Blue Devil Boys' Volleyball Rebuilds
With the loss of so many talented players, Huntington High School boys' volleyball coach Chris Mooney put the brakes on the varsity program and decided to rebuild with a JV squad this year. The Blue Devils finished with a 9-2 mark and appear poised to return to the varsity ranks next fall.
The 15-player team was captained by juniors Ryan Casale and Drew Tenbus. "This was a rebuilding year for the program with only three players returning from the previous year, with very few upperclassmen and little volleyball experience," Mooney said. "The team has continued to grow and should be ready for varsity competition next year."
Casale turned in a great year from his setter position. "Ryan is an elite varsity talent," Mooney said. "As a setter, he runs the entire court and really matured and set a high standard for the team by the end of the year."
Tenbus excelled as an outside hitter while junior middle blocker Will Shivers and freshman setter Dan Mollitor shined, too. "Drew, Will and Dan all emerged as our other 'go to' players as the year went on," Mooney said. "Their skills continue to develop and improve and they are a big reason for our 9-2 record."
The highlight of the year came against Sayville. "Earlier in the season we lost a close match to them," Mooney said. "We marked our next game against Sayville as a benchmark to rate our improvement on the season."
After falling behind early against Sayville, the Blue Devils rallied and took the first two games against the Golden Flashes to win the match, "making our mark as one of the elite JV teams in our division," Mooney said.
Looking ahead to next season, every current player is eligible to return to the court. "With off-season workouts, the team will move up to compete at the varsity level," Mooney said.