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Wholesale changes this week. Six spots out of 10 change and we welcome two new teams – both from the Bronx – to our rankings. The picture is still very cloudy and some of that should clear up this week, especially Tuesday when Wagner plays MSIT and Lehman takes on Kennedy.
Here’s how they break down:
1. Francis Lewis (2-0) (Last week: 1)
The Patriots have been sitting pretty in first the last three weeks. Can anyone in Queens 6-A knock them off? Not very likely. But watch out for upstart Bayside, which will attempt to upend Francis Lewis at home Friday. The Commodores have stepped into the division’s No. 2 hole after winning last month’s Seward Park tournament and beating Cardozo last week.
2. John F. Kennedy (3-0) (3)
The Knights have an interesting claim to fame: they’re the last PSAL team to have beaten Francis Lewis. That win came in the 2006 championship match. If the early season is any indication, those two teams could meet again in this year’s final. Kennedy, which won last week’s Tottenville tournament after a final victory over Lehman, will play the Lions again Tuesday in a huge match-up in Bronx 1-A, perhaps the strongest division in the city.
3. Hunter College HS (2-0) (2)
Hunter is very balanced, led by setter Francesca Sosnowski, and the Hawks have had little trouble in their first two Manhattan 5-A matches. They also boast a tournament win over Stuyvesant. Hunter’s real first league test will come Tuesday when it plays second-place and fellow undefeated squad LaGuardia, which has a pretty good setter of its own: Hannah Cassius.
4. Stuyvesant (3-0) (4)
Seward Park gave Stuyvesant a tough time last week, but the Vixens prevailed led by middle hitter Alexandra Albright, libero Alice Zhang and setter Tina Khiani. This week, Stuy doesn’t play until Friday when it travels to Murry Bergtraum.
5. , (4-0) (9)
The PSAL’s biggest gainer this week. Wagner followed a strong performance in the Tottenville tournament with dominant wins in Staten Island 9-A last week. JFK coach Iris Bromfield, whose team beat the Falcons in a tough one at Tottenville, was impressed with coach Marco Altieri’s team, which is led by do-it-all junior Amanda Fiore. Wagner faces its biggest league test to date Tuesday: McKee/Staten Island Tech.
6. McKee/Staten Island Tech (3-0) (6)
The Seagulls are a spot under their Staten Island 9-A rivals courtesy of a loss to the Falcons in the Tottenville tournament. MSIT, which is led by junior Kristen Markoe, will have a chance to erase that in a big rematch Tuesday.
7. Columbus (5-0) (NR)
The Explorers look like world-beaters early. Led by senior Elizabeth Mirashi, junior Rafaela Mascarin and junior setter Pashke Gjini, Columbus is probably the hottest team in New York City right now. Coach Juan Torres’ squad beat No. 9 Bronx Science for the first time ever Thursday and followed that with a win over No. 10 Lehman on Friday. The Explorers don’t play another Bronx 1-A match until Oct. 15 when they meet John F. Kennedy in a battle of what could be the only two undefeated teams left in the division.
8. Midwood (2-0) (8)
Setter Christine Stefanello and middle hitter Shannon Appel might be the two best players at their respective positions in Brooklyn 3-A. Stefanello leads the division in assists and Appel is tied with the excellent Dalliana Toussaint of Secondary School for first in kills. Midwood plays James Madison on Monday and Sheepshead Bay on Friday.
9. Bronx Science (2-1) (7)
Reason No. 1 why Bronx 1-A is the strangest – and maybe the best – division in the city. Bronx Science, which is led by strong outside hitter Gina Meltzer, swept Lehman earlier this season, the same team that finished second to Kennedy in the Tottenville tournament. Then the Wolverines fell to upstart Columbus on Saturday. So, Science is either one of the best teams in the city or the third or fourth best team in its own division – maybe both.
10. Lehman (1-2) (NR)
Talk about an enigma. Lehman starts 1-2 in league play – and debuts in our rankings at No. 10. Go figure. The Lions looked ultra tough at the Tottenville tournament last weekend, taking Kennedy to the brink. That was one day after getting swept by Bronx Science. Then Friday, Lehman fell to Columbus in three sets. All this is enough to cause a headache. Maybe some of it will get straightened out Tuesday when the Lions meet the Knights in Bronx 1-A action.
New: Lehman (1-2) and Columbus (5-0)
Dropped out: Cardozo (1-1) and Brooklyn Tech (2-0)
On the bubble: Cardozo (1-1), Brooklyn Tech (3-0), LaGuardia (2-0), Bayside (2-0), Academy of American Studies (2-0), Seward Park (2-1) and Grover Cleveland (3-1)
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