SOMERS, N.Y. - On Monday, Nov. 2, eighth-seeded Somers opened the first round of the sectionals at home and dominated ninth-seeded Arlington in Game 1, 25-16. Unfortunately, the Admirals who initially got off the bus were not the same team that got back on.
The Tuskers managed to squeak out Game 2, but the Admirals stormed back with three straight wins for the victory.
Although the match was hard-fought, Somers certainly had nothing to be embarrassed about. Off a set from Nathan Thomas, Nobin Thomas knocked down two kills, and Joey DePace slammed another for a 3-1 lead.
Arlington came back with a pair of kills, but Somers wasn't fazed. Thomas had another kill, Dylan Solano served two aces, and on a long bump back over the net, Jordan Daniyan crushed the ball away.
The Somers middleman blocked the next attempt, and the Tuskers pressed on. Thomas killed crosscourt, and DePace registered his second kill for an 11-5 lead.
Then the two big hitters teamed up to increase the lead to eight. Thomas made a diving save in the back, got the ball up to his brother, and DePace slammed it down.
At 13-5, the run wasn't done. Two Arlington errors certainly helped, and after Nathan Thomas teed up DePace, the Tuskers led 16-5.
On a roll, DePace slammed from the right, and after a couple of Somers errors, Max Weinfeld dropped an ace to double up Arlington at 20-10.
An Arlington kill slightly cut into the lead, but Thomas remained on his toes. After his slam was turned back, Thomas kept the ball alive with a kick save, and Daniyan finished the play with a well-placed bump. Four points away, Somers finished off Game 1 with another DePace kill and a Nathan Thomas ace.
In Game 2, the back-and-forth battle continued throughout. Thomas traded kills with the Arlington front line to start, resulting in a 2-2 tie. An Arlington miscommunication gave Somers the lead, and the next point gave the Tuskers a look at Arlington's big hitter. The Admiral swung away and tied the score.
The hitter then tied the game at four. Still, Daniyan was his own man. The senior killed from the middle twice and gave Somers a 6-5 lead.
Of course, Arlington had an answer. Three kills later, the visitors went up 10-8.
Not for long. Somers responded. Nathan Thomas served an ace, DePace went crosscourt on another powerful swing, and Justin Cirioni knocked down a long bump from the middle.
Somers didn't stop there. Nathan set up Nobin for two more kills on the way to a 15-12 advantage. Three Arlington kills erased the lead, however, continuing the back-and-forth battle.
The Admirals gave as well as they took, though. Three straight errors put Somers five points away from victory, and Arlington called a timeout.
Even so, Somers maintained its momentum. DePace executed perfectly from the left, and Cirioni did the same from the middle.
Leading 22-19, Somers watched Arlington answer with strong play at the net. Two blocks and a kill gave the Admirals a 23-22 lead.
Arlington then gave the point back with an errant serve, and Thomas delivered a kill to retake the lead at 24-23. One point away, Thomas was blocked on the next play, but Somers regained the advantage on a missed spike.
Three more ties followed, with blocks and kills on both sides. Ultimately, the difference was DePace. Two consecutive kills gave Somers a 30-28 win.
Game 3 saw more of the same. Both sides traded blows, but Somers fell behind for good after DePace's dink was blocked with the score tied at 16. Four Arlington kills opened a 23-20 lead, and when Thomas' kill went wide, Arlington was ready to get on the board. Thomas was blocked on the next play, and the Admirals took the third game, 25-21.
Still only one win away from advancing, Somers jumped out to an early lead behind a change of pace from Thomas. The hitter dropped three dinks, and the Tuskers led 6-3.
Unfortunately, a couple of Somers errors and more power from the Arlington front line tied the game at 10. The teams remained even at 15 after Weinfeld registered a block in the middle and DePace unloaded from the left.
Back and forth they went, with both teams executing. Arlington's big hitter came down with a powerful slam to tie the score, and the Admirals went ahead on an ace. The margin increased to 22-19 when Thomas missed wide.
However, the Tuskers refused to give in. After Nobin Thomas read a dink to keep the point alive, Weinfeld delivered a first-ball kill when an errant bump barely cleared the net. Weinfeld followed with an ace, and the teams were tied at 22.
That was all, though. Arlington registered two kills, and Thomas missed once as the Admirals tied the match at two games apiece.
With everything on the line, Somers tied the decisive fifth game at three on a kill up the middle by Daniyan. Unfortunately, Arlington took off from there.
A couple of aces and kills later, the Admirals led 7-3. Daniyan and DePace kept Somers within striking distance with a pair of kills, but Arlington captured six of the next eight points to complete the comeback and end the Tuskers' season.
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