Thursday, October 1, 2026
Baldwin’s girls' volleyball team is on its way to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Nassau Class AAA playoffs, as the Bruins sit 11-0 in conference play.
On Oct. 7, Baldwin beat Valley Stream Central on the road, 25-16, 25-11 and 25-13. Senior outside hitter and captain Kennedy Thompson recorded 13 kills, as she continues to climb the ladder for most kills in Nassau. Her season-high kill total came against Uniondale in the team’s first meeting on Sept. 9 and she’s ninth in the county with 116.
“The second time around, our team got better,” said Baldwin coach Tuan Nguyen. “We improve every day, we work really hard every day. So the second time [against an opponent] we can look forward to getting better and better toward the end of the season.”
The Bruins matched up against Uniondale at home Oct. 9, and came out victorious 25-20, 28-26 and 25-13.
“That’s the second time we met Uniondale and they came out strong, but we settled down and focused on the game,” Nguyen said. “We got back the first set and second set, [but] we struggled a little bit in the beginning and tried to get momentum again.”
Uniondale has been the only opponent to win a set against Baldwin.
“That was the first time we played them at their home school and we were kind of still trying to figure out what our lineup was,” Nguyen said. “That’s like the first half of the season. We definitely improved a lot the second time.”
In the Bruins’ second meeting against Uniondale, Sabrah Folkes recorded 13 kills. She’s 22nd in the county in kills with 91. Folkes is also second in the county in aces with 55. She has two matches with a season-high 20 aces against Westbury last Saturday, in a sweep.
“They’re both tremendous help for us this year and their skill level has improved tremendously since last year,” Nguyen said of Thompson and Folkes. “So, that’s definitely the main reason we’re doing so well.”
Of Baldwin’s final three matches to end the regular season, one is against East Meadow, which is in second place. The Bruins took the first meeting, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-20. Senior setter Mia Randazzo shone in that match, recording 15 assists and five digs. She’s ranked 20th in Nassau in assists with 143. She recorded a season-high 23 assists against Westbury on Sept. 17.
“She’s my number one setter and she’s improved tremendously,” Nguyen said. “She helps the outside hitter with the set.”
The Bruins aren’t just a three-girl wrecking crew, as seniors in middle blocker Gabrielle Vandterpool and right side hitter Ava Jerome, junior Mikayla Lorusso and sophomore libero Shelly Rivera have all contributed to the undefeated season.
The No. 1 playoff seed and a perfect regular season is in the sights for Baldwin, as the Bruins take on East Meadow on the road on Oct. 28 at 6:45 p.m.
