Volume 67, Issue 8

Volleyball Team Optimistic Despite Early Losses

by Avi Mermelstein

Despite starting the season 0-3, this year’s volleyball team has reason to be optimistic.  Coach Juan Corona returns for his third season to a team that blends experienced returning players with exciting newcomers.  With a core of returning players who understand what it takes to win, this year’s team looks to improve on last year’s 2-11 record.

Director of Athletics Dr. Richard Zerneck believes the team has vastly improved from last year under the leadership of Corona, whom he calls “a wonderful teacher.”  Citing “good enthusiasm” and “improved skill level,” Zerneck is “hopeful” about this year’s team.

The team boasts a solid core of four returning starters: third-year players Uzi Beer and Michael Bernstein and Captains Joey Small and Ira Karoll.  Karoll, Beer and Bernstein will be sharing the setting responsibilities; all three will also hit.  Bernstein, a senior, brings years of experience, intensity, a head for the game, and soft hands to play, but he’s still hampered by a knee surgery he had earlier in the school year.  Beer, also a senior, is just learning the setting job, but is picking it up well.  He is expected to hit and serve well as he has done in the past.

Both Karoll and Small respect each other’s abilities.  According to Karoll, Small is “the most powerful hitter and best jump server on the team, and hustles after every ball.”  Small, in turn, is enthusiastic about Karoll’s leadership.  “Ira is one of those guys who plays a sport not for himself, but for the team,” he says.  “He keeps the team focused on the things we should be focusing on.”

Besides the veteran core, the team features several first-year starters.  Having played at Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington, 6’3” Jacob White possesses experience rarely found in a first-year player.  His powerful spike and solid blocking make him a formidable presence in the middle.  Senior Jon Marcus has come a long way in his first year on the team, hitting well, blocking well, and earning a starting spot.  The lefty from Boston should improve with experience as he is still learning the game.  Noach Cohen uses his quickness and diving well on defense, but still shows inexperience in his positioning and footwork.

Off the bench, the team mainly relies on three inexperienced big men – senior Jason Brandler, sophomore Ben Cole, and junior Arash Nehmad.  Both Brandler and Cole have improved rapidly, and are expected to further improve as the season wears on.  Nehmad has shown great dedication but needs to work on his footwork and timing to best exploit his power.  Josh Shpayher brings intensity to his backcourt position where he is always willing to hit the floor for the ball.

The team has also added two new players for the spring semester: Roman Rozenberg from Belarus and Ben Iszak from France.  Both know the game and are proficient passers but need time to resharpen their skills.

Despite the steadying veteran presence in the lineup, many people connected with the team admit that it can improve in all areas.  According to Coach Corona, a lot of the difficulty stems from an overall lack of experience among the 25-30 guys who show up for the tryouts.  In a school that emphasizes academics over physical activities, the team is at a disadvantage against schools that actively recruit volleyball players.

Unfortunately for the team, this disadvantage clearly shows against a variety of tough conference rivals.  The Metro Division of the North Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) features some of the top-ranked teams in the New York area and the country.  A recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll ranked Yeshiva opponents Stevens Tech #11 in country.  The College of Mount St. Vincent and Ramapo were not far behind at #14 and #15 respectively.  Add perennial power United States Merchant Marine Academy and Yeshiva faces four imposing teams twice a year, rendering 8 of its 14 games virtually unwinnable.

Although he admits that the team plays “an unfortunate schedule,” Zerneck does not see a remedy for the situation on the horizon.  NECVA is the only conference in the northeast, and there are not enough out of conference teams to follow the path of the soccer team and go independent.  Zerneck did leave some hope for an easier schedule, pointing out that the conference periodically juggles different alignments within the conference for competitive balance.

For now, however, Yeshiva volleyball seems bent on improving within its means.  Karoll thinks the team “learned a lot” from the three opening losses, showing “flashes of quality play.”  “We just need to make them last longer,” he says, “and have the lapses fewer and farther between.”

Following a long winless period for Yeshiva volleyball, Corona managed a win in 2000-2001, his first year as coach.  Last year’s team doubled that total.  For this year, the coach sets the team’s goal at four or five wins.  The coach thinks this year’s team especially capable.  “This year the kids are together,” he stresses.  “This year we have a team.”  But no matter what the team accomplishes, Corona believes they approach the game the right way.  “They enjoy the game,” he says, “and that’s what counts.”♦

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