Baldwin wins seven of first nine

Tuan Nguyen led the Roslyn boys’ volleyball team to the county championship just two seasons ago. Now, he’s shaping the Baldwin girls’ program into instant contenders.
After a forgettable three-win season in 2022, the Bruins find themselves among the top half of the Conference 4 standings with a 7-2 mark, including a seemingly easy 25-11, 25-10, 25-8 sweep over winless Hempstead last Saturday. Kate Heuser led the way with eight kills and two aces and fellow senior co-captain Nyla McDermott added 5 kills and 3 aces.
It was a bounce-back win for Baldwin after losing to undefeated Farmingdale two days earlier.
Baldwin sits fourth in the standings entering this week’s action behind Great Neck South, Farmingdale and Roslyn, but may need to run the table against some stiff competition and get help from other schools in the final two weeks of the season since only the conference champion advances to the playoffs. Some of the tougher games remaining include Hicksville on Oct. 17 and season-concluding visits to MacArthur and Roslyn.
No matter the result, the Bruins are undoubtedly a team on the rise due to a simple solution by Nguyen.

“Back to the basics, serving and receiving,” he stated. “That’s the most important skill in volleyball. I’m really doing the basics with them right now.”
The Bruins’ most impressive win this season was a four-set triumph against Great Neck North on Oct. 2. They won the first set 25-18 and gutted out a 26-24 victory in the second before closing the match 25-20 in the final session.
“That, by far, is the biggest win so far,” Nguyen said. “They played well together and stuck to the game plan. We out-served them and received the ball and helped out on the defense.”
The team showed plenty of moxie earlier in the season against Valley Stream Central (6-2) on Sept. 13, battling back from a two-sets-to-none deficit before falling 15-5 in the last stanza for its first loss of the season following three straight 3-0 wins.
Heuser, an outside hitter, leads the team in most categories, including kills (51), blocks (10) and aces (22). She had 10 kills in Baldwin’s season-opening win at Uniondale on Sept. 6.
“She’s a well-rounded player,” Nguyen said. “She’s the most consistent in her killing, in serving, and defense-wise.”
The lefty McDermott has also been a consistent contributor from the right side with 25 kills, 15 aces and 8 blocks on the season while adjusting to a revolving door of setters, which is now solidified by experienced sophomore Mia Randazzo (25 assists.)
“I think she’s more consistent and she has a good sense of what a setter is all about,” Ngueyn explained. “I think she can fit this year.”
Junior Blaine Harding is the digs leader with 25 and one of the Bruins’ most athletic and aggressive players. Sophomore Sabrah Folkes has shown “good control of the ball” at outside hitter, according to Nguyen, and junior Jadyn Culbreath has been a “good fit” as the middle hitter who thrives on defense.