Almost all of the higher seeds held serve on Monday, May 7th as the opening round of the Public Schools Athletic League’s boys volleyball playoffs got underway. Here’s a round-up of the games.
No. 10 Midwood 2, No. 23 Lafayette 1
In an all-Brooklyn battle, Midwood outlasted upstart Lafayette, 25-22, 25-23, 31-29. Three Hornets had at least 11 digs, including senior Michael Yip with a team-leading 12, and sophomore David Cham served up 21 assists. Senior Ulugbek Ganiev had a team-best nine kills for the Hornets (9-0), who in the second round will face the winner of No. 7 McKee/Staten Island Tech and No. 26 Math Science. For Lafayette, which finished 8-5, senior Peizhan Li had a team-leading 19 kills with 12 digs.
No. 11 Franklin D. Roosevelt 2, No. 22 Seward Park 0
Junior Di Lin had 18 assists, four service points and three aces, as FDR (11-2) swept past Seward Park, 25-19, 25-24. Junior Calvin Zheng had a team-high eight kills and four service points. In the next round, the Cougars will face the winner of today’s match between No. 6 Brooklyn Tech and No. 27 A.P. Randolph. Manhattan VII champion Seward Park finished the season 10-3. Seward Park finished 10-3.
No. 13 Richmond Hill 2, No. 20 Grover Cleveland 0
Junior Andre Knudson put down a team-leading 17 kills and junior Jaquan DeJesus had 22 assists, as the Lions roared past the Tigers, 25-22, 25-20. Richmond Hill (11-0) faces the winner of today’s match between Queens schools No. 6 Benjamin Cardozo and No. 29 Hillcrest. Grover Cleveland finished its 2012 campaign with a record of 10-3.
No. 15 Long Island City 2, No. 18 Boys Girls 0
Senior Samuel Perez had a team-leading 14 kills and Nelson Ayala and Mizraim Franco turned back Boys’ offense with a combined 28 digs, as Long Island City advanced 25-20, 25-22. Setter Deivi Franco had 27 assists for the Bulldogs (8-3), who in the second round will face the winner between No. 2 Bronx Science and No. 31 Norman Thomas. The Kangaroos finished with a record of 9-4.
No. 17 Francis Lewis 2, No. 16 Thomas Jefferson 0
Senior Dennis Lee had team-leading totals of 11 service points and 10 kills, as Francis Lewis dispatched Thomas Jefferson, 25-13, 25-19. Senior Chan Ho Jun set up 21 kills for the Patriots, who had huge advantages in digs, 39-14, and kills, 23-8. Francis Lewis (11-2) will meet the winner of No. 1 American Studies and No. 32 Environmental Studies. Jefferson finished the season at 9-2.
* The rest of the first round games will be played on Tuesday, May 8th. Second-round games will be played at the homes of the higher seeds on Thursday, May 10th.
More PSAL Volleyball coverage from this Yahoo! contributor:
Fan Preview: The Opening Round of the PSAL’s Boys Volleyball Playoffs
Adam Martini is a freelance sports writer who has reported on New York City high school sports since 2000. He has covered high school basketball, baseball, football and soccer, and prep championship games at Madison Square Garden, Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.
Sources
The Official Site of the Public Schools Athletic League.
