By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Lady Marines fought tooth-and-nail in the title rematch and came back to win games two and four after losing games one and three. It went the distance, with Massapequa taking the decisive game by a 25-16 margin.
Based on the pre-season rankings for 2003, the teams could very well meet again for all the marbles. The Marines, who finished 15-3 overall last fall, have six returnees and are seeded second behind the three-time defending Lady Chiefs.
"We're not at all the same team," said coach Karen Bloom, who noted the loss of standouts Beverly Rivera and Liz Mitchell. "But I think we have a great chance to get back to the finals."
Long Beach opened with a gritty 26-24, 25-19, 25-14 victory at Hicksville last week. It was down 16-8 in the first game, but battled back. "The girls played hard and really showed me they have a lot of heart," Bloom said.
Offense is the key to the team's title hopes, and Bloom has decided to employ two full-time setters to help keep opponents guessing. Senior captain Rebecca Rodger is the quarterback, and talented sophomores Hannah Baram and Mary Donahue are splitting time as the second setter.
"Unless something major happens, we're going with two setters," Bloom said. "The plan is to hit from all over and not be as predictable."
Rodger missed half of last season with a broken finger but still managed to earn All-Conference honors. "Rebecca's great with the younger players," Bloom said. "We're counting on her to do a lot."
The passers have plenty of options, including senior middle hitter and captain Kimberly Braga, junior outside hitter and captain Lindsay Brant, junior outside hitter Danielle Marchese, who had 14 kills in the opener, and sophomore middle hitter Samantha Gergen.
"We've got enough height where it's not a problem, and we've got some good leapers," Bloom said.
Junior Adrien Kaye will be a leader in the back row and spark the defense, while a strong group of reserves could make Long Beach the deepest team in the county: Juniors Sarah Romig and Danielle Weis, and sophomores Tia Szaharias, Valerie Brittell, Joanna McKasty and Nina Rosen.
"We have backups for all the positions," Bloom said. "They're young, but learning quickly."
Long Beach hosts Massapequa on Sept. 23 and travels there for the regular-season finale on Oct. 27. The teams just might meet a third time, but that's for another day. Plainview, Baldwin and Calhoun could have something to say about it.
