Rams Boys Volleyball Eliminated in Round Two of Playoffs

After defeating Garden City in a nail-biter of a game in the first round of playoffs, the Rams boys varsity volleyball fell to Jericho Monday night.

The match-up between West Hempstead (No. 5) and Jericho (No. 4) in the Class B quarterfinals took place at Jericho High School. The Rams put up a valiant effort in Games 1 and 2, keeping the scores close, put Jericho took both matches, winning 25-18 and 25-17. West Hempstead was unable to rally in Game, losing by 17 points to end their playoff run.

The Rams, which finished with a regular season record of 11-2, beat Garden City High School in Round 1 of the playoffs on Oct. 28 at West Hempstead High School. The close five-game series had fans on the edge of their seats. With spectacular performances by seniors Nick Giovanelly and Chad Maccou, who both had 10 kills for the night, the Rams took Game 1 by six points and forced Game 2 into extra points before losing 27-25 to Garden City. The Rams answered back with a big win in Game 3, shutting down the Trojans, who only scored 12 points in the match. Garden City rallied, putting up a 25-22 win and forcing the match-up into a Game 5. With the help of center Eric Finkelstein, who had 33 assists for the Rams, West Hempstead took an early lead in the final game, which they fought to maintain against a persistent Garden City Squad. With a lead of 24-20, Rams middle hitter, Chad Maccou, delivered the final blow to the Trojans, spiking the ball to win the final game.

After the game, Rams head coach Andrew Wilson, said, "I'm proud of our guys. They fought back after losing Game 4."

He added, "Garden City played great. They shouldn't walk out of here with their heads down. I'd same the same thing if we lost. It was a tightly fought game."