(Brooklyn, NY) – During a run of three straight Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Championships as the Head Boys' Volleyball Coach at Salesian High School, Tom Callahan rarely found himself having to rally his team after losing a match, let alone overcoming a record below .500. During his first season as a College Head Coach, Callahan has had to deal with both misfortunes for nearly a week as an agonizingly long, six-day stretch existed between the Mount Saint Vincent Men's Volleyball team's season-opening loss to Hunter College on Jan. 19 and their second match at Polytechnic on Wednesday night.
Ultimately, the wait was worth it, and Callahan is back in the win column once again as Mount Saint Vincent held off an upstart Polytechnic team in straight sets to win their first match of the season, 3-0 over the Fighting Blue Jays. With the win, the Mount's 2006 record evens out at 1-1 and the Dolphins are 1-0 in NECVA Metro play. Most importantly, Callahan can now celebrate his first win as a College Head Coach.
The match was neck and neck from start to finish despite the Mount Saint Vincent sweep as extra points were needed in each game. The Mount won the opening two games, 31-29, and then won the final game 33-31 meaning that every point was crucial. With several Dolphins forced to the sidelines with injuries, Callahan turned to two freshmen to provide key plays and both responded as T.J. Pufahl (Bethpage, NY/Bethpage HS) had a tremendous match with 10 kills and 13 digs, while fellow rookie Chris Dotoratos (Bronx, NY/Salesian) racked up 26 assists and five digs. Dotoratos's performance was particularly noteworthy as the match was his first as a college setter. With junior Matt Reinhardt (Staten Island, NY/McKee-SI Tech) nursing a severe ankle sprain, Dotoratos – who began the season as the team's libero – was forced into the setter role, a position he played for Callahan during his High School playing days at Salesian.
Not only did the Mount have to overcome injuries, but they also had to fend off a pesky Polytechnic team that compiled 15 service aces compared to the Mount's nine. The Dolphins did so by controlling the net and playing terrific defense, outblocking Polytechnic 7-3 as a team, and registering 55 digs compared to Polytechnic's 46.
Also having big nights for the Mount were Arnold Ross (Wilton, ME/Mt. Blue HS), who had eight kills, and Dan Williams (Brick Township, NJ/St. Mary's), who added six kills and 10 digs.
Up next for Mount Saint Vincent is their biggest challenge thus far this season. On Saturday, Jan. 28 the Mount welcomes SUNY New Paltz for their 2006 home opener at 7:00 p.m. New Paltz was ranked #11 in the nation in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
