Westhampton Beach Boys Volleyball Team Secures Six Straight Wins

The Westhampton Beach boys volleyball team is looking stronger than ever.

And unexpectedly, the 10-1 Hurricanes have some illness and injuries, and even a close 3-2 loss to Suffolk County’s No. 1-ranked Bay Shore to thank for that. Not only have lineup changes created a more balanced team, the mid-September defeat fueled Westhampton Beach to a string of six straight wins, capped off by the Hurricanes’ fifth shutout of the season, a 3-0 sweep of West Babylon last Thursday.

“I’m really proud of all of the guys,” said senior setter Seth Terry. “The loss against Bay Shore left a bad taste in our mouths, and we think about that feeling often. It reminds us how we hate to lose. If you had asked me at tryouts what I thought the team would look like at this time, my answer wouldn’t have been right. After going through tough injuries and certain players being sick, our lineup has changed a bit, but all of the guys are stepping up and fulfilling their role.”

Terry came away from that loss to the Marauders with a monster 53 assists, 12 digs, five kills, two aces and a block assist, but he was quick to point to other seniors, middle hitter Ben Donahue and outside hitter Will Jankowski for how they’ve managed their higher offensive loads. Jankowski, who teammate Casey Sidor said has been consistent all season, finished the game against Bay Shore (9-1) with 11 digs, 10 kills, four aces, a solo block and block assist. Donahue added six kills and three block assists. Westhampton Beach was up 2-1 before dropping straight sets to force a tiebreaker. The Hurricanes had lost the first set 28-26 before taking the next two with more ease, 25-18 and 25-17, and falling 25-19 and 15-12 in the final two.

“Being up 2-1 we got too comfortable,” Terry said. “I always try to be a voice on the court and bring the guys up, but when Bay Shore brought it in the fourth set, we weren’t ready, which led us to be on the bad side of the momentum in the fifth.”

Sidor, a senior right side, recorded 19 kills, 13 digs and four aces in his first game back from injury.

“That was the first time the whole season our starting lineup was complete, and we were unprepared,” he said. “By the time we were up, 2-1, I was gassed, because I didn’t play for the past week-plus, so I knew I needed to work on building my stamina and keeping the energy flowing.”

The Hurricanes did, racking up wins against Connetquot, Hauppauge, Comsewogue and Commack before taking a 3-1 win — 25-19, 25-27, 26-24, 26-24 — at home against Ward Melville on October 3. Jankowski and senior outside hitter Alexander Kelly, who had 20 kills, 12 digs, three blocks and two aces in the loss to Bay Shore, and who Sidor said has put in the most time and can “jump through the roof,” each collected 19 kills against the Patriots. Terry had 24 assists and 18 digs, and credited senior libero Aaron Kiefer, who recorded 22 digs and four assists, for also being a factor in the team’s success.

“I’d say he’s the most underrated libero,” Terry said. “His serve receive and defense has been a massive reason we are where we are, and he is a large contributor to the team’s energy and overall morale.”

Sidor said what’s also helped the team get to this point, along with the impact made from running the right side to split up the block and the set speeds of Westhampton Beach’s strong outside hitters, is the fact that almost every Hurricane has played travel ball.

“One thing in common with all of us is our passion for the sport,” the senior said. “I haven’t seen a group this dedicated, and everyone pushes each other to get better every practice. We’re finally showing everyone what we can do and showcasing the years of work we put in. Everyone has their great qualities, but the greatest thing is how everyone works together and how easy everything flows.”

Head coach Josh Tuttle said he’s excited to see his team doing what he knew it would be capable of.

“We have certainly been building to this point,” the coach said. “The most important part of the season is ahead of us, so we still have plenty of work to do, but these boys have been successful because they really play as a team. Everyone does their role. They play hard. They play smart. They play confident. And the tough games have given us great experience in pressure situations.”

Westhampton Beach will be in another one of those when the Hurricanes host West Islip on Thursday, October 12, at 7 p.m. The Lions (10-1) are the No. 2-ranked team in Suffolk County. A key focus for No. 3 Westhampton Beach will be defense, being that West Islip boasts some of the strongest hitters the team will face.

“We feel eager to play. We love to play good teams, as they push us and force us to be better,” said Terry, who added that he’s played alongside several Lions players. “We’ve had a lot of moments this season where all the boys have been on at the same time and not necessarily because they’re playing well, but because we’re playing for the guy next to us and playing for a common goal. I think that’s what has helped us a lot this season.”

Tuttle said a playoff run remains the goal. The Hurricanes currently sit right above rival Eastport-South Manor (9-1) in the Division II standings.

“Our expectations are still very high,” Sidor said. “We feel excited, and we know we still have a lot to prove, but if there’s one thing we do know, it’s the energy we all have can’t be broken, and the heart from us is surely unmatched.”