3 Photos
Isaac Rodriguez is a key returning player for the Bonackers this season. RON ESPOSITO
Alan Rodriguez will continue to play as the team's libero. RON ESPOSITO
Katie Kuneth is one of a few returning players for the girls volleyball team. RON ESPOSITO
The East Hampton boys volleyball team finished its regular season, 7-7 last year, good enough for the three seed in the Suffolk County Division II playoffs. Unfortunately for the Bonackers, they ran into the eventual county and Long Island Champions in Hauppauge in the first round and lost in three sets in the playoff opener.
Following that loss, East Hampton graduated seven players including some longtime varsity players in Hunter Eberhart and Alex Lombardo, in addition to Calum Anderson, Nick Schaefer, Colin Villante, Nick Cordone and Jack Petscheitis. Because of those losses, head coach Josh Brussell says his team will be young, but should still be competitive.
“We’re just going to have to take it game by game,” he said. “We’re very young with four freshmen, three of whom will start. I think we can do well. We just have a lot of work to do.”
Senior outside/middle Cash Muse leads the list of returning players, along with Isaac and Alan Rodriguez. Isaac is entering his third year on varsity and will be an outside hitter, while Alan will continue to be the team’s libero. Cameron Mitchell is a senior who will be starting for the first time as a middle. Senior Judah D’Andrea and junior Ryder Christiansen will be sharing opposite duties.
Marcus Oransky and Wyatt Zeledon are both freshman setters who will be used extensively in the team’s 6x2 set up. Another freshman, Danny Pedro, will start on the outside.
East Hampton is one of 10 Division II teams this season, with five postseason spots to be had. Eastport-South Manor, Hauppauge and Westhampton Beach will continue to be some of the top competition in the division, and Brussell said Sayville looks pretty good this season as well.
The Bonackers got the season started on Wednesday against Central Islip, and will play Half Hollow Hills on Friday at 5:30 p.m., before returning home on September 13 to host ESM at 5 p.m.
Girls Look To Take
Next Step
The East Hampton girls volleyball team finished its season a year ago one win away from clinching a playoff spot, and head coach Alex Choi is hoping that his team can turn that around this fall. Like their male counterparts, the girls lost seven seniors to graduation. Included in that bunch were setter Scout Lynch and outside hitters Emma Terry and Caroline DiSunno.
Choi likes the fact that he has a trio of seniors who should offset those losses in outside hitters Katie Kuneth and Kimberly Hilario and libero Alexa España. Junior Natalie Mongan is up from junior varsity and Choi is hoping to use her as a left-handed setter. Gabrielle Payne, a first-year senior, is a very promising middle blocker, Choi said.
“Even though I lost some of my powerhouse hitters and a very good setter, I have high hopes that with a little bit of hard work, we can be a competitive team this year, even despite the league changes,” Choi said. “We will be facing schools that we have never seen before, let alone faced off against them, so it’s a new ballgame for all of us.”
Due to statewide changes in enrollment numbers, East Hampton will now be a Class AA school for the first time ever and will play in League IV. Some of the teams in the league are familiar, such as Eastport-South Manor, East Islip and Rocky Point, but others like Smithtown West and Deer Park are not. And then the other teams in League III which East Hampton could see in the playoffs, are even more foreign.
The Bonackers opened the season at Comsewogue on Wednesday, and will host Rocky Point in their opener this Friday at 4 p.m., before playing at Deer Park on September 12 at 5 p.m.
