15 Kills and a Broken Knee: Westhampton Boys Volleyball Falls in Semifinal Tiebreak

The Westhampton Beach boys volleyball team lost its Division II semifinal match on Friday after failing to close out a five-set contest against the No. 1 seeded Eastport-South Manor Sharks. The Hurricanes, ranked No. 4, finished with a 3-2 defeat with final scores of 25-23, 16-25, 14-25, 25-20, and 8-15. The loss ended the season for the 12-4 squad, which had previously lost to the Sharks 3-1 on October 8 and suffered a 3-0 sweep in the prior year's semifinals.

Westhampton Beach opened the match with a strong offensive display in the first set. Senior outside hitter Evan Kiefer recorded a kill to give the Hurricanes a 10-9 lead. Senior setter Grayden Scott followed with a service ace for an 11-9 advantage. Senior outside hitter Gabe Monserrate then tipped the ball over the net to put Westhampton ahead 14-12. Head coach Josh Tuttle noted that the team passed effectively and kept the opponent from building large scoring runs. A timeout call by Westhampton led to a final sequence involving a kill by senior middle hitter Seth Farrell, an out-of-bounds serve return by Monserrate, and a net violation by Eastport-South Manor to secure the first set.

The second and third sets saw a shift in momentum. Tuttle attributed the losses in those frames to a lack of execution, stating the team played scared and allowed Eastport-South Manor to control the rallies. Senior libero Nolan Parsons and senior defensive specialist Liam Sarian recorded key defensive plays during long rallies, but the Sharks took both sets. The Hurricanes regrouped for the fourth set, breaking a 6-6 tie with a Farrell kill. Junior right-side hitter Luca Caumartin and Monserrate added back-to-back points to create a 10-7 lead.

Westhampton maintained its lead through the fourth set with efficient play. Senior middle hitter Ahlias Flores hit a dunk to the right side, while Caumartin added a cross-court spike. Kiefer and Farrell recorded consecutive blocks to extend the lead to 15-9, forcing a timeout from the Sharks. Scott served a skip shot to put his team ahead 21-16. Although Eastport-South Manor reduced the deficit with a string of errors, Kiefer finished the set with a hard spike to force a deciding fifth set. Kiefer finished the match with 13 kills.

The fifth set remained tight until the final minutes. Caumartin, who led the team with 15 kills, earned Westhampton's first point. Flores and Caumartin blocked the ball to narrow the gap to 3-2. That was the closest the Hurricanes got, as Eastport-South Manor closed out the set 15-8. Parsons cited exhaustion as a factor in the final loss, describing it as the most challenging game of the season. Caumartin finished with five blocks, Farrell recorded seven blocks, and Flores and Scott each had three. Scott added 44 assists and 11 digs, while Monserrate contributed 11 kills and seven digs.

Kiefer played the entire five-set match while managing a partially torn meniscus. He said he felt he owed his team everything he had to give. Tuttle praised the group effort, highlighting Parsons' defense, Scott's work, Farrell's blocking, Monserrate's offensive load, and Caumartin's performance. Scott, who has played for Westhampton Beach for six years, thanked his coaches and parents for their support. Parsons noted that playing with the same group since middle school and working with assistants Jackie Reed and Declan Kerns defined his experience on the team.

The result marks the end of the season for a team that relied on total effort throughout the year. Tuttle stated that the Hurricanes stepped up in typical fashion to make the contest close. Kiefer described the game as a series of highs and lows, noting that the opponents took momentum at a key moment. The team left the court with no regrets, according to Parsons, who said they gave it their all.