Jeremy Bass was trying to inject a little energy into Bronx Science. The coach was in the process of implementing a rotation change that featured outside hitter Dustin Lee moving to libero and middle Daniel Dworakowski switching to the right side.
But for the Wolverines’ second-round match against Midwood, Dworakowski, the team star and leader, vetoed the coach’s decision – sort of.
“He took it personally,” Bass said. “[Midwood middle hitter Alex] Shlivko has the reputation as being one of the best middles in the city. He wanted to go head-to-head with him. It’s kind of like LeBron [James] wanting to guard [Rajon] Rondo.”
The two excellent middles slugged it out all match with varying degrees of success. When the dust settled, No. 4 Bronx Science prevailed over No. 13 Midwood, 25-22, 25-18, in the PSAL boys volleyball second round Wednesday at Hunter College.
“I don’t know who won today,” Dworakowski said of his individual matchup. “But we won the big fight. … The rest of our team was stronger.”
Bass didn’t mind making the lineup change, though he will probably move Dworakowski to the right side to counteract No. 5 Brooklyn Tech star Jonah Park when the two teams meet in the quarterfinals Saturday.
“We knew [Shlivko] was their horse,” Bass said. “If Dworakowski can shut him down to some extent, we have an advantage.”
Added Dworakowski: “He’s strong in the middle, I’m strong in the middle. That’s just primal instinct. Who’s the alpha dog?”
Dworakowski had six kills and seven blocks, but, like he said, the rest of Bronx Science (12-0) supported him. Lee had 10 kills on the outside and Ben Kim, who stayed on the outside like he was in Bass’ rotation, had seven kills. Setter Mike Sideris added 18 assists against Midwood (10-2).
But the mental aspect of the match was bigger for the Wolverines. In previous years, they might not have been able to take some of the Hornets’ big punches and pull themselves off the proverbial mat. Midwood is one of the league’s signature teams and this is the first time Science has ever gone further than the Hornets in at least a decade. That was something the Wolverines were cognizant of.
“When Midwood started getting runs, we didn’t get scared,” Dworakowski said. “We never gave them a lead. It was like a race to the finish.”
And one that Science came out victorious in – rotation change or no rotation change.
“We looked pretty solid today,” Bass said. “The purpose of the switch was to create a sense of freshness. As long as they’re playing inspired, that’s all I ask.”
The Park-Dworakowski matchup will surely have the Wolverines – and the crowd – on their toes Saturday.