assists) and Melanie Poley (129) and the pair were instrumental in setting up Ng, junior Daniella Nickerson Zorilla (92 kills) and Tal Fayer (91). 

Ng, Alice Shvartsberg, Poley, Faher and right-side hitter Clariss Duhaney (30 kills) will all graduate next spring, but Velasco feels the experience gained by the underclassmen, which also includes middle blockers Brianna Ruta (20 blocks) and sophomore Noelle Nelson (16 blocks, 43 aces), will help the team progress.