Oceanside in mix for playoff spot

The Oceanside boys’ volleyball team finds itself in a hotly contested playoff race with less than two weeks to go in the regular season and control of its own destiny to claim one of the two postseason spots in Conference B.

The Sailors (9-2) are a much-improved team from last season thanks to a more experienced roster and have swept the opposition in seven of their nine wins. The boys’ only two blemishes came against first-place Levittown District (14-1), including a heartbreaking 3-2 loss last Saturday in which they won the first two sets.

Oceanside has already beaten East Meadow, Mepham and Hicksville – the teams that are right behind it in the standings – and face those schools again in three of the last four games of the season. The Sailors qualified for the playoffs last year and lost a grueling five-set match to Jericho in the first round.

“Last year, I only had one senior graduate, so this team has been together now for two years,” coach Chris Harkins said. “They were all playing last year. They understand the game better. They’re better in our system, a little stronger, a little faster, a little bigger, all of them.”

The biggest one in terms of height and overall performance is 6-foot-4 senior Adam Elbehiry, who leads the team in kills, blocks and aces. Elbehiry was an All-County performer last year and his hitting has been just as strong in 2023.

“He was our best hitter both years,” Harkins said. “He’s really developed his game overall. Adam’s a point scorer. He doesn’t just put balls away for you. He blocks, he serves, so he’s able to impact the game in three ways that a lot of our guys can’t.”

The team’s other middle player, junior Ethan Lisi, has also produced his share of kills thanks to his speed and quickness, giving the offense a different dynamic than the powerful Elbehiry. Managing both styles is senior setter Tyler Polito, who has already surpassed 200 assists for the season.

“Tyler’s awesome,” Harkins said. “He does everything for us. On top of being a real good setter and knowing where to put the ball and when to give it to a guy, he’s also a very good ground defender. He totals a lot of digs for us. He’s really rounded out his game as well.”

Senior Angel Santillan is also racking up the digs and is the Sailors’ leader in that category by a wide margin. He had 14 against Valley Stream Central on Sept. 9 and three other 11-dig games.

“Angel’s been playing great,” Harkins said. “He’s a solid defender, a good server-receiver.”

Senior outside hitter Liam Eisel is second on the team in both kills and aces and has been another useful weapon for Harkins. Senior Kian Monehan is approaching 50 kills and contributes in every facet of the game with very few mistakes, according to Harkins.

Jake Cadiz has made the adjustment from outside hitter to the right side and has impressed Harkins with his hitting ability despite missing four games because of injury. Fellow junior Declan Costello filled in admirably in his absence and has earned Harkins’ trust at several positions.