Marines Sweep Past MacArthur to Semifinals

One of the bonuses of performing at a high level during the regular season is earning a high seed in the playoffs. The downside is having a two-week break between matches.

Well, the No. 3 Long Beach Marines showed no sign of rust as they swept past visiting MacArthur 25-16, 25-18, 25-20 to advance in Nassau Class AA girls' volleyball playoffs Thursday night.

Senior Chelsea Braga had 11 kills and junior Patricia Murphy added eight as the Marines knocked off the No. 6 Generals for the third time this season. Junior Haley Crane had 24 assists for Long Beach.

Head coach Kerri Rehnback was pleased with the team's quarterfinal victory. "Sitting and waiting for two weeks was tough," Rehnback said. "MacArthur had just swept Syosset, and had some momentum. I didn't know how we'd play. We were very strong at the net, and served very well. I'm happy with the way the girls played."

Braga was outstanding in the opening game. The two-time All-State selection had four kills and four service points as the Marines ran out to a 20-9 lead and never were challenged. Junior Halie Gates, who did an outstanding job serving all match long, had four consecutive service points in game one.

Game two was Murphy's coming out party, so to speak. The junior outside hitter was a force all afternoon. Murphy registered kills on four of the last six points to put middle game away for Long Beach.

Rehnback thought Murphy was difference-maker. "She was just awesome, today," Rehnback said. "MacArthur is pretty tough at the net, so we needed to be strong there. I was concerned about the team struggling after the long break. She brought tremendous intensity onto the floor. It's the best I have ever seen her play. She was unbelievable."

The third game was a back-and-forth affair. MacArthur got terrific play from Samantha Barrett and Taylor Kenney, and was in position to steal game three. But, junior Haley Crane and senior Jessica Amen were outstanding at the serving line down the stretch for Long Beach.

Long Beach, which improved to 10-5, advanced to the semifinal round. It will take on No. 2 Farmingdale on Nov. 8 at 4:30 pm at Clarke High School.

Rehnback knows there's work to be done. "We need to get better at serve receive, and cut down on mistakes," she said. "If we serve well, and make good defensive plays at the net, we'll be ok."

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