Joseph Kim and Roslyn entered the Nassau Division II boys volleyball final as the No. 1 seed for the second straight year. This time, the Bulldogs walked into the gym with the swagger of a champion.
Kim had 19 kills, two aces and a block to lead Roslyn to a 25-11, 25-17, 20-25, 25-22 win over No. 3 New Hyde Park on Friday at Nassau CCC. It’s Roslyn’s second straight county title and third since 2021.
Before the final serve, Kim turned to Roslyn’s support section and led a clap in unison. A few moments later, Benjy Rubin put down a kill for the title-clinching point, sending the Bulldogs and their fans into a frenzy.
“I love it, honestly,” said Kim, a junior. “It’s a great aspect of the game. I love the competitiveness. I’m really happy the crowd got into it.”
Roslyn (21-1) advances to the pool play round of the state Division II Tournament, which begins at 9 a.m. next Saturday at Finger Lakes CCC. The Bulldogs are the first Division II team from Nassau to reach the state tournament since Bellmore JFK won the state title in 2018.
Kim has taken a larger role in Roslyn’s offense after serving as a jack-of-all-trades the last two years.
“He’s the prototypical volleyball player,” coach Mark Steinmuller said. “Our guys would say that he could start at any position on our team and be an All-County player at any of those positions. Just the IQ and rising up in a big game. He’s really stepped up this year.”
Kim, Rubin and Tomer Gilady dominated the first two sets for Roslyn, but New Hyde Park’s Colin Mizuguchi took over the third with 11 kills. The Gladiators got out to a 14-9 lead in the fourth, but Tyler Shi led a 7-0 run with two aces to get the Bulldogs back on track.
Mizuguchi had 26 kills for New Hyde Park, which finished 18-5. Friday marked the Gladiators’ first appearance in the county final.
“They’re a very resilient team,” Gilady said. “It was a very good matchup, but we’ve been in the situation before with Elmont in the semifinals last year. Going down to a fifth set and you’re in crunch time and we showed up.”
Gilady had 16 kills, Rubin had 12 kills and two blocks and Nicholas Eng had five aces for Roslyn (21-1). The Bulldogs will make the trip to the state tournament next weekend.
“Last year, when we lost the LIC to Eastport-South Manor, it was heartbreaking because we all felt that we were a really special team,” Kim said. “It feels great to come back this year and go to states.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
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