Massapequa boys volleyball captures Nassau Div. I championship with strong effort from Logan Coady

Logan Coady is the only returning starter from last year’s Massapequa boys volleyball team that entered the postseason as the top seed in Nassau County.

But he missed last year’s quarterfinal loss to eighth-seeded East Meadow with an illness.

So when top-seeded Massapequa matched up with the No. 7 Jets in the Nassau Division I championship match on Tuesday, Coady had to make up for lost time.

The junior totaled 26 kills, two blocks and an ace in Massapequa’s 25-17, 25-10, 22-25, 25-23 win over East Meadow at Wantagh High School.

It’s Massapequa’s first county title since 2022 and fifth in the last six years.

“It was a really rough time having to miss that game last year,” Coady said. “Coming back this year, it really motivated me for this entire year to get better. This really showed us how much we’ve grown and how much better we’ve gotten since last year.”

Massapequa (18-1) will face reigning Long Island champion Ward Melville in the Long Island championship/Southeast regional final at 7 p.m. on Friday at East Meadow High School.

After pulling away late in the first set, Massapequa opened the second on an 8-0 run, in which Coady had two kills and a block. Massapequa kept the pressure on the entire set, with Coady picking up six kills, two blocks and an ace and Christopher Sultana adding three kills and a block.

Led by Joe Steinmark, the Jets fired back in the third set and carried their momentum into the fourth. East Meadow held a 14-7 lead before Sultana started to turn the tide. The sophomore had two kills and a big block in a 9-1 run that gave Massapequa a 16-15 lead.

Sultana added two kills late in the set to help Massapequa clinch the title.

“We played with a lot of heart that set,” Sultana said. “Thinking back to last year, I wasn’t a starter, but I saw it all play out in that last game. It was a great feeling to have that lead and just pull away for the win.”

Steinmark had 15 kills and three aces and Joe Lanza had nine kills for East Meadow (10-11).

Sultana, who is a year-round baseball player, had 13 kills, two blocks and two aces. Jack Stanley had 10 kills, Alex Fischetti had eight kills and two blocks and Matthew Pettis had five kills.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a starter or a non-starter, these kids are so cohesive,” coach Elissa DiSalvo said. “I’ve got baseball players, basketball players, lacrosse, track stars . . . but they’re all volleyball players because they’re so coachable.”