The seeds have been released for what should be one of the most wide-open PSAL boys volleyball postseasons in recent memory. How wild has this year been? Well, two perennial powerhouses – and city title contenders – will likely meet in the second round.
Here’s the list followed by some analysis:
1. Bryant
2. Academy of American Studies
3. McKee/Staten Island Tech
4. Seward Park
5. Brooklyn Tech
6. New Utrecht
7. Bronx Science
8. Cardozo
9. John F. Kennedy
10. Hunter College HS
11. Grover Cleveland
12. Richmond Hill
13. Midwood
14. Newcomers
15. Bayside
16. Brandeis
17. Stuyvesant
18. Susan Wagner
19. Townsend Harris
20. Boys & Girls
21. Francis Lewis
22. Transit Tech
23. Telecom
24. New Dorp
25. Fort Hamilton
26. Environmental Studies
27. Tilden
28. Walton
29. FDR
30. Long Island City
31. Columbus
32. Sheepshead Bay
33. Graphic Communication Arts
34. Manhattan Center
35. Newtown
36. John Adams
37. Norman Thomas
38. LaGuardia
39. Washington Irving
40. Van Arsdale
41. Truman
42. Jefferson
This is a very intriguing draw with plenty of primetime matchups before the semifinals and, in some cases, even before the quarterfinals. Look no further than a potential second-round matchup between No. 8 Cardozo and No. 9 John F. Kennedy. The Knights might not have necessarily earned a better seed, but they certainly can play like one. After seeing them Sunday at their place, I thought they could definitely be a quarterfinals or a semifinals team. But they’ll have to go through the three-time defending champs to do it. Cardozo is, of course, not the same and just lost to Bayside last week, its first league defeat in seven seasons.
Midwood also seems to have gotten a tough seed at No. 13. I liked what I saw from the Hornets on Sunday and Serhan Akturk is one of the best players in the city. A second-round match with No. 4 Seward Park is brutal. I’m also interested in No. 2 Academy of American Studies-No. 15 Bayside in the second round – one of the best teams in the city going up against arguably the city’s best player in Bayside’s 6-foot-8 middle/outside Tony Koyfman.
I anticipate plenty of upsets. The parity this year is unlike anything I’ve seen. I can legitimately see nine teams winning the city title. I wouldn’t be surprised to see No. 26 Environmental Studies surprise some people and No. 12 Richmond Hill , led by Francis Jimenez, has a chance to make a deep run. Don’t be shocked to see the Lions in the quarterfinals.
No. 18 Susan Wagner is also playing its best volleyball of the season and do not be surprised if the winner of No. 16 Brandeis and No. 17 Stuyvesant pushes No. 1 Bryant in the second round. Brandeis has one of the best coaches in the city in Omar Vargas and Stuyvesant features a well-rounded, balanced attack.
None of the top seeds are really safe. I can see the first four teams really battling to get into the semifinals and some of them might not survive. With Stellar, the city’s top boys volleyball club, taking a hiatus, the level of play is somewhat watered down across the city. It might not make for the greatest volleyball, but it should lead to an exciting postseason.
