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Kingsmen

Kings Park baseball falls in opening round

by TBR Staff - May 16, 2016

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#7 2nd baseman Ben Resnick tags the runner out at 2nd base. — Ben Resnick tags the Sachem North runner out at second base. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

The Kings Park baseball team had to sweep its remaining five games to even make the playoffs, and did, winning the five games in nine days to achieve a 10-10 record to send the Kingsmen into a postseason Class AA outbracket matchup Saturday afternoon. No. 19 Kings Park traveled to No. 14 Sachem North, and although the game remained close, at 2-0, most of the way, the Kingsmen couldn’t bring its base runners home, and fell 4-0, ending their season.

“I knew they were going to come out swinging,” Kings Park head coach Mike Luzim said of Sachem North. “And in the spot that they needed to, they came up big.”

The Flaming Arrows broke the ice in the bottom of the second inning with a deep shot to right field for a stand-up double that drove in two runs. Kings Park countered by making contact, but its opponent’s defense was able to make the plays to keep Kings Park scoreless.

After a lead-off walk by A.J. Fenton in the top of the fifth, Kings Park threatened when Ben Resnick also drew the walk to represent the tying runs on base. With two outs and two runners on, Jack Feibusch drilled one deep to left center, but Sachem North’s center fielder tracked it down in stride to retire the side.

Kings Park’s Ben Sacks took over the mound the rest of the way, but the Kingsmen’s bats went silent.

A.J. Fenton makes it back to first base safely after a pick-off attempt. Photo by Bill Landon

Luzim said he knew it was going to be a tough game, sighting both teams’ similar records.

“We kept them off-balance for a bit, but when we walked two and they hit that double that kind of capped it,” he said, adding that the opposing pitcher was the toughest his team had seen all year.

With runners at the corners, Sachem North smacked in another run to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Kingsmen went three up, three down in the top of the sixth, and the Flaming Arrows scored once more in the bottom of the inning to end the scoring.

“They’re a tough team,” Kings Park senior Chris Kenavan said. “We can play better than we did. It’s not the outcome we wanted, but in the end, we made a good run.”

Jack Feibusch makes a play on a hit that dropped into center field. Photo by Bill Landon

Sachem North threatened, but got greedy on a single that the team tried to stretch to a double. Kings Park’s Resnick made the tag to throw the sliding runner out at second, to end the inning.

With their backs against the wall, Kings Park took to the plate for the final time. Again, contact wasn’t the problem, but a fly ball to the center fielder followed by a long drive to right field secured the first two outs, and the game ended with an infield pop-up.

Senior pitcher Mike Tully said that he expected his team to hit better, adding that that was the difference-maker in the game. His teammates agreed.

“Our plan coming into the game was whoever made the fewest mistakes would win the game,” Kings Park senior Jake Shickler said. “They’re a tough League II team — we definitely didn’t do our job hitting-wise and we made too many mistakes.”

Kings Park can’t counter Commack’s defense, falls in semis

by Desirée Keegan - February 22, 2016

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No Suffolk County team averaged more than Kings Park’s 69.5 points per game this season.

That offensive success paid off in dividends as the No. 3-seeded Kingsmen finished the regular season 16-2 overall and took a 12-game winning streak into the postseason, where the undefeated League IV champions took down No. 14 Hauppauge and No. 6 Huntington, making their way to the Suffolk County Class AA semifinals at Stony Brook University Sunday afternoon.

Although challenger Commack, the No. 2 seed, was also 18-2 heading into the game, the usual onslaught that had been expected with Kings Park was non-existent on the Seawolves’ home court.

This was because the Cougars valued defense above all else — something that Kings Park head coach Tom Edmundson said was lacking from his team’s game Sunday.

“Our help defense was not what it needed to be and we talked about that all year, really,” he said. “We’ve come a long way from the beginning of the season, and it’s been something we’ve focused on and we’ve focused on, and today we just didn’t put it all together on the defensive side of the ball.”

Commack scored the first six points of the semifinal game before sophomore guard Sam Schultz swished a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half. The Cougars countered with a field goal and two free-throw points to re-extend the lead. Despite a free-throw point by junior guard and forward Taylor Slicklein, Commack grabbed an offensive rebound to pull ahead 12-4, forcing Edmundson to use one of his timeouts to try and regroup.

The pep-talk proved successful, as Schultz scored a layup and a field goal, Slicklein tacked on a 3-pointer and junior guard Selena Ubriaco tallied a trifecta of her own with 3.6 left in the first quarter to help her team pull within five, 19-14, heading into the second stanza.

“I think we definitely didn’t start as strong as we needed to today, and Commack made the most of it — they started as strong as they could and that allowed them to take the lead in the end,” Schultz said. “We fought back, but it wasn’t enough.”

The deficit only grew from there, with Commack taking a 35-23 advantage into the locker room.

“You’ve gotta take your hat off to Commack they played great defense,” Edmundson said. “Jackie DelliSanti dominated. She’s a phenomenal player. We knew we needed to try and slow her down and we were unable to do that, and that was the big difference.”

DelliSanti was the difference-maker, scoring a game-high 22 points.

In the second half, though, Kings Park mounted a strong comeback effort, outscoring its opponent 15-9 in the third quarter, with help from Schultz, Ubriaco, senior guard Kiera Ahern and Taylor Slicklein’s twin sister Tiffany.

Tiffany Slicklein, who averaged 17 points per game, was held to 13, which helped open the lane for Schultz, who finished with a team-high 17 points herself. Still, the sophomore said the team’s junior co-captain is such a dominant player that despite the heavy guarding, Slicklein was able to excel.

“They have to key on her,” Schultz said of Slicklein. “That allowed me to be more open to the point where it’s hard for them to key on two girls, so I think that helped open up some lanes for everybody. But she definitely made really smart choices and passes and never forced any shots, which helped.”

Despite Kings Park’s strong season coming to a close, the head coach said he’s proud of his girls’ accomplishments.

“They battled all year and they came together as a team,” he said. “We have some freshmen and some seniors and the dynamics don’t always work out well, and with this group, it did. They all came together.”

Schultz said she thinks the outcome may have been different had the team learned from its mistakes early on in the game, but is excited about the future of her team, although the loss of senior starter Kiera Ahern will prove difficult.
“If a couple of shots would’ve fell or if we made that extra pass one or two extra times, I think the outcome could’ve been a little different,” Schultz said. “Now that this season is over all you can worry about is next year, so I’m excited. We’ll have probably a little freshman come up and be a starter, and I think only good things for us next year.”

All 12 players score in Kings Park’s eighth straight hoops win

by Desirée Keegan - January 27, 2016

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Kings-Park-girls-basketball-Kiera-Ahern-1-012616_Keeganw2 — Kiera Ahern reaches for the ball on a fast break. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The success of the starters is rubbing off on the Kings Park bench.

In the girls’ basketball team’s monster 90-35 win over Eastport-South Manor Tuesday, every single one of the Kingsmen put points on the scoreboard, aiding in the team remaining undefeated with a 10-0 record in League IV. Kings Park is also on an eight-game winning streak.

“I tell the girls I don’t care who’s on the floor whether you’re our best player or a starter or the 12th girl at the bottom of the bench, when you get out there you play hard and these girls did it,” Kings Park head coach Tom Edmundson said. “We didn’t have any girls left off the scoring table. We had 11 3-pointers, two girls who never scored before hit 3-pointers tonight, so it’s great when everyone can contribute the way we did. It was outstanding.”

Kings Park junior guard and forward Tiffany Slicklein scored the first 14 points of her game-high 21 in the first quarter, all of which were the first points for her team. She also finished with 16 rebounds and seven assists.

Tiffany Slicklein muscles her way up to the rim. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Kingsmen used fast breaks and a full-court press to force turnovers and steal passes, and converted nearly every opportunity into quick points.

“We stress defense all the time,” Slicklein said. “Our defense leads to our offense and that clearly happened today.”

By the end of the first eight minutes, Kings Park jumped out to a whopping 30-11 lead.

“We started the game with our full-court pressure to try to get them off their game, and every time we get a rebound or a steal, we want to go,” Edmundson said. “There’s nothing better than having the ball and scoring within three seconds while the other team may have the ball and it takes them 25 seconds to score.”

Kings Park continued to limit its opponents’ opportunities at a basket while tacking on close to as many points as it did in the first, to take a 51-16 lead into the halftime break.

Also doing a stellar job for the Kingsmen was senior guard Kiera Ahern, who collected 14 points in the first half on two 3-pointers, three field goals and two free throws. Ahern ended the evening with a career-best 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“She’s so smart out there,” Edmundson said of Ahern. “She doesn’t get the recognition a lot of the time because she doesn’t put up big points, but she really in so many ways is the glue to this team. I’m just beyond thrilled that she had a game like this.”

Eastport-South Manor was able to keep up with Kings Park and maintain a quick style of play, but that fizzled out during the second half as the speed wore down the players over time.

After Kings Park held its opponent to three points over the first six minutes of the third quarter, Edmundson dove deeper into his bench to give the other players some time. The Kingsmen used this to their advantage as several girls scored for the first time, and five girls came off the bench — seniors Francesca Timpone and Shannon Donovan with juniors Lauren DeLillo, Toni Labrador and Shannon Savage — all to score 3-pointers.

Selena Ubriaco passes the ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“It’s nice when you know you have support when you’re coming off the floor that someone else is going to step onto the court and step up and make shots,” Slicklein said.

The bench remained on the court for the final eight minutes of the game, and put up 24 points while holding Eastport-South Manor to 12.

“It’s a great time for us to show off our team skills,” Ahern said. “We’re hoping to win the league, so by making this another statement game it’s a great opportunity to show those teams — and those in the other leagues — that we’re a good team and a tough competitor.”

With the girls playing a makeup game on Monday on account of the weather and with Tuesday’s game being the girls’ “coaches vs. cancer” game, there were a lot of distractions, and Edmundson liked that his team was able to remain focused.

“To play the way they did is a testament to their ability,” he said. “We definitely have the talent, the heart and the dedication to make a county run — we just have to go out there and do it.”

For players like Ahern, she used what the night represented as motivation to shine.

“I played in memory of my uncle and a girl who passed away in our town a couple of years ago and a junior varsity coach,” she said. “I was playing for those who died and survived cancer, so it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to play for them.”

Kings Park is three wins above Hauppauge and Half Hollow Hills West, so if the team can continue its winning ways, the Kingsmen should remain in the top spot. But the girls’ goal is to remain undefeated.

“We’re very confident but we don’t want to get too cocky, so we just want to play our best every day and bring our best to every game,” Slicklein said. “If we continue to do that, I think we’re going to like the outcome.”

Kings Park volleyball wins fifth straight Suffolk title

by TBR Staff - November 13, 2015

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By Bill Landon

Just call it the fabulous fifth.

The No. 2 Kings Park girls’ volleyball team defeated No. 1 Westhampton Beach in three straight sets Thursday, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-17, to claim the school’s fifth straight Suffolk County Class A title.

The Kingsmen took seven straight points in the first set, and broke out to a 10-6 lead as both teams continued to trade points until Kings Park was ahead 17-12 at the first time out.

The Hurricanes battled back with several long volleys to close the gap to 20-18, but the Kingsmen rattled off four more points to take a 24-20 advantage. Kings Park looked to put the game away, and did, but not before Kings Park took three more points, to win the first set, 25-23.

“Our team is about coming out and doing what we have to do,” Kings Park junior outside hitter Lauren Kloos said. “We come out with so much excitement, so this win is just amazing for us.”

With the teams tied 7-7 in the second set, Kings Park surged ahead 24-17, but Westhampton Beach scored the next three points to trail 24-20. Again, the Kingsmen found a way to dig out the last point, to win the second set 25-20.

Kings Park sophomore middle hitter Erika Benson said her team has a winning formula.

“I think it’s the passion we have for each other,” she said. “All three matches were close, and they played really well, but in the end we came out stronger.”

Westhampton Beach struggled, and fell behind in the third set 8-2 in a must-win set to stay alive. The Hurricanes would not go quietly though, and battled back to close within four points late in the match.

Kloos finished with 14 kills; senior middle hitter Lauren Kehoe added 12 kills and 16 digs; senior outside hitter Jaclyn Wilton had 12 kills and 16 digs; sophomore libero Meagan Murphy had 25 digs; and senior setter Stephanie Cornwell added 31 assists.

“We communicate really well; Meagan Murphy, Lauren Baxter and Kayla Buell played really great defense,” Kehoe said. “Lauren Kloos and Jaclyn Wilton were swinging great and Stephanie Cornwell was serving really well, so it was just a good performance all around.”

It was the third time the teams faced each other this year, and although Kings Park won the second meeting between the two, the Hurricanes handed Kings Park their only loss in the season in the first game of the year.

Wilton said Westhampton Beach is a much stronger team this season compared to last.

“We lost to them in our first game, we’ve been undefeated in my high school career and that first lost hurt,” Wilton said. “I never knew what that felt like, but since then, I knew that I never wanted to experience that again.”

And so far, they haven’t.

With the win, Kings Park advances to the Long Island championship round. The team will return to Suffolk County Community College’s Brentwood campus tomorrow, Nov. 14, to face Wantagh at 3 p.m.

Kingsmen continue to dominate volleyball court

by TBR Staff - November 5, 2015

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Kings Park-volleyball-Lauren Kehoe-101614-Landon-WJL_0725w — Lauren Kehoe leaps up for the spike in a game last season. File photo by Bill Landon

The Kings Park girls’ volleyball team continues to rule the volleyball scene.

Despite losing several key starters to graduation last year, like standout Amanda Gannon, and head coach Lizz Manly to maternity leave, the team has continued its winning ways. After dropping the first match of the season to Westhampton, 3-1, the girls have gone on a 15-match streak, only dropping the Kings Park Invitational to Wantagh, 2-1.

The No. 2-ranked Kingsmen hosted No. 7 Deer Park in the first round of the Class A playoffs on Tuesday, and shut down the competition, 3-0.

Stephanie Cornwell had 30 assists; Lauren Kloos had 10 kills, three aces, four digs and a block; and Lauren Kehoe had six blocks to lead Kings Park to victory.

With the shutout victory, the girls have now blanked 11 of the 16 teams they have faced.

Kings Park will host No. 3 Eastport-South Manor in the semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m.

This Kingsmen team will have the chance to continue Kings Park’s success streak that began four years ago, when the team won the Long Island Championship, which began a four-year streak of LIC wins. The team also made it to the state tournament as a result of those wins, but has yet to win that elusive title.

Kings Park volleyball continues to be a bump, smash, hit

by TBR Staff - October 21, 2015

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Kings Park-volleyball-Jaclyn Wilton-110514-Landon-WJL_5416w — Jaclyn Wilton bumps the ball in a game last season. File photo by Bill Landon

Jaclyn Wilton bumps the ball in a game last season. File photo by Bill Landon

Despite losing some top competitors to graduation last year, the Kings Park girls’ volleyball team is on track to do it again.

The Kingsmen currently sit atop the League V standings, tied with Westhampton with a 9-1 record.

The team has shut out eight of its opponents so far this season, not including the Wednesday result, and only had one five-set contest in which the team topped Islip, 3-2, Oct. 14.

The Kingsmen were undefeated in league play in the previous three seasons, and won four Long Island championships in a row, making it to the state championship each year as a result.

The team will traveled to Harborfields on Wednesday. They will follow it up with a tournament at Smithtown West Saturday, and wrap up regular season play at Hauppauge on Monday at 6:15 p.m.

Lightning strikes, ends Kings Park soccer’s streak

by Desirée Keegan - October 14, 2015

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Kings-Park-girls-soccer-Jessica-Hoyt-1-100915_Keeganw — Kings Park's Jessica Hoyt tangles with an opponent. Photo by Desirée Keegan

One bolt of lightning cut short the Kings Park girls’ soccer team’s chances of remaining undefeated Friday afternoon.

Kings Park's Genevieve Carpenter breaks away with the ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Kings Park’s Genevieve Carpenter breaks away with the ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

With 6:05 left on the clock, the referees saw lightning and immediately called the game as per Section XI rules, leaving Hauppauge ahead, 3-1, and ending the Kingsmen’s 12-game unbeaten streak.

“We’re playing very shorthanded — we’re down three starters, and they still played their butts off,” Kings Park head coach Bryan LoPalo said of his team. “We got girls filling in in positions they’re not comfortable in and they’re doing a pretty good job, but it’s a tough team that we just played.”

In the first half, with 21:53 left to play, senior forward and co-captain Genevieve Carpenter took a long shot from outside the right goal side, and as the Hauppauge goalkeeper came out of the box to make a save, the ball rolled past her and into the empty net for the early 1-0 lead despite Hauppauge dominating the time of possession up until that point.

Five minutes later, Hauppauge tied the game, 1-1, when Nicole Scudero scored off a foul kick. While Kings Park was still trying to set up blockers, Scudero saw an opportunity to take advantage of the Kingsmen’s scrambling and hit her mark with a straight shot to the top left corner of the net, past a diving Caroline Galdorisi.

Kings Park's Shakila Sevanan throws the ball into play. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Kings Park’s Shakila Sevanan throws the ball into play. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Coming into the second half like it was a new game, Carpenter had another early attempt, but couldn’t capitalize as her shot rebounded off the cage.

Again, minutes later, Hauppauge had its chance, but Lauren Mastandrea made sure her shot off a cross into the box just made it past a Kings Park defender who was guarding the goal after Galdorisi came out to attempt to make a save, giving the Eagles their first lead, 2-1.

With 6:22 left to play, Hauppauge made an attempt that was saved by Galdorisi but she couldn’t get a good grasp on the ball, and Scudero grabbed the rebound and sent it in for the 3-1 advantage. Galdorisi, a senior and co-captain, made nine saves on the evening.

“It’s a great team, they’re a very talented group, they’re just a little shorthanded right now and they’ll get it back together,” LoPalo said of his players. “They showed toughness, they showed heart. They don’t stop; they didn’t quit. We know what we’re doing, but it’s not our best game of the year.”

Kings Park's Noelle Perciballi winds up to strike the ball out of midfield. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Kings Park’s Noelle Perciballi winds up to strike the ball out of midfield. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Play was stopped just seconds later on account of the lightning, and with that it was up in the air as to whether or not Kings Park was still undefeated. As per Section XI on Tuesday, the results have officially counted. With the loss, the Kingsmen drop to 8-1-2 in League IV (9-1-3 overall) but are still top, while Hauppauge moves to second place (9-2-0).

Moving forward, LoPalo said he needs his team to remain healthy, in the hopes that it can make the playoff push he’s looking for.

“Hauppauge was giving us their all — they played hard and they played well,” LoPalo said. “But our goal is to be state champs. That’s always the goal. If we can stay healthy, we have a lot of ability and I think at this point in time, it’s just that our bench got shortened, so girls are playing more time than they really should have to.”

Battle between Kings Park, Smithtown East ends in draw

by TBR Staff - September 24, 2015

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Kings-Park-girls-soccer-Kayla-Homeyer-1_Keeganw — Kings Park's Kayla Homeyer competes in a game against Huntington last season. File photo by Desirée Keegan

By Joe Galotti

The schedule makers did not do the Smithtown East girls’ soccer team any favors during their first month of the season. The Bulls are currently in the middle of a stretch in which they play four games in six days, and in their matchup against Kings Park on Tuesday afternoon, fatigue was certainly a factor.

After winning a physical and hard-fought game against crosstown rival Smithtown West on Monday, Smithtown East allowed the Kingsmen to dominate much of the play in Tuesday’s contest, but strong play in their own end and a 17-save performance by sophomore goalkeeper Cat Sheppard, allowed the Bulls to keep things close on the scoreboard, and ultimately, leave the field with a 1-1 draw.

Smithtown East head coach Bill Hamilton made the decision to give his regular starters limited playing time in the nonleague matchup. Despite that, he was pleased that his team was still able to avoid their first loss of the season.

“Given the fact that they had about 30 attempted shots in the game, I’m happy it came out as a tie,” Hamilton said. “I told the team today, at the beginning, that I don’t care about how the game goes, as long as we play hard. And they did.”

Kings Park head coach, Bryan LoPalo, also seemed satisfied with the way his team played in the match, despite the fact that his club failed to come away victorious.

“It was not the result we wanted, but the effort was outstanding,” LoPalo said. “I feel like we played our style of soccer and it was a good game.”

Most of the contest was played on the Bulls’ side of the field, with the Kingsmen preventing their opponent from breaking through the middle of the field. LoPalo highlighted the defensive efforts of seniors Shakila Sevanan and Francesca Timpone, and juniors Alexa Biegler and Kayla Homeyer in the game.

Kings Park controlled play through much of the first half, but still entered the intermission trailing 1-0. Sheppard’s strong play in net held the Kingsmen off the scoreboard, and sophomore midfielder Emma Heiser found the back of the net for the Bulls, to give her team the early advantage.

With just under 28 minutes remaining in the second half, Kings Park finally broke through.

A Genevieve Carpenter deflection, off a cross by teammate Selena Ubriaco, was too much for Sheppard to handle, and the ball found its way just over the goal line for the score.

“I just saw Selena coming down the line, and she crossed it, Carpenter said. “I was just trying to help make sure that it went in the goal, and it did. That ended up being a good result for us.”

Kings Park continued to put pressure on Smithtown East during the game’s final stretch, but Sheppard stood tall for the Bulls. The netminder made numerous big saves, including key late-game stops on golden opportunities by Carpenter and senior forward Noelle Perciballi.

“I kept focusing on the ball, and as we continued on, I was able to keep my head in the game,” Sheppard said. “I was a little tired from the game yesterday, but I wanted to get a good result here, and I knew I had to push through.”

Smithtown East continued on with their challenging stretch today, when they visit North Babylon at 4 p.m. Kings Park will also be back in action today, as they hit the road to face off against Deer Park at 6 p.m.

Kings Park lacrosse star will play for Southern Florida

by Alex Petroski - August 14, 2015

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Kings-Park-lacrosse-boys-050514-Liam-Windwood-1_Keeganw — Kings Park's Liam Winwood makes his way around a defender in a previous game against Shoreham-Wading River. File photo by Desirée Keegan

By Alex Petroski

The 2015 season didn’t go as Kings Park boys’ lacrosse head coach J.M. Simpson would have wanted, as his team struggled to a 2-14 record, but a silver lining was the development of senior attack and team captain Liam Winwood, who will go on to play at the college level next year.

Winwood recorded 19 goals and 10 assists in his senior season, his third with the varsity team, including five goals and four assists in Kings Park’s two wins this season. He will be trading in the maroon and gold of the Kings Park Kingsmen for the red and blue of the Division II Florida Southern College Moccasins of the Sunshine State Conference.

“Liam is a gifted playmaker with a great knack for finding the open man in tight spots,” Florida Southern head coach Marty Ward said. “His stick work is excellent and as he continues to mature as a player, he will be a great addition to our program.”

Winwood agreed with his future coach’s assessment of his skills, and credited his playmaking ability and vision as his greatest assets.

Kings Park's Liam Winwood makes a pass. File photo by Desirée Keegan — Kings Park’s Liam Winwood makes a pass. File photo by Desirée Keegan

“I also rely on my high lacrosse IQ and my understanding of how my teammates interact with each other allows me to predict how everything goes down,” Winwood said. “I’m hoping in college I can continue to grow as a player by becoming stronger, faster, fine-tuning my skills and pushing myself to the limit every day.”

Kings Park will be losing a valuable member of their team next season, but its not just for his contributions on the field.

“Liam was a great leader for us all season,” Simpson said of his now former player, who received the academic scholar award following all three of his varsity seasons, for maintaining an average above 90 while playing a sport. “He was constantly putting guys in the right place and was an extension of the coaching staff.”

Winwood said he will miss Kings Park, and reflected on what his time there meant to him.

“I can’t believe it’s already over,” he said. “I’m going to miss my coaches, teammates and of course my two biggest and loudest fans in the stands, my parents.”

Family support is a big part of Winwood’s Kings Park lacrosse experience, and pointed to a family member as being one to look our for.

“Keep an eye out for Dylan Winwood next year,” he said, calling his brother a “straight playmaker.” Liam and Dylan’s older brother Andrew also played for the Kingsmen.

As Liam Winwood moves on to play at the next level, Simpson is eager to see what the future holds for his former captain.

“He really grew as a dodger and playmaker as the season progressed, which was a role he was not used to,” he said. “He should be a guy that goes on to do great things at the next level if he puts the work in. I am excited to watch him continue to grow as a player and a person.”

Kings Park volleyballer looks to be go-to hitter at Iona

by TBR Staff - July 24, 2015

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Amanda-Gannon-reaches-1000-career-kills-2_Dennistonw — Amanda Gannon and head coach LIzz Manly pose for a photo after Gannon reached 1,000 career kills. File photo

By Clayton Collier

Having completed a historic high school volleyball resume at Kings Park, graduate Amanda Gannon will look to extend that resume at the collegiate level, as she heads back to Iona College this fall.

Renee Gannon, Amanda’s mother and former volleyball coach at Bethpage High School, said her daughter’s commitment to Iona is a result of years of hard work.

“I am so happy for her,” she said. “This is something she’s honestly wanted since she was in seventh grade when she started travel volleyball. … She’s just worked so hard for this and I’m so proud of her.”

Amanda Gannon sets up the ball. File photo by Bill Landon

The four-time Long Island champion graduated high school in January in order to attend her first semester at Iona early, and practice with its Division I volleyball team. Amanda Gannon said she was happy with the decision to forego her final months of high school classes to get a jump-start on college, as well as acclimating herself to the Gaels’ program.

“I can’t wait to go back,” she said. “Going there in the spring was amazing and I’m so happy I decided to leave high school early. We only trained in the spring and didn’t get to play, but the girls are really nice, I love the coach and I’m looking forward to the season starting.”

Iona head coach Jon Killingbeck said the extra semester has been beneficial for all parties.

“We’re super excited to have Amanda as part of our program,” he said. “With every player we try to get to know how to reach them better and I think in the last six months I have strengthened my relationship with Amanda. For her, I think she has learned what it means to be a college athlete.”

Gannon, Kings Park’s all-time kills leader and reigning Long Island Player of the Year, verbally committed to Iona in the winter of her junior year. The outside hitter said having college already planned out helped ease her mind heading into her senior season.

“I didn’t have to go through the process of filling out a bunch of college applications; I had one,” she said. “I knew what my future was. I just had to worry about becoming better in volleyball and taking my game to the next level. I never used committing as an excuse to relax on my school work or volleyball. I always worked hard and strived to do better.”

Amanda Gannon bumps the ball in a previous contest for Kings Park. File photo by Bill Landon

Kingsmen head coach Lizz Manly said Gannon, her only player to have played in all four consecutive championships, only got better as the years progressed.

“She spent all year every off season training to become the player she is today, and has showed that hard work does pay off,” she said. “Her last two seasons in high school she was an all-around phenomenal player. She packed the stat sheets all around and those are the type of players that people notice.”

Gannon has not forgotten the work Manly and her husband put in to make her the player she is today.

“They have helped my volleyball technique grow and become stronger,” she said. “They always sparked the competitive drive in me. They always have believed in me and believed I could always do better pushing me to my limits, and off the court they taught me how to be respectful and how to work with others. They are really huge influential people in my life and without the Manlys I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Manly said she’ll miss Gannon’s consistent desire to improve but takes comfort in the fact that her star athlete has left a legacy behind in Kings Park athletics that won’t soon be forgotten.

“Her impact on Kings Park volleyball is huge in that the sport has exploded in Kings Park due to her and our program’s success,” she said. “Every little girl in Kings Park wants to be a volleyball player now and it is wonderful to see such desire.”

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