Calhoun boys volleyball finishes surprise Nassau Div. II title run with win over Jericho
Calhoun teammates celebrate after their 3-2 win over Jericho in the Nassau Div. II boys volleyball championship at SUNY Old Westbury's Clark Athletic Center on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. Credit: James Escher
For the Calhoun boys volleyball team, the saying quality over quantity could not be more true. How does a team that won just one match all regular season go on to be the county champions? They play their best game until the very last point.
No. 5 Calhoun defeated No. 2 Jericho 3-2 (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 19-25, 18-16) in the Nassau Division II championship at SUNY Old Westbury on Wednesday night, and it was anything but an easy fight.
“It’s just unbelievable,” coach Ryan Pastuch said. “These boys wanted this more than anything and put everything they had into this game.”
Calhoun won the first two sets, but Jericho made a comeback to win the next two.
“We weren’t locked in,” senior Max Jose said. “Their season was on the line and they were fighting for it hard.”
Tied at 2-2, it all came down to the fifth set.
“Jose kept telling me ‘feed me I’m hot,’” setter Lucas Rogers said. So that’s exactly what he did.
The Colts trailed for most of the set until they were able to tie it at 14. Each time Rogers set up Jose, it ended in a kill. After being tied at 16, Jose’s slams secured the 18-16 set win, and the county championship.
“He is that guy,” Pastuch said. “Whenever we need a point, we look for him”
Jose ended the match with 24 kills. “Every time I got the ball I just kept thinking to myself, don’t hit it into the net,” he said. “I’d find an open spot on the court, and just go for it.”
Calhoun is the defending county champion, but with all of their starters graduated, they’ve struggled this season.
“They didn’t believe in us after last year, Pastuch said. “We lost 10 seniors, six of them being our starters, but this is what we do. We’re the team that never gives up.”
This isn’t the first time the Colts have seen the Jayhawks this season, and it never ended like this. Jericho swept the Colts 3-0 twice in the regular season.
“We didn’t have a great regular season, but we’re on fire in the playoffs” Pastuch said. “We got swept by Roslyn, but beat them in playoffs and we lost to Jericho twice during the season but now here we are.”
Next up, the Colts head to the Long Island championship where they’ll face Westhampton on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Center Moriches High School.
“We’ve proved everyone wrong by making it this far,” Jose said. “Who’s to say we can’t win the Long Island championship next?”
