May 27, 2010
Bayonne staves off elimination
Bayonne's Richie Boyle had 14 kills against Livingston.
Click Here for photos from Bayonne at Livingston.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
LIVINGSTON – Just three points away from elimination, Bayonne decided they weren’t going to go down this way.
Rather than see their season come to an end, the Bees responded with their best play of the season, winning the next seven points to force a third game before completing the comeback with a stunning 16-25, 25-22, 25-21 victory over Livingston yesterday in the NJSIAA North II semifinals.
“These guys over here have so much heart,” senior outside hitter Richie Boyle said. “And we showed that today.”
“They just really had a focus,” said Bayonne coach Pat Longo. “They really had to win each point, they knew they could pass. It was just building up to a confidence that they could do that. They stayed focused, they stayed together, they played one point at a time. I was really happy with them. It was really impressive.”
Trailing 22-18 in the second game and on the wrong end of a 5-0 run, Bayonne (18-7) responded with seven-straight points. Matt Strzala started the stretch with a block to regain the serve.
Rafal Kierznowski added two blocks in a span of three plays and Konrad Budny’s ace capped off the rally to force a third and deciding game.
“They came together today and that was really important,” Longo said. “They all contributed in little ways. They all contributed for this victory.”
After a back-and-forth start to the third game, the Bees pulled away with a 7-1 run. Richie Boyle and Kris Kucza recorded two kills apiece in the stretch to make it 16-11 in favor of third-seeded Bayonne.
“We lost our momentum,” Lancers coach Al Partelow said. “In the first game we had some good momentum.
“It’s tough to get back in a groove. Volleyball is such a game of momentum.”
Second-seeded Livingston (23-3) made a late charge with six straight points to cut the deficit down to 22-20.
It would be as close as the Lancers would get as Boyle put the finishing touches on the comeback with a match-ending kill. Boyle, who finished with a match-high 14 kills, had five in the third game and was the on-court leader for the Bees with his play and passion.
“We were down and Richie really brought us up,” teammate Arthur Kosakowski said. “He does that a lot for us. When we’re in trouble, he motivates us a lot and keeps us going.”
Kucza had eight kills in the victory. Kierznowski had nine service points, six blocks and five kills. Budny added 26 assists and 14 service points. Kosakowski had 13 service points and four blocks.
John Tirone led Livingston with 14 kills and 14 digs. Billy Williams added 12 digs and 11 kills. Ed Jung tacked on 11 digs. M.J. Vincent added seven kills and Justin Delman had 27 assists in defeat.
With the victory, Bayonne gets a fourth shot at St. Peter’s Prep, the state’s top-ranked team. This time it will be for the North II title. With just one returning starter from last season, playing for a sectional championship was a scenario that was hard to envision at the beginning of the year.
“I knew we were good, but I didn’t know how far we were going to go,” Kosakowski said. “I’m really happy that we’ve gotten this far.”
Sophomore Konrad Budny had 26 assists and 14 service points in the win.
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
|
| Bayonne Bees (18-7) | 16 |
25 |
25 |
| Livingston Lancers (23-3) | 25 |
22 |
21 |