Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach gave defending Nassau, Long Island, and New York State Class B boys’ volleyball champion Kennedy all it could handle in the county final at SUNY-Old Westbury on Nov. 6.
The Marines went down fighting to the powerful Cougars, who pulled out a 25-16, 25-22, 25-23 decision to continue their mastery of Nassau rivals.
“We had a really good game plan,” Long Beach coach Bill Gibson said. “It was just about matchups. We should’ve won the second game, and we came all the way back in the third.”
Kennedy, led by Gary Anderson, overcame a strong performance from Long Beach setter Josh Ayzenberg and the presence of Marc Graczyk, Tyquan Scott, and Luke Gelfand at the net. “Long Beach played very well,” Cougars coach Dennis Ringel said. “They game-planned for us very well. They know us inside and out, and they improved dramatically [during the season].”
Gibson used a triple block scheme against Kennedy’s Justin Fiegeles, and made sure the 6-foot-5 Scott was on the court when the left-handed Anderson was in the front row. “We knew what to expect from them offensively and defensively,” Gibson said. “We played them straight up in the regular-season finale and watched the film to come up with a plan in case we saw them in the finals.”
Jack Gesuale, who led the Marines with 11 kills, and Ayzenberg, who had 29 assists, were both named to the All-Tournament Team. “We hit really well, but Kennedy hit even better,” Gibson explained. “We also got out-served for the first time all year.”
Long Beach, the No. 2 seed, advanced to the title match with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 victory over Roslyn in the semifinals. Ayzenberg had 33 assists and 10 digs, while Bryan Snow added 17 digs. Gelfand chipped in eight kills and three blocks, and Graczyk had four kills and three blocks. “We defended well at the net, and Bryan had a big match at libero,” Gibson said.
The playoff opener saw the Marines sweep Great Neck North, 25-6, 25-18, 26-24, with Ayzenberg dishing out 33 assists and Elijah Parks adding 10 kills.
Ayzenberg, Gesuale, Snow, and Jack Meyers earned All-County honors this fall.
