Oceanside seeks strong finish

It’s going to take a little home cooking for Oceanside’s girls’ volleyball team to accomplish its goal of a .500 season after a hard-fought loss to undefeated Herricks dropped it to 4-7 in Nassau Conference AA-II.

The Lady Sailors, who close with five straight matches at home, held leads in the second and third sets Oct. 14 before falling 18-25, 23-25, 20-25.

“It was a little discouraging because we felt we could’ve won the second and third sets,” Oceanside coach Catheen Dnyprowsky said. “But we played well in their gym. We were in the lead several times, but they’re a very tough team.”

It’s a loss Dnyprowsky believes the Lady Sailors can benefit from down the stretch. With no more bus trips remaining and visits from Port Washington, Valley Stream Central, Freeport, Hempstead and Uniondale on tap, the coach said four wins out of five is well within reach. “We set a goal to finish .500 and it’s something we’re capable of,” she said. “I thought we were seeded in the right spot. Every match in this conference is competitive and up for grabs.”

Oceanside’s other match last week saw it avenge an earlier loss to Plainview-JFK with a 22-25, 25-7, 25-23, 25-22 win at home on Oct. 12. Sophomore setter Kristen Gallub had 10 service aces and 20 assists and the middle hitter tandem of senior Kat Malavet (13) and sophomore Woodlynn Daniel combined for 21 kills.

“Our serving turned the match around,” Dnyprowsky said. “It was nice to beat a team ahead of us in the standings that also beat us the first time.”

A large portion of Oceanside’s offense comes from Malavet and Daniel up front. Malavet averages eight kills and two blocks, while Daniel leads the team in both categories, averaging 10 kills and four blocks. “Woodlynn is our go-to hitter and Kat does a great job balancing the front row,” Dnyprowsky said.

Gallub and fellow sophomore Rachael Domanico bring chemistry to the setter position and between them average 35 assists per match. Seniors Alexa Katz and Andie Krefsky are starting outside hitters and captains along with senior defensive specialist Taylor Gabel. Katz had six aces in a five-set loss at Uniondale, Krefsky had nine kills in a win at Hempstead, and Gabel eight aces in a win at
Freeport.

“We’ve got a young team and it’s a building year,” Dnyprowsky said. 

The team’s five seniors—Malavet, Katz, Krefsky, Gabel and Carolina Jordan—will be recognized Oct. 27 when the Lady Sailors host Uniondale in the season finale at 6:30 p.m.