Lynbrook wins conference title

When the 2017 volleyball season commenced, first-year Lynbrook coach Allison Glass wasn’t sure what to expect. The Lady Owls were coming off a difficult season in the very tough Nassau Conference A1, and there were plenty of unknowns.

After last Saturday’s four-set victory (25-21, 21-25, 25-8, 25-19) over Calhoun, Glass has a far better idea of where her team stands. With the victory, Lynbrook improved to 10-0 in Conference A2 and wrapped up the league championship. Sophomore Ami Carey had 36 assists, and senior libero Crista Esposito had five assists and 10 digs for the Lady Owls.

“Being a new coach with a different style, and knowing that the team lost a bunch of seniors, I really didn’t know what we had,” Glass said. “We’re building. Every player has a unique skill or talent that adds to team chemistry. We’re deep, so there’s really no set lineup. It’s about who is showing that they want it more. People are starting to talk about Lynbrook volleyball again.”

One player Glass was pretty certain about is Grace O’Dwyer. The left-handed senior captain does it all and then some. In addition to having all of the tools, the ability to pass, set, kill, serve, and play strong defense, O’Dwyer is looked up to by her teammates as an inspirational leader. 

Putting the ball in play and limiting unforced errors has been a plus for Lynbrook. Sophomore Kaleigh Stalter and junior Julie Boni have been extremely consistent from the serving area, often leading the team back from deficits with long service runs. 

Esposito, Carey and sophomore Kate Foley are among the team’s strongest defensive performers. Foley had 23 digs in a four-set victory over Plainedge. Senior captain Nicole Rosiak, one of the team’s go-to hitters, added eight kills and 12 digs. Glass is quick to point out the steady improvement of senior Danielle Lecce’s service receive game.

At middle, Lynbrook has received excellent play from seniors Emily Zervas and Lindsay Ostroff. Zervas has seen her swing and blocking ability get stronger as the season has progressed. The hard-working Ostroff was named to the All-Tournament team in a recent tourney at Long Beach.  

Glass also gets contributions from senior Angelina Gaetani, juniors Nicole Barrett and Tori Strike, sophomore Natalie Rosiak, and freshman Christina Franco.

“Dropping a conference obviously helped, but I feel like we’ve prepared well for the playoffs by showing we can compete with teams from the top conference at tournaments,” Glass said. “We know what to expect in the playoffs. If we continue to minimize our own errors, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

Lynbrook, which has dropped only five sets all season in conference action, closes out the regular season at home this Saturday at 10 a.m. with a match against Kennedy. Two of those came in a hard-fought victory over Kennedy in the first meeting on Sept. 18. The Lady Owls won the first two sets but lost the next two before taking the decisive fifth, 25-10. Carey had 51 assists.