The Dragons make the playoffs for the second year in a row

The Dragons / S. Louie

This spring the High School for Math Science and Engineering’s volleyball team made the playoffs for the second consecutive year. They finished their season with a tie for third place in their division with the  High School for Environmental Studies. Both incoming freshman and hardworking seniors carried the team to the first round of the playoffs.

The team had to overcome an 0-2 start while they were missing key seniors. “We were missing people like Jeremy [Wain Hirschberg] and Yassine [Khaliqui],” said Kofi Kordie, one of the outside hitters for the team. 

As the season progressed the team gained experience.  

“We all improved, learning to work together and becoming more comfortable with each other,” said junior setter Spencer Sharp.

The closer they got to the playoffs, the mentality of the team changed. 

“[Our attitude toward playing changed. We started to get more hype about playing,” said freshman Lemuel Burgos. 

The determination of the team netted them a 7-3 finish in their last 10 games which helped them secure a spot in the playoffs.

In the first round of the 2013 PSAL volleyball playoffs the Dragons faced Christopher Columbus High School. The Dragons went down  0-1, with the team battling hard but eventually falling in the second set. 

“The first set of the playoffs we were very nervous, the second set we were more comfortable, said Kordie. 

One of the most influential  freshman that helped the Dragons get to the playoffs was Burgos. He had to fill in for Dionys Gutierrez, the Dragon’s middle hitter, who was ineligible during the duration of the regular season. 

“Lemuel was expected to pick up Dionys’ position, he was expected to block and hit, which he delivered pretty well,” said Kordie.

Even though the Dragons were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, they tried their hardest and hope to make it to the playoffs next year. This will mostly depend on the the development of the  underclassmen who will be taking the place of the seniors.

Contributed by Sahar Saedi and Shawn Watts

Metamorphosis of the HSMSE volleyball team



HSMSE Volleyball

 The HSMSE volleyball team is exceeding expectations this year. With a 2-0 win on April 30th over Martin Luther King Jr. High, the team clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2007. Under the coaching of Nick Diunte, the team went 7-5 this year.

Everyone contributed to the successful season. One of the key players is senior libero Kevin Chun, who is sixth in the city in digs. He kept many rallies alive and was a big factor in getting the team to the playoffs. Another key player is junior outside hitter Yassine Khaliqui, who is seventh in the league in digs and sixth in the league in kills. “I feel that my hard work becoming a good hitter has helped me become an effective player and allows me to contribute to the team,” said Khaliqui.

Coming into the season the HSMSE volleyball team had reason to doubt themselves. They were 5-7 last year and were 6-6 the year prior. They didn’t look like a playoff bound team.

Although they had reason to doubt themselves, the HSMSE volleyball team came into the season strong, believing that this year would be different. “I think that if we played our hardest, we can make it to a place where no HSMSE team has made it before,” said middle hitter Ben Moosher.

The HSMSE volleyball team went 7-5 this season and now they’re going to the out-of-bracket match up against Christopher Columbus High School. “It’s been five years since we made the playoffs. This is my third year on the team and in my first two years, we were close to making the playoffs. It felt amazing because all of our hard work finally paid off," said senior middle hitter Rudy Outar. Everyone was pleased with the win.

Coach Diunte when asked about the win said, "I was happy that we were able to clinch a spot on the playoffs. It was exciting to see the kids do what they needed to make the playoffs after coming close for the last two years."

No matter how far the team goes, they already have had a successful season. "We can at least win one game in the playoffs, not including the out-of-bracket match. We faced teams of different skills and talents, and we can match up against them," said outside hitter Thomas Kui.

2012 Boys' Volleyball Regular Season Statistics