There is only one thing the Roslyn boys volleyball team believes can stop it from winning the school’s second county championship in four years.
And that thing is: The Roslyn boys volleyball team.
Yes, it’s the oldest sports cliche in the book (well OK, the oldest is “we are going to take them one game at a time,” as if there’s a choice about that) that a team believes nobody can beat them but themselves.
But for the Bulldogs, well, it might be partly true. As Roslyn has dominated most competition this season after moving down to Nassau County Division 2 play in 2024, with the Bulldogs starting the season 13-1 as of Oct. 15, the only issue that the players cite as a tough one is their on-court chemistry.
“There’s a lot of bickering on the court during matches, with guys talking to each other,” senior Zach Kuppersmith said. “We’re frustrated sometimes, about this point or that point, but we have to do a better job of letting it go.
“Just relaxing and calming down, taking deep breaths, and forgetting about that point,” added junior Tomer Gilady. “As long as we can do that, we’ll be fine.”
Roslyn has been far more than fine through the first six weeks of the season. With only one senior starter in Kuppersmith, the young Bulldogs have won close battles with Calhoun and Lawrence and been beaten only by Great Neck South.
Roslyn is on track to be the No.1 seed in Class AA, and coach Mark Steinmuller said he had a feeling this group might drastically turn around last season’s 5-11 record.
“This core has been together for three seasons now, so I’ve been able to grow with them and see them improve a lot,” Steinmuller said. “You’ve seen a greater commitment and more of them playing volleyball out of season, and so I thought we could get to a higher level.”
Roslyn, which won the county crown in 2021 and was runner-up in ’22, took its lumps against schools like Massapequa, Port Washington and the two Great Neck schools last year, but has thrived this fall behind Kuppersmith (who has 178 kills) and juniors like Gilady.
“Zach is very athletic, and is very smart about his positioning and really is a great leader,” Steinmuller said.
“The thing about playing those tough teams from last year was we had to raise our level to just compete with them,” Kuppersmith added. “And now playing teams a little smaller, we’re able to keep our level high.”
The sophomore class is also very talented, with outside hitter Joey Kim (132 kills so far) and setter Nicholas Eng, who’s fourth in Nassau in assists with 425.
“The big change this year is the commitment of guys, putting in the work and eliminating outside distractions,” Kim said. “And guys like Tomer and Zach and (junior) Johnny Farber keep us focused. They know when to be serious and when to keep it light.”
“Joey is a volleyball kid; some of the other kids play other sports and that’s their thing but Joey definitely is a volleyball kid first,” Steinmuller said. “He’s a really good all-around athlete and loves the sport and is constantly getting better.”
Gilady added that he thinks Roslyn’s team chemistry has been solid, and that there’s no reason they can’t go on a playoff run.
The boys volleyball playoffs will begin the first week of November, and the confidence gained during this strong regular season should help when the matches get tight. Opponents like Calhoun and others will be ready for bear.
“I think seeing how much the guys want it and how seriously we’re all taking it is a good sign,” Kuppersmith said. “We have what it takes to go far in the playoffs.”
As long as the bickering is kept to a minimum.
