Rams improving every match

At West Hempstead, the boys’ volleyball team has consistently be one of the top athletic programs in the school. Year-in, year-out, the Rams, who finished 11-3 and advanced to the county quarterfinals in 2010, are among the top teams in the county in their classification.

Graduation left West Hempstead with a shortage of varsity experience, but the hard-working Rams are playing competitive volleyball in the toughest conference among Class B schools. After a tough four-set loss to Jericho (25-15, 23-25, 15-25, 26-28), West Hempstead stands at 3-3 in Nassau Conference IV.

Head coach Andrew Wilson likes the way his team is growing. “We’re showing signs of what we’re capable of doing, but we need to get more consistent on the court,” Wilson said. “With an inexperienced team, the mistakes are more difficult to bounce back from. If we can be more consistent, and cut back on mistakes, I think we’ll be very competitive. We’re progressing pretty well, and a lot of the guys are showing tremendous improvement.”

The Rams rolled in their first two matches of the season with three-set sweeps of both Hewlett (25-18, 25-11, 25-19) and Lawrence (25-20, 25-17, 25-23.) In the Hewlett match, West Hempstead got nine kills and five blocks from senior middle hitter Pat D’haiti, and 27 assists from senior setter Eric Finkelstein.

In the victory over Lawrence, the Rams got 10 kills from junior outside hitter Tom Wood, and Finkelstein added 29 assists and five service aces. Wilson sees Finkelstein as the key to the team’s success. “Eric controls the offense like a point guard on the basketball court,” Wilson said. “Everything goes through him. He has excellent court presence and communicates very well.”

D’haiti, who added 10 kills and three blocks in another victory over Hewlett, is probably West Hempstead’s most efficient hitter and blocker. Junior middle hitter Chris McAvoy may be the Rams’ most versatile player. The athletic McAvoy is a solid hitter and does a good job passing the ball.

Senior opposite hitter Reggie Renya is another versatile performer, and one of the best servers on the roster. Renya had seven aces in the opening day sweep of Hewlett.

Junior Liam Donovan has done a good job at middle hitter/blocker. Senior Juan Romero has improved considerably and is pushing for time on the court. Junior Terry Oh, the backup setter and a solid server, is the team’s defensive specialist. Oh is adding the jump serve to his arsenal. Sophomore libero Vinny DiGiovanni is a tireless player who has made some spectacular plays and should be a very strong player in the future.

Junior outside hitter Anthony Sookiasian, junior Phil Treglia, and senior Dimitri Francis have all improved as the season has progressed. Juniors John Padoginog and Hamilton Roldan, both first year varsity players, round out the roster. 

The Rams will host three-time defending county champion Bellmore JFK on Friday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.