Amy Littman, Ivanka Priymak help Long Beach to a sweep in Nassau AA girls volleyball final
Long Beach celebrates winning the Nassau Class AA title on Tuesday night, Nov. 7, 2023. Credit: James Escher
You wouldn’t think the Long Beach girls volleyball team was playing a team they lost to twice this season.
The No. 2 Marines defeated No.1 Mepham in a 3-0 sweep, 25-16, 25-18, 25-20, on Tuesday night at SUNY-Old Westbury in the Nassau Class AA finals.
“I’m so proud of this team,” coach Kerri Rehnback said. “This is amazing, and this was the goal we set for ourselves back in August.”
The Marines came out strong in the first set, leading 17-8, shocking the team that thought this would be another easy win. Mepham started to come back, but Long Beach kept its composure, and three aces in a row by senior Amy Littman secured the first set victory, 25-16.
“Our serving was on point today,” Littman said. “I felt like I’ve been in a little bit of a serving rut, but today something changed. I was super focused and felt more confident behind the service line.”
Their energy continued into the second set where the Marines led by nine at one point. Long Beach totaled 12 kills in the set; four of those from junior Ivanka Priymak who finished with 12.
“Ivanka was just lights out today,” Rehnback said.
Priymak credits her impressive performance to thinking about the bigger picture, and what she wanted to accomplish on the court today.
“I just kept my mind on pushing toward that main goal of earning a county championship for the first time in five years, and that really motivated me,” Priymak said.
Mepham fought back in the third set and had it tied at 7, but the Marines were too close to a victory to give up. They ended the set 25-20 and secured the county crown; Long Beach's first since 2018.
Mepham defeated Long Beach 3-2 in early October and 3-1 later in the season. What changed that led the team that lost twice to not only victory, but a sweep? Rehnback says the teamwork and energy.
“They [Mepham] caught us at a time when we weren’t our best, but I told the girls it’s very hard to beat a team three times,” Rehnback said. “Everybody chipped in what they needed to today and we really came out and brought an energy we haven't seen this season."
