By TONY BELLISSIMO
That's when seniors David Yolinsky and Alan Cohn took charge. Yolinsky's kill capped a 25-21 comeback win in the second game, which evened the match, and the third-seeded Marines never relinquished the momentum, capturing the third and fourth games, 25-23 and 25-21, to repeat as champs.
"It's very rewarding," coach Bill Gibson said. "We were overlooked all season, and not too many people expected us to win. We had a little problem with commitment early in the year, but we put it behind us, stayed healthy and peaked at the right time."
Along with a supporting cast that went nine deep in the final, Yolinsky (26 kills, 19 digs) and Cohn (30 assists, 15 kills, 17 service points) proved too much for the Rams, who swept Long Beach on April 30.
"They've been rising to the occasion all year," Gibson said of Yolinsky and Cohn, who have played together for six years. "Even last year when we hit some rocky times, David and Alan were the ones that kept everything in perspective."
Yolinksy was named tournament MVP and Cohn to the all-tournament team. They have five All-County awards between them, with Cohn, who is headed to Bucknell University next year, accounting for three.
"We've got a bunch of young guys, and they really came through," said Yolinsky, who will attend Penn State. "I think we were scared to face them in the beginning, because they're the top seed and they beat us the first time. But after the first game we settled down and started playing like we can play."
Sophomore Jarrett Rubin added 30 assists and 9 digs, sophomore Shane Ward had 10 digs, junior Todd Schaeffer had 7 kills and 3 blocks, and senior Bryan Gergen had 8 digs.
The Marines trailed 7-4 early in the third game of the match at C.W. Post College, but led 15-9 after a Rubin block and 17-12 after a Yolinsky kill. West Hempstead got as close as 23-22, but Yolinsky's 2 kills brought Long Beach within a game of the title.
"The pressure was all on them after we took the third game," Gibson noted.
To the surprise of no one, the fourth game was close all the way. Consecutive kills by Ward, Yolinsky, Cohn and senior Travis Brush gave the Marines an 18-13 lead. The Rams scored the next 3 points, and the teams traded the next 11 points. After the Marines let a match point slip away, Schaeffer converted a Cohn pass to seal the deal.
"It's just a great feeling," said Cohn, who established a new state record with 3,323 career assists. "Everybody doubted us."
Even Gibson, now with three county championships in 11 years at the helm, had his doubts about the team's ability to go all the way. Back-to-back losses to West Hempstead and Lawrence five weeks ago raised questions about his team's dedication.
"I wasn't sure how far we could go," he said. "We had a meeting to decide whether we wanted to make a run at the title or just settle for a successful season. The kids realized if they worked harder than every other team, that we'd have a shot at the end."
Added Cohn, "After the two losses, we stepped it up and became more of a team."
In the semifinals, Long Beach knocked off upstart Bellmore-JFK, the No. 10 seed, 28-26, 25-16, 21-25, 25-13. Yolinsky had 29 kills and Cohn added 18 kills, 29 assists, 9 digs and 3 blocks.
