South Side aims to continue instant success
When the South Side boys’ volleyball team was first created, no one imagined the type of immediate success it’d experience.
With a combined record of 30-6 over the course of their first two seasons, the Cyclones quickly rose from the development ranks and into the upper echelon of Nassau County volleyball.
But now competing in Conference 2A, South Side, by its own standards, is struggling for the first time in its short history after returning only two players from last year’s roster.
Those two returners are junior captains John Pericolosi and Ryan Schmitt.
Pericolosi, an All-County selection, currently leads the team in virtually every stat category, including kills, assists, aces, and digs. Schmitt, meanwhile, is one of the best blockers the Cyclones have and is relied upon as the team’s defensive anchor.
“To try and help the other kids get ready, I’m putting a lot of emphasis on those two,” D’Angelo said. “Everywhere else, we’re just filling around with who we think gives us the best chance to win. We’ve tried different kids in different spots. We have to see what we got. It’s been a bit of a challenge so far.”
As much of a challenge as it has been, there’s an element that D’Angelo enjoys within the process of finding the right spot for each piece in this human jigsaw puzzle. Seeing players try, fail, and eventually succeed is a new type of satisfaction besides that of simply winning.
Some newcomers have found their roles. Setter Jack Bradley has been given the critical role of leading South Side’s offense while still only a freshman. Sophomore Jesse Kuo has settled in at outside hitter, and junior Kevin Rodriguez is getting accustomed to being the libero.
It seems, though, that South Side may have found the right balance this past week. After rattling off four straight wins against Hewlett, Valley Stream North, Wantagh, and most recently, Bellemore-JFK, the Cyclones are hitting their stride with a record of 5-2.
“I still think we’re going to be pretty good,” said D’Angelo. “I still think we could be a team that could catch a good run in the playoffs like we did last year, but we need a little bit more time right now. The kids are working hard. They’re getting better.”
Unlike experience, time is one thing that South Side has in its favor, with 10 matches to play and more than a month to go in the regular season.
Where exactly the Cyclones will be at that time is anyone’s guess. But as hopes rise, so are expectations.
“I think we should be a top two or three team in our conference,” D’Angelo said. “We were making some bad mistakes and key points in our early games, and sometimes the difference between winning and losing those games is that little bit of experience. Will we have it in late October, when my boys have played 16 or 17 games? Yeah, I think so.”
