Boys volleyball improves to 5-1 Defending champs tie for first

      Senior hitter David Yolinsky had three kills and two blocks, and senior setter Alan Cohn added four kills and two blocks in the decisive game as the Marines came way with a 19-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-9 win. Yolinsky had 24 kills, 17 digs and four blocks, and Cohn added 31 assists, 18 kills and three blocks.
      "We got going toward the end of the fourth game and played very well in the fifth game," coach Bill Gibson said. "They handed us the second game and that turned out to be big. If that didn't happen we might have been swept."
      The victory allowed Long Beach to bounce back from its only loss since 2001. It was beaten by Plainview on April 10 in four games, thus ending a 24-match unbeaten streak. The scores were 17-25, 25-21, 22-25, 21-25.
      "We didn't play very well and they played strong defense," Gibson said. "We weren't prepared and we were missing a few players for the third straight match."
      Though All-County performers Yolinsky and Cohn are playing "off the charts" according to the coach, the supporting cast needs to pick up the pace in order for the Marines to maintain their success.
      "Other than the first couple of matches, we haven't had a full lineup," Gibson said. "Kids are missing practices and matches. If the commitment doesn't change, we're going to be in for a rough road. If it does, we'll be Final Four material. Right now we're scraping by and we're fortunate to be 5-1."
      In a three-game sweep of Port Washington, Yolinsky had 14 kills, Cohn had 11 kills and 14 assists and sophomore Jarrett Rubin had five aces and 15 assists. And in a sweep of Syosset, Cohn had 10 kills, 15 assists, 15 digs, Yolinsky 12 kills and senior Bryan Gergen 11 digs.
      "We've played well at times, but we're far from where we could be," Gibson said. "We might have to pay the price later when the schedule gets tougher. We're facing five teams that are equal or ranked higher than us, so we've got some work to do."
      Following spring break, the Marines visit Herricks and host top-seeded West Hempstead and surprising Lawrence.