Thursday, October 1, 2026
The good news is the Plainedge boys’ volleyball team is off to rousing 10-2 start in Conference 2C. The even better news for the Plainedge program comes from the JV.
At long last, veteran coach Joe Como has established a JV program after many years of trying. Two years ago, Como established a middle-school team.
Under those conditions, he’s supremely proud of his senior-laden Red Devils. This is the last group of seniors that didn’t have a school feeder program. For the most part, jumping to varsity as freshmen became their introduction to high-stakes volleyball
“We’ve built a program,’’ said Como, in his 23rd season as varsity coach. “I tried to get it for a long time. We’re finally there. These guys did not benefit from a feeder program. They haven’t had the longevity other seniors enjoy and are still playing at such a high level.’’
After losing key players and leaders to graduation in Dean Montagnino, Zaiden Antaki and Ryan Scarry, concern existed on whether Plainedge could better the12-4 record from last year.
The Red Devils are surging with new leaders in setter Thomas Lambrinon and exceptional hitters in Tobias Marandet and Matthew Oh. They are three of Plainedge’s seven seniors. ‘
On Oct. 18, Plainedge moved its record to 10-2 with a straight-set win over Clark as Lambrinon posted 22 assists and 5 aces and Marandet recorded 12 kills and 8 blocks.
. “We’ve been playing together since freshman (year),’’ Lambrinon said. “Going into senior year, I really had faith in our skills and had high expectations.’’
Lambrinon is averaging 32 assists per game – among the leaders in Nassau County. “He’s my court captain,’’ Como said. “He’s the guy on the court all the time. He’s a real court general.’’
Each season, Lambrinon has added an aspect of his game. This year, he said, he became better at “mental endurance”. “It’s a long game and you have to be really focused,’’ Lambrinon said.
Plainedge’s first loss came against Floral Park in early October and that’s when the Red Devils were missing their premier scorer, Marandet, battling pneumonia. The 6-foot-5 middle hitter is starting to feel 100 percent – which bodes well for the future. He averages 20 kills per game.
“Tobias is just a tremendous, big guy and can get up there,’’ Como said. “(Against Floral Park), we had to work around our best hitter at the last minute. He’s a huge presence the middle of the court.’
Plainedge’s finest victory this season came against a tough Oyster Bay squad in a five-setter when it had to also play without a key contributor in Logan Toschong, who tore his shoulder during the match. He’s only now making it back to the lineup.
Also a senior, Oh is their second-best killer, giving Plainedge a solid one-two punch with Marandet. Oh averages 12 kills a contest.
“He’s an all-around great player and very good passer,’’ Como said. “He’s on the court constantly. He’s also one of the captains so he’s a strong leader as well.’’
Plainedge’s most versatile volleyballer is senior Jake Lucido, who has played setter, libero and outside hitter. “He’s our Swiss Amry knife,’’ Como said. “Whatever I need him to do, he can do pretty darn good. He’s one of the glue kind of guys who holds the team together - eager to do anything and everything.’’
The playoffs are about to commence. “We’re very capable of going far,’’ Lambrinon said. “Everyone on the team is so close and we’re all friends. A lot of top teams don’t know about us. Once playoffs start, they’ll see we’re a strong team.’’
