Marines rally to extend win streak

Long Beach’s intestinal fortitude was tested in last Friday’s Conference II boys’ volleyball match at Great Neck South.

The Marines rallied after dropping the first two sets to bump their winning streak to three with a 22-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-17, 26-24 victory. It was the first time since 2008 they had a match go the distance.

“It was a matter of cutting down on errors,” Long Beach coach Bill Gibson said. “Their style is to keep the ball in play and they do a good job of it. Our guys were a little frustrated, but we changed a couple of strategies that ended up working for us.”

Sal Saatchi had 23 kills, Adam Lazare had 14 kills and 13 blocks and Josh Edrich had five kills and five blocks to lead the come-from-behind win that upped the Marines’ record to 5-2 in conference play.

“We’re a pretty young team and some of the errors are because of our style,” Gibson said. “It’s just something we have to work through.”

Long Beach returned only one senior starter — Saatchi, one of the most talented outside hitters in Nassau County according to Gibson. Saatchi leads the team in kills with 97. “He’s an explosive hitter who helps all over the court,” Gibson said.

At 6-foot-6, Lazare, a junior, is a force in the middle and a key to the offense as well as the defense. His 39 blocks lead the team and his 69 kills rank him second behind Saatchi. “Adam is one of the top blockers in the county,” Gibson said.

The offensive trigger is junior Andrew Still, who assumed the role of full-time setter and is thriving with 261 assists, 41 digs and 14 aces. “He’s playing great,” Gibson said. “He’s a natural for the right side where we could utilize his hitting skills, but luckily for us he’s versatile enough to be primary setter.”

Still dished out 23 assists in recent back-to-back sweeps of Mepham and Carey that pointed the Marines in a positive direction after they split their first four matches.