GUILDERLAND — The Guilderland boys’ volleyball team hosted the Suburban Council Tournament last week.

The Dutchmen served as gracious hosts for the three-day tournament as they played hard but fell in a quarterfinal match last Tuesday to Niskayuna in three sets, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20.
"We split with them this season," said Guilderland Coach Kim Buckley. "We took them in their last game. We thought our future was looking brighter. We were really psyched. We were looking for a match coming up with Bethlehem. We had a 3-2 loss to them last time."

The Dutchmen couldn’t beat Niskayuna to set up a semifinal match with Bethlehem. Bethlehem reached the finals on Friday but lost to Burnt Hills.

Burnt Hills now moves on to the Rochester area to compete in a regional tournament at Webster High School.

Guilderland trailed Niskayuna for most of the first set, but kept the pressure on the Silver Warriors.

The Dutch came back from 7-2 and 14-9 scores at points in the opening game, but then stayed within three or four points.

Guilderland had the difference down to one point at 23-22, but a block went out of bounds and gave the point to Niskayuna. The teams traded out-of-bounds serves, the Dutch serve gave the Silver Warriors the game.

The second set was just as close, with the Dutch holding a one-point lead at 13-12; later the game was tied at 20-20.

Guilderland had an early lead in the third set at 5-2 but the teams traded points and Niskayuna chipped away until the Warriors took the lead for good at 16-15.

Buckley said it was nice for Guilderland to host the tournament.
"The nice part of the facility is that we can have two games going at one time," the coach said on Tuesday. "The booster club has supported us for the whole season and will be for the entire tournament. It’s unprecedented what they do for us with donations, fund-raising, and drawings. The booster club is a big deal for us."

Buckley said that the tournament will rotate between the 10 schools that play volley ball in the Suburban Council.

"Bittersweet"

The Guilderland team finished the season with a 7-11 record in the Suburban Council and was the sixth-seeded team at the tournament. The Dutchmen finished 9-11 overall.

There were five seniors on this year’s squad — Nick Adams, Colin Brunk, Dan Delehanty, Matt Caplan, and David Tang.
"The five seniors came in with me to the program," said Buckley, who is in her third year of coaching the varsity. "It’s bittersweet for me. I’m certainly looking forward to next year. Our numbers are growing."

Kaplan, Delehanty, and junior Greg Buzzard were the Dutch’s captains this season.

Buzzard and classmate Aaron Zakrewski were forces hitting the ball for the Dutchmen this season and in the Niskayuna match.
"Greg Buzzard provides a lot of offense with his hitting outside," Buckley said.
"Aaron Zakrewski has improved in the middle," Buckley added. "Other teams have to react to him wailing in the middle."

Delehanty set up the big hitters — Buzzard, Zakrewski, and Brunk. Tang was also a tough outside hitter as well as a solid defender.

Kaplan was the anchor of the defense from the back row.

Juniors Christian Bauer, Ian Benjamin, Chris Hannett, James Wilks, Ryan Yando, and Jimmy Munsie, along with sophomore Jeff Geisendorpher rounded out the varsity roster this season.

Eighth-grader Shawn Buzzard, ninth-grader James Faguet, and sophomores Billy Reed and John Driessen were moved up from the junior varsity for the tournament.

The junior-varsity team ended the season with a 14-4 record and were the second seed in the Suburban Council j.v. tournament.
"It’s a sign of years to come," Buckley said.

Buckley said that interest in the program has grown and that players are competing in other leagues and teams like the Capital District Selects during the off-season.
"We’re getting a little stronger," Buckley said. "We are just trying to keep up with Burnt Hills and Bethlehem. We’re in the middle of the pack. We were head-to-head with Colonie, but we lost the last two games."