The Francis Lewis Boys’ Volleyball team finished the regular season with an 8-2 winning record and placed second in the 2A- Queens II Division. which is an improvement from last season’s 6-4 season. The Patriots won their first two playoff games against Tottenville and Stuyvesant High School and will next face Bayside High School on May 13.
Head coach Ms. Scalisi was very happy with the results of the team this season.
“Good. We’re in second place in the division so far,” Ms. Scalisi said. “We have a big game coming up after the break. If we could take that, we’re not going to get first, but we will get seated much better than we would have if we came in second or third.”
Ms. Scalisi believes that the team needs to work on consistency in order to be even more successful.
“Consistency of play,” Ms. Scalisi said. “We’re very good, but our lack of consistency from game to game is questionable at times. We’re very good and then we kind of falter a little bit and then we kind of bring it back up.”
“I really enjoyed volleyball in high school and I thought it was a good opportunity to give the boys the knowledge that I have,” Ms. Scalisi said. “When I first started coaching, we were very bad. We grew a program and we’ve made it where it is today.”
The team improved after a 6-4 season last school year, finishing in 4th place. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs last year against James Madison. Team bonding throughout the season is one of the reasons for the team’s success, according teammate Liam Chi.
“I think there’s been a lot of bonding as a team,” Chi said. “I think we all bond pretty well. Right now, I think we’re all getting ready for practice. But I think it’s been really enjoyable. I think growing together as teams, as players. I think we’re all learning from each other, even if some of us haven’t played as long.”
Junior Yuichiro Zhang played all 10 matches this season, finishing with 40 service points, 9 aces and 9 assists.
“I would describe my overall experience as funny,” Zhang said, “because I’m just showing up every day, and being able to talk to so many people is fun. I would say I’m pretty close to them for only being able to see them daily for only three months during the school year. Some of these guys, I never see them in school.”
Ms. Scalisi expectations for her players have more to do than just their performance on the court.
“To be good people,” Ms. Scalisi said. “To not only be kind and in the court, but also outside the court. We talk a lot about sportsmanship, being good humans outside, making sure that we’re speaking to people properly. We’re also helping each other out. We’re a team, we’re a family, so we want to be treated how others treat you. So like basically morals and all of that, like being a good person overall.”
