The Bonac boys volleyball team is undefeated through its first four games, having beaten West Babylon on Sept. 10 in straight sets, 25-6, 25-8, 25-18, even with its starters on the bench for the third set. The Bonackers have been so dominant that they have lost only one set so far this season.
The key to their success? Togetherness.
“I feel like as a team we’re very close to each other and that helps a lot,” said Marcus Oransky, a senior. “Honestly, I think it’s all about the mentality. We all come in and try to stay focused and obviously have fun when we play. That’s all we talk about — having fun and just being together.”
“What makes us special is everybody buys in, everybody does their own job. Everybody has different ideas that we put together and it definitely just brings us together,” Aaron Torres, a senior outside hitter, said. “One person could be down and another person just brings them right back up, and it really makes me love the sport more and I just love how together we are as a team.”
Josh Brussell, the Bonackers’ head coach, has placed an emphasis on the mental aspect of the game, and said that especially came into play when West Babylon showed up late for the match.
“We warmed up for 2.5 hours. I told them we don’t have to go all out, but we have to train our bodies and get our bodies into motion, and they started hitting better. They just relaxed. They just became them instead of worrying about who they had to be. They just were who they should be, and it was awesome,” Brussell said.
Those kinds of mental adjustments have made all the difference for Miles Eckardt, a junior outside hitter, who said Brussell helps him keep his focus on the court.
“Coach Brussell is real good at letting me calm down because sometimes I do get in the moment and that leads to me getting a serve-out,” Eckardt said. “He keeps me in check to stay calm and get the next serve in and be locked in and ready.”
While Oransky, Torres, and Eckart are three stars on the team, they were quick to call out their teammates’ performances against the Eagles — fellow starters Patrick Conlon and Adrian Bellow, both middle blockers, as well as the entire backup squad, which not only stepped in but also stepped up in the third set to secure the win.
“They’re really hard-working players,” Torres said. “In practice they really give it their all. I just hope they get more playing time.”
“It’s amazing. They’re our future,” Brussell added. “To go out and do this just helps them out mentally. It makes them feel more of a part of the team to get those opportunities. Even when you’re not on the court, what an integral part of the team you are. I think that was an important lesson they learned today.”
Aside from learning lessons about the sport, they’re also learning to have fun — Coach Brussell included.
“I’m having so much fun,” he said. “I think the guys are. Everything’s just been building because a lot of these guys started playing varsity four years ago as freshmen. It’s such a build, and I think that to me the coolest thing is growth, and this is where they were growing to, which is really cool.”
Eckardt believes this could be the start of a very special season.
“We’re playing at a much higher level than we’ve ever played at, and I think we can do really special things,” he said.
The Bonackers have some tough competition ahead. Brussell expects their biggest challenges will come from West Islip on the road on Sept. 22 and Westhampton Beach at home on Oct. 6.
