Last season the Wantagh boys’ volleyball team struggled and only won three games. The tight-knit group of v-ballers this year have already surpassed that win total starting the season on a four-game win streak. Lead by captains Tyler Migliaro, Brian Frank, and Sawyer Thompson (although the team sees each other as equal leaders), the Warriors have been playing great volleyball as a whole.

Because of their hot start to the season, the Warriors won their conference for the first time since 2007, with a 13-4 record, just beating out their rival, Roslyn, for the top spot.

Volleyball is a family with the parent being Coach Fugazzi, who founded the program and has been the team’s only head coach. The seniors of the team have been playing together for four years, and mesh very well together. Seniors Jacob Don and Jake Enella, the latest additions, are the spark these men have waited for to bring it all to fruition. Before games, and during timeouts, Nick Grasso gets the team’s heads in the game, and brings a fresh sense of optimism to this squad.

The younger members of the team also have a primary role on the team. Juniors Timmy Migliaro and Kyle Thompson are valuable assets for the starting lineup. Timmy sets it, Kyle kills it.

The young men have truly stepped up in the 2018 season, and have big shoes to fill in 2019.

Since their hot start to the season, the Warriors have surpassed expectations from last season’s 3-14 record. Tyler Migliaro and Brian Frank are among county leaders in assists with 86 and 84 for each of them. Sawyer Thompson is still on the leaderboard for kills, with 84. The team says they owe their success to the work ethic instilled in them by Coach Fugazzi, and the special bond, chemistry, and friendship the team has on and off the court.

From dressing up in silly onesies on game days, to the lively pasta parties the night before games, the 2018 Wantagh Volleyball team is truly special.

“I love these guys,” says senior Luke Sales. “We are a family no matter what. We’ve all been friends since we were kids, and it truly shows in the way we’ve played all season long.”  As far as a playoff run is concerned, captain Tyler Migliaro thinks they can go far, saying, “I’ve got confidence in these guys to get the job done, and if we do that, we can be playing in the biggest games of our lives soon.”

Confidence is definitely a key component in the teams play this year, never letting a bad play, or game, get them down. It only makes them hungrier to get out and win again. Wantagh students and fans are excited to see where the team takes their season, and so are they. Wantagh is looking to content for a county title for the first time in over ten years…

The Warriors did not disappoint in their first round home game against New Hyde Park, beating them in 5 sets. Tyler Migliaro, Dan Lovelace, and Sawyer Thompson stepped up their game on the big stage. Migliaro was a blocking machine, Lovelace and Thompson had a majority of the teams kills that game.              

The Warriors went into their quarterfinal matchup with extreme confidence against the number two seeded Great Neck North. The Warriors got off to a hot start in the first set, however, GNN inched their way back into the game. The first set ended in a close 27-25 finish, with the blazers on top. The second and third set were not so exciting for Wantagh, losing by 7 and 6 in each of them. This ended the Warriors unexpectedly miraculous season, putting their heart and soul into this game, just as they have all year. From open gym over the summer, to the final point, this team was family.

With ten seniors graduating after this year, up and coming players such as Timmy Migliaro, Shane Stein, Kyle Thompson, and the two call ups Dylan Adams and David Tretter will have to step up into those leadership roles. The Warriors will hopefully be a team to keep an eye on for years to come.