Strong first half for Lawrence

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Lawrence capped the first half of the Nassau B3 boys’ volleyball schedule Sept. 26 with a four-set victory over Valley Stream North, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 7-1 mark at the midway point.

Junior setter Thomas Rincon dished out 37 assists and sophomore Davidson Claros had 12 kills as they got back in the win column (25-20, 25-11, 15-25, 25-11) after suffering its only loss earlier that week at the hands of first-place Clarke.

“I felt we’d be somewhere near the top of the conference,” said longtime Lawrence coach George Klein. “Some of our returning players have improved by leaps and bounds. A number of them play on the beach during the offseason, so that helps.”

The Golden Tornadoes, who won 11 matches in 2018, ripped off six straight to start this year before falling short at Clarke in four sets Sept. 24. A 26-24 loss in the third set proved too much to overcome. The Rams are 8-0 and will travel to Lawrence for a rematch on Oct. 25. “If we continue to play the way we’ve been playing, we should have just the one loss when Clarke comes to our place,” Klein said. “Other teams in our conference have talent and ability, so we can’t afford to have a letdown.”

Lawrence returned most of its starting lineup from a year ago, including Claros and junior Junior Salomon at outside hitter. “They’re exceptional athletes and two of the better hitters in the conference,” Klein said. “They never come off the court. Junior makes adjustments a lot of kids can’t make, and Davidson continues to develop.”

There’s plenty of experience in the middle with fourth-year varsity performers Devon Rampersaud and Oscar Guevara. Both are seniors. Rampersaud is 6-foot-3 and Guevara 6-0. “They’re nice offensive compliments to the outside guys and they don’t make many mistakes,” Klein said of the tandem. “They play great defense and do a nice job blocking at the net.” On the right side, senior Noah Scroppo is a heady player who continues to make strides.

Rincon is a first-year starter and the lone setter in Klein’s scheme. Rincon was a reserve last season but saw limited playing time. His older brother, Chris, is a former setter in the program and a second-year assistant coach. “Thomas is showing improvement every day and spreading the ball around,” Klein noted.

Lawrence’s lone returning award winner from last fall is sophomore libero Don Smalls III, who earned All-Conference honors. “He’s special in the back row and our best on serve-receive,” Klein said. Providing depth in the back is senior Dilan Gutierrez and junior Matt Guevara.

“Our ball control has been exceptional so far and we have all above-average servers,” Klein said. “The program’s moving in the right direction and there’s a chance we can move up a conference next year.”

Aside from Valley Stream North, the Golden Tornadoes have also defeated Manhasset, Plainedge, Carey, Valley Stream South, Hewlett and Elmont.