Banged up Amherst volleyball improving
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville South's Dan Lynch (12) and Nick Needham block Maryvale's Jordan LeViness during pool play action during the Williamsville South Tournament Saturday. South lost in the finals to Williamsville North, 19-25, 24-26. Photo by Joe Eberle

Amherst Central's boys volleyball team went 2-1 last week but a key injury to its only setter made the wins hard to come by.

Junior setter Andrew Hays broke a finger in a hand, forcing Tigers coach Michael Belle-Isle to move junior outside hitter Charlie Gomez, the team's leader in kills and aces, to set. Junior Adrian Bylewski, usually rotated in at outside hitter, now starts with junior Brent Doerflein until Hays returns.

Despite the changed rotation, Amherst still beat West Seneca East, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, and Williamsville East, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20 last week. They even took a game from sixth ranked Lake Shore, 25-23 on Friday before falling 9-25, 11-25, in the second and third games. Bylewski used a jump serve for five aces.

"It's not as easy to get the wins but they're managing," said Belle-Isle. "They're stepping up and working as a team. We've had some personnel missing here and there lately and they've actually been playing harder so it may not be a bad thing as the season starts to roll down and sectionals start to begin."

Amherst is 4-4 and in third place in ECIC Division II with other league wins over Iroquois and a second win over West Seneca East. They are 7-5 overall with non-league wins over Niagara Wheatfield, West Seneca West, and Holland. Amherst's losses are to Hamburg, Lake Shore twice, Williamsville South and Sweet Home, all who have been ranked at one point this season.

"We're beating the teams we should be beating and staying consistent and resilient in that manner," said Belle-Isle. "We're hanging tough with the top ten during the year. However, I'm looking forward to taking some matches off some top ten teams now that the year is progressing. Lake Shore and Sweet Home are two matches we should have won. That's where I'm looking for the progress. It's time for us to take that next step."

Amherst has fared well at tournaments. They took the bronze trophy at the Clarence Tournament on Sept. 9, lost to Maryvale in the semifinals of the Cheektowaga Tournament on Sept. 23 and with three starters out, fell to Williamsville North, 12-25, 16-25, in the quarterfinals of the Sweet Home Tournament on Sept. 30.

"We played really well in that tournament," said Belle-Isle. "In pool play we lost to North, which

is a huge team, 21-25, 22-25. We also beat Kenmore East twice in pool play and lost the second game to Hamburg, 23-25."

Amherst played at Hamburg Tuesday but results were unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Williamsville South at 7:30 p.m. Thursday then play in the Orchard Park Tournament on Saturday.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com