East Hampton Boys Volleyball Loses Five-Set Playoff Match at East Islip

The East Hampton boys volleyball team’s playoff match at East Islip more or less mirrored its season, with ups and downs throughout.

After splitting the first two sets — Bonac took the first set, 26-24, while East Islip won the second set, 25-17 — East Hampton seemed to find its groove midway through the third set, leading by as many as seven points at one point and going on to take the set, 25-21.

Now in the driver’s seat, it seemed as if Bonac was in a good position to take the fourth set and the match and move on to the Division II county semifinals. But East Islip had other things in mind. It led by as many as 10 points for a good portion of the fourth set, ultimately winning, 25-13, and all the momentum with it going into the fifth and final set, where East Islip once again led, 8-2.

To East Hampton’s credit, though, it wouldn’t go down without a fight and turned into a back-and-forth between the two team’s tops players, Cash Muse (team-leading 17 kills) and Travis Stockton. A kill by Muse tied the match at 13-13, then Stockton came back with a kill of his own. Muse responded with another, but Stockton wound up having the final say as he scored the final two points to help East Islip take the fifth and final set, 16-14, and with it the 3-2 victory.

Muse finished with a team-leading 17 kills and also had three blocks. Wyatt Zeledon had 31 assists and three service aces, Isaac Rodriguez finished with 15 digs and 11 kills and Alan Rodriguez had 28 digs.

East Islip played at Eastport-South Manor in the county semifinal on Wednesday.

The Bonackers lost six of their first seven matches of the season, mainly against larger Division I schools. When the schedule flipped over to facing more Division II competition, the Bonackers won six of their last seven to even their record and earn a playoff spot. Even in their final two regular season matches, head coach Josh Brussell said he was without three of his middle hitters, Muse, Cameron Mitchell and Ben Kastrati, due to illnesses. Thankfully, they returned for last week’s playoff match, but they hadn’t played in over a week.

“This was a season of trials and tribulations where they had to fight. And I think that has a lot to do with it,” Brussell said after the match. “They had to fight, and they were tired. That comeback at the end of the fifth was pretty cool.

“I can’t describe what happened in the fourth set, it just happens,” he added. “Sometimes you’re on, sometimes you’re not. And we had really long lapses. You could see when we’re on, we come back, and then we get another lapse. It goes back and forth like that, but that’s essentially what it was. We couldn’t maintain that level of play. I think it happens with teenagers, they get scared to win.”

East Hampton had five seniors this season, all of whom were on the court in the fifth and final set — Mitchell, Muse, Isaac Rodriguez, Judah D’Andrea and Aydin Kastrati. Brussell said that, of course, they’re going to be missed, but there’s a bright future ahead for Bonac boys volleyball.

“It’s going to be a different year next year, but both setters are freshmen, my jump server is a freshman, I have an outside who is a freshman, and I pulled up a middle from JV to play those last two games when we were down a few guys who is a freshman,” Brussell explained. “We have a lot talent coming up and who played in this game, who stepped it up to keep our season going. So I think that says a lot for what we have to come.”