Boys Volleyball Eliminated From Playoffs By Sayville, 3-2

Hauppauge Eagles fell 3-2 to the Sayville Golden Flashes in a playoff tie-breaker that was the rematch of the seasons. Both teams ended regular Division II play with a 7-7 record. The Eagles beat Sayville early season, 3-1, to later fall on Oct. 29 in a reversal of fortunes, 1-3. The nailbiter came down to the last separation of 2 points, 23-25.

Score: Hauppauge 2, Sayville 3

Records: Hauppauge 7-8 overall, Sayville 8-7

The Hero(es):  Eagles John Valquez, Kory Corcoran, William Adams, Nolan Conway, Kyle Sutryk, Matthew Agnello and labero C.J. Caliendo gave their heart on the court for five intense, fast-paced matches.

Sutryk found holes in Sayville's defense with his serves in the first match, leading Hauppauge on two scoring sprees. Agnello led the team with assists as outside setter. Their offensive talents gave the Eagles the first match 25-21.

The Golden Flashes sought revenge in the second match, building a 5-1 at the start. Velaquez quickly turned the tables to tie it at 7 and stop the game from getting out of control. The score was often tied but Hauppauge would pull it together to take the lead, leaving Sayville trailing behind 22-25.

The Turning Point:  Down two matches and one away from elimination, Sayville turned it around winning 25-19 and 25-14 back-to-back to keep the pressure on Hauppauge.

In the fourth match, Sayville claimed the match from the first serve racking up a 7-point lead before turning over possession of the serve. It was a gap Hauppauge was never able to close.

Momentum shifted from the Eagles to the Golden Flashes as the home crowd went wild on the sidelines at the come from behind win. Sayville had found its rhythm with a series of aces and spikes, while Hauppauge found it difficult to pull together.

The Quote: "Senior All-County player John Valquez put it all out on the court," said coach Chris Varthalamis. "He was our high man on the court."

The Bottom Line: Hauppauge and Sayville teams were pretty evenly matched. Both had gone 5-2 in the early season, to drop a few games and go 2-5 in the second half of Division play. In previous matches, they had beat each other by near identical scores.

Sayville coach Anthony DeAngelis said spectators' enthusiasm kept his players pumped and they wanted it more.

Hauppauge was up 2 matches, and showed their nerves under pressure. The Golden Flashes saw this as a weakness and took advantage of it.

Who's Next? Sayville will advance to take on No. 1 ranked Eastport in the second round of the Division II playoffs.

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