By Joseph Staszewski
A year of transition is entering its final stage at the right time for the Benjamin Cardozo boys’ volleyball team.
The Judges started the season with none of its players returning to the same roles they had on the squad, which lost to Academy of American Studies in last year’s PSAL Class A title game.
Despite plenty of growing pains along the way, Cardozo believes it is peaking with the playoffs on the horizon and the quest for another title revving up.
“In the beginning it was hard,” first-year setter Rong Lin said. “We weren’t used to playing different positions. Now it’s come altogether.”
Cardozo (10-0) finished the regular season undefeated in Queens A1 East with a 25-11, 25-17 victory over Martin Van Buren May 8. It has twice played Hunter, the playoff’s top seed, and forced a third set in the non-league match-ups. Cardozo is ranked as the fifth seed.
Holding it all together from the start has been senior Isaac Hwang. He has moved into the role of the team’s top outside hitter with the graduation of Tyler Gaugler. It’s an opportunity he has been waiting for his whole career and has flourished in the role. Hwang, leads the team in kills with 90 and each time he hits the ball it produces a boom that resonates throughout the gym.
“He takes control of the game, back row, front row. Cardozo Coach Danny Scarola said. “He’s the guy. He doesn’t look very strong, but he’s very strong. He gets a good torque on his body.”
A lot of that success has come because Hwang has matured as a person. He let mistakes take him out of games mentally in the past, but has since learned to work through it, thanks to guidance from Gaugler. Now he is the guy calming his teammates down when things aren’t going right.
“Now it’s my turn to help all the younger kids who get their heads down after losing a point or so,” Hwang said.
Having a hitter of his caliber has helped the development of Rong in his first year at setter after moving from the libero defensive position. Scarola said he always envisioned him in the role as a senior after Youngsoo Shin graduated because Rong has excellent hands.
Rong is just one of the players who have been shuffled around or learning a new spot. James Park went to opposite hitter from the back row. Soo Hwan Kim took Park’s old spot and Jung Houn Kim went from back-up libero to the starter role. Senior Philip Woo, an outside hitter, is playing his first season of volleyball and George Pappas, who was ineligible last year, is at outside hitter.
All of these new pieces required players to take time to learn their positions and how to play together. Scarola has seen that happen recently and is happy with where his team is entering the post-season.
“We have been picking it up at the end of the season, which is good.” Scarola said. “We are getting real consistent on defense. We pick up a lot of balls. It’s rounding into a nice team right at the right time.”
