Westhampton Boys Volleyball Team Falls to East Islip in Division II County Semifinal

Aaron Kiefer said he and his No. 2-seeded Westhampton Beach boys volleyball team members can hold their heads up high despite a 3-1 loss — 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 20-25 — to No. 3 East Islip in the Division II semifinals Tuesday.

“I loved the way that everyone fought for the win. Being out on the court, you could truly feel how bad everyone wanted it,” the senior said. “At the beginning of the season, we never thought we would go this far or be anywhere near where we are, so to be here is amazing. We started the season as six islands on the court, and ended with one close team.”

The Hurricanes (8-7) graduated all but Kiefer from their starting rotation last season, and returned just a handful of players, but senior outside hitter Mustafa Gulsen said he didn’t necessarily see that as a bad thing.

“Since the team was so young and full of new faces, we were all so versatile,” Gulsen said. “This made it easier to fix mistakes and make each of us the best versions of ourselves. We also showed grit and determination. We all worked day in and day out, striving to be better. I think that’s the biggest thing — we truly wanted to win.”

That was evident out on his home court October 29, when senior James Monserrate and juniors Cameron Giordano and Jude Allen each picked up kills before his solo block gave Westhampton Beach a 15-14 edge.

“I think it was a combination of great coaching and just a great group of guys,” Monserrate said. “We all worked so hard together every day at practice … and we really grew by the end of the season to be a very strong team both physically and mentally. Even though we didn’t get the result we could have tonight, I’m still very impressed and happy with how we performed.”

He, Gulsen and Giordano all recorded their second kills of the set before Allen’s spike sealed it. East Islip (10-5) bounced out to a 16-9 lead in the second before Westhampton Beach started closing the gap, beginning with back-to-back points by Monserrate before another Allen kill.

“I think we just got in our heads. We stopped letting the game come to us and we started forcing things and that caused a little collapse,” Kiefer said. “But we kept pushing no matter what was happening on the other side of the net. I also like the way Mustafa went around the court and kept everyone up. He did a great job of rallying us when it got tough.”

That was evident as the Hurricanes went point-for-point in the third and fourth sets, and especially when they went down, 20-17. The Hurricanes raced all over the court to keep the ball in play and pull within one, 20-19. Kiefer, especially, could be seen diving left and right for multiple big saves to keep the plays alive.

“My favorite feeling on the court is laying out for a ball and making a point-saving play — it’s just such a surreal feeling. I had a lot of fun with it,” the senior said. “It has meant everything to me to play this sport and be on this team playing with my best friends. It has been an unparalleled experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys.”

Gulsen, too, said he wasn’t sure where a team full of new faces would stand to start, but said by the end of the season, he understood how it got where it did.

“Today, on the court, I saw smiles, laughter and joy. I saw people who loved what they were doing,” the senior said. “The team came together, one last time, and played the best we have ever played. Maybe not in performance, but in heart.”